Amazon and eBay emerged as the most-visited retail websites in the UK during the crucial Christmas period.
Marketplace giant Amazon retained its crown as the most-visited website in December 2021, according to figures from online analytics specialist Similar Web, racking up 412.9 million visits during the month.
However, that marked a 15% drop in hits compared to last year, as shoppers were able to return to stores following pre-Christmas coronavirus restrictions in 2020.
Pureplay rival eBay remained in second place, boasting 251.7 million visits in December 2021. But the etailer also suffered a steep drop off in web traffic, losing 22% of hits compared to the same month in 2020.
Argos claimed third position, meaning the top three retailers remained unchanged year on year.
Debenhams, now owned by Boohoo, suffered a 77% slump in web hits – the largest decline of any retailer in this year’s top 50. The former department store chain finished 10th in 2020 but tumbled to 40th in December 2021 after being reinvented as a predominantly online business following last January’s change of ownership.
Declining numbers of online customers emerged as a common theme in the 2021 ranking. River Island, Boohoo and Boots were the only retailers in the top 50 to grow website visits year on year amid tough 2020 comparatives.
River Island jumped from 43rd in 2020 to 29th in December 2021 after an 8% uptick in online traffic. Boohoo climbed 10 places to 27th in this year’s list, while Boots’ slight uptick in online traffic propelled it into the UK’s top 10 most popular websites – popularity that will appeal to potential buyers of the pharmacy chain, which has been put up for sale by US owner Walgreens.
River Island was the only retailer in the top 50 to grow online traffic across both the Black Friday and Christmas trading periods last year.
Next, which increased its full-year profit guidance following strong Christmas trading, placed fourth in the December 2021 table after an 8% drop in online traffic. Currys slipped from 4th to 5th after a 34% slump in online traffic in December 2021 compared to the same month the previous year.
Grocers also performed well despite falling numbers of online visitors as food shopprs returned to supermarkets. Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Asda all claimed top 10 berths in the ranking, while Sainsbury’s finished 11th. Morrisons struggled to keep pace with its big four rivals, slipping from 32nd in 2020 to 38th in 2021 following a 27% drop in online traffic.
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