Mothers Win Hands Down Over Dads When it Comes to Online
Spending for Their Holidays

Coremetrics Industry Benchmark Reveals Shoppers Aren't Going Online
to Find the Perfect Gift for Father's Day

 

San Mateo, Calif. – June 22, 2005 – Shoppers looking for the perfect gift for dad this Father's Day didn't go online to find it. According to data from the LIVEmark Index released today by Coremetrics, the leading provider of hosted Web analytics and precision marketing solutions, there was a 3% decline in online sales during the week leading up to Father's Day, compared to one week earlier. In comparison, online sales increased 16% during the week leading up to Mother's Day.

"The Internet has become the shopping destination of choice for many consumers and the LIVEmark participating vendors collectively transact over $5.3 Billion dollars annually through their eCommerce sites. But for now, shoppers aren't going online in droves to purchase gifts for dad," said Joe Davis, president and CEO of Coremetrics. "That may be because women buying gifts for their spouses on Father's Day still prefer to browse for something special at a retail store."

The LIVEmark Index is the industry's most comprehensive benchmark for eBusiness performance, providing critical comparison data for site-wide key performance indicators across more than 150 leading retail brands. Brands currently participating in the index include: 1-800-Flowers, Abebooks.com, Abercrombie & Fitch, Alibris, American Eagle, Bass Pro Shops, Benchmark Brands, Bluefly, Cabela's, Coach, CompUSA, Crutchfield, Eddie Bauer, Hanover Direct, Home Shopping Network, Lands' End, May Company, Northern Tool, Oakley, OfficeMax, Orvis, Petco, RedEnvelope, REI, Sears Canada, Sharper Image, Spiegel, Staples, The TJX Companies, Williams-Sonoma and Yankee Candle.

Fathers may be getting short shrift from Internet shoppers, but many consumers are turning to the Internet to buy presents for their mothers. Coremetrics LIVEmark Index data collected showed that overall eCommerce sales rose 16% during the week leading up to Mother's Day compared to a week earlier, with flowers, specialty gifts and jewelry being the most popular presents for mom. All in all, leading gift retailers saw a 161% spike in sales the week leading up to Mother's Day. In comparison, sales for gift retailers rose just 11% week-on-week in the seven days leading up to Father's Day.

The only other sectors that saw a boost in e-commerce sales during the pre-Father's Day period were sports & outdoors (up 4%) and office supply & electronics (up 5%)—showing that online shoppers still veer toward traditional gifts for dad.

Coremetrics 2005, the company's flagship offering, is the corporate web analytics standard for over 400 brands. The LIVEmark Index, launched in March 2005, leverages aggregate performance data across participating brands to deliver over 35 benchmark metrics addressing campaign and channel effectiveness, site stickiness, and conversion rates. LIVEmark participants gain a clear understanding of business performance relative to peers and competitors so they can effectively allocate marketing spend, anticipate industry threats and trends, and make strategic decisions about site, marketing and merchandising efforts.

LIVEmark is generally available to all Coremetrics clients at no additional charge. The LIVEmark Index includes a benchmark of all participating retailers as well as seven sub-categories: Apparel, Gifts, Home, Specialty Retail, Sports & Outdoors and General Merchandise. The LIVEmark Index will expand over time to include additional industries and categories.

Clients who wish to access benchmark data must also join the LIVEmark Index. For more information, please call 877-721-CORE.

About Coremetrics

Coremetrics is the leading provider of hosted Web analytics and precision marketing solutions. The company's flagship product, Coremetrics 2005, is the industry's only Web analytics platform that captures and stores all customer and visitor clickstream activity to build LIVE (Lifetime Individual Visitor Experience) Profiles that serve as the foundation for all successful e-business initiatives. With Coremetrics 2005, online marketers, IT managers, and e-commerce executives are able to attract and convert high-value visitors, increase customer lifetime value, and create a multi channel view of customer behavior. Coremetrics services over 400 brands including Bank of America, Columbia House, CompUSA, Eddie Bauer, Motorola, The Weather Channel, Victoria's Secret, and Williams-Sonoma. Coremetrics is privately held with funding from Accel Partners and Highland Capital Partners, and is headquartered in San Mateo, California with offices across the US and in London. To learn more about Coremetrics, visit www.coremetrics.com or call 877-721-CORE.

Coremetrics has strongly supported online privacy since its inception. To learn more, visit www.coremetrics.com/privacy .

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Coremetrics is the trademark of Coremetrics, Inc. Any other marks used in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of the manufacturers or marketers of the products with which the marks are associated.