Retailers ignoring their online shoppers

UK high street stores are climbing up the list of top online retail sites but many retailers are still letting the online opportunity pass them by.

According to figures from the top 50 sites in terms of visits, only two high street brands - Argos and Tesco - feature in the top 10. While Tesco has gained traffic, Argos has slipped a place.

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Only half of the retailers on the list, which was compiled by Hitwise and IMRG, are high street names - and this number has only risen by two since May 2006: from 23 to 25. Amazon UK, Tesco.com, Argos, Play.com and Amazon.com top the list.

New to the list since May 2006, in descending order of their positions on the list, are Tesco Direct, Talk Talk, Symantec Store, Ebuyer, Odeon Cinemas, Maplin electronics, Apple iTunes, Boots and TopShop. Debenhams and Opodo have dropped off the list since May last year.

Since February of this year, the fastest risers have been B&Q, Tesco Direct and Ticketmaster UK.

The report notes that the top 50 online retailers in terms of traffic has not changed significantly. This suggests the leaders have established strongholds on their position in the market. The report's authors warned high street brands, which are not already established online, may have missed the boat in developing the internet as a profitable revenue stream.

Hitwise VP of research, Heather Hopkins, said Tesco and several high street department stores have made significant gains in the past year - with John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Woolworths all climbing in the ranks.