comScore to Host Webinar on Q3 2009 E-Commerce Review and Forecast for 2009 Holiday Season on Thursday, November 12

RESTON, VA – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released its Q3 2009  retail e-commerce sales estimates, which showed that U.S. online retail spending totaled $29.6 billion, down 2 percent versus year ago.

Q3 2009 represents the first time on record that consecutive quarters have seen negative e-commerce spending growth compared with the same quarter the year prior.
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Retail E-Commerce (Non-Travel) Growth Rates
Excludes Auctions, Autos and Large Corporate Purchases

Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.

Quarter     Y/Y Percent Change

Q1 2007             17%
Q2 2007             23%
Q3 2007             23%
Q4 2007             19%
Q1 2008             11%
Q2 2008             13%
Q3 2008              6%
Q4 2008             -3%
Q1 2009              0%
Q2 2009             -1%
Q3 2009             -2%

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“The third quarter showed negative marginal growth for the second consecutive quarter – the first time on record we’ve witnessed sustained dips in U.S. e-commerce spending, small though the declines may be,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “The good news is that these declines may finally be in our rear view mirror, as we anticipate marginally positive growth for the fourth quarter. With retailers gearing up for the online holiday shopping bonanza, and a fourth quarter that will include easier comparisons against year ago, we are hopeful that this Christmas season will  be merrier than the last.”

Join Mr. Fulgoni as he presents an update of the state of the U.S. online retail economy through Q3 2009 in a live webinar on Thursday, November 12 from 2 – 3 p.m. EST/1 – 2 p.m. CST/11 a.m. – noon PST. Webinar registration details are below.

Free Shipping a Must-Have Incentive for Retailers in 2009 Holiday Season

Over the past few years, free shipping has become a particularly critical incentive for stimulating online purchase behavior, and its importance has increased considerably during the recent economic downturn. The past several quarters have seen the percentage of e-commerce sales transactions including free shipping increase from 31 percent in Q1 2008 to 42 percent in Q3 2009.

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E-Commerce Free Shipping Analysis
Q1 2008 – Q3 2009

Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.

Share (%) of E-Commerce Transactions

Free Shipping      Paid Shipping

Q1 2008          31%                 69%
Q2 2008          34%                 66%
Q3 2008          35%                 65%
Q4 2008          38%                 62%
Q1 2009          37%                 63%
Q2 2009          43%                 57%
Q3 2009          42%                 58%

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“Free shipping has become an increasingly essential promotion in the e-commerce marketer’s toolkit,” added Mr. Fulgoni. “With more than 40 percent of all e-commerce transactions now including free shipping, it’s clear that consumers respond favorably to this incentive and in many cases have come to expect it from retailers. The retailers who do not offer free shipping deals this holiday season may find themselves at a significant disadvantage versus those who do.”

Webinar Series: State of the U.S. Online Retail Economy through Q3 2009

The webinar presentation will include an overview of changes in consumers’ online spending patterns through Q3 2009 (with a preview of October 2009 e-commerce spending), survey findings that highlight consumer sentiments regarding the economy in 2009, as well as an analysis of spending patterns across key product categories, retailer sectors and consumer demographic segments. The webinar will also include a forecast of the critical 2009 holiday online shopping season.

To register for the webinar, please visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/408403728

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.

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2008 Holiday Season vs. Corresponding Days* in 2007
Non-Travel (Retail) Spending
Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.

Holiday Season                            Millions ($)
                                                       2007      2008      Pct Change
November 1 – December 23         $26,332    $25,537       -3%
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*Corresponding days based on corresponding shopping days (Oct. 27 – Dec. 18, 2007)
 
“The 2008 online holiday shopping season has declined 3 percent versus year ago, falling behind our expectation of flat sales this year,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “This marks the first time we’ve seen negative growth rates for the holiday season since we began tracking e-commerce in 2001. The combination of having five fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the severe economic headwinds faced by consumers has made this a really tough season for retailers, both offline and online.”
 
Q4 E-Commerce Spending to Date
The growth rate for Q4 2008 to date compared to the same period a year ago will end up looking marginally worse than the holiday season results. For the period of October 1 – December 28 compared to the same calendar days in 2008, e-commerce spending is down 4 percent to 36.8 billion. The fourth quarter of 2008 will also mark the first full quarter to record a negative growth rate since comScore began tracking e-commerce.
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Fourth Quarter-to-Date E-Commerce Spending
Non-Travel (Retail) Spending
Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.

Q4-to-Date                               Millions ($)
                                                     2007       2008      Pct Change
October 1 – December 28         $38,376     $36,803      -4%
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Apple and Amazon among Top Traffic Gainers in December
Despite soft online sales this holiday season, consumers continued to shop online for the best deals. In the period of December 1-24 vs. the corresponding shopping days last year, several top retailers achieved growth in visitation to their sites. eBay remained the most visited retail site with 85.4 million visitors but saw a slight decline of 4 percent in visitors, while three of the top five  most visited sites recorded gains. Amazon Sites grew 7 percent to 76.2 million visitors, followed by Wal-Mart (up 4 percent to 51.5 million visitors), Target (down 1 percent to 46.8 million visitors) and Apple Inc. (up 19 percent to 35 million visitors).
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Traffic Growth to Top Retailer Sites
Dec. 1 – Dec. 24, 2008 vs. Corresponding Days* in 2007
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix

                                      Unique Visitors (000)
                                                     2007      2008     Percent Change
Total Internet                           171,113    179,997       5%
eBay                                           88,894     85,442      -4%
Amazon Sites                             70,975     76,240       7%
Wal-Mart                                    49,632     51,546       4%
Target Corporation                     47,338     46,837      -1%
Apple Inc.                                   29,450     35,017      19%
Best Buy Sites                              28,602     28,555       0%
JCPenney Sites                            21,329     18,918     -11%
Toysrus Sites                              19,817     18,075      -9%
Sears.com                                   18,010     18,413       2%
Circuit City Stores, Inc.               19,466     15,456     -21%
Overstock.com                           18,911     15,951     -16%
AmericanGreetings Property       17,273     14,666     -15%
Hewlett Packard                         15,217     19,425      28%
Dell                                            17,279     14,305     -17%
Macy’s Inc.                                 15,715     15,868       1%
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*Corresponding days based on corresponding shopping days (Oct. 27 – Dec. 19, 2007)
 
comScore’s Summary of  2008 Holiday Online Retail Spending by Key Time Period
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Online Non-Travel (Retail) Holiday Consumer Spending
Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.

                                             Millions ($)
                                                         2007       2008       Pct Change
January – October                           $93,551    $102,144        9%
November 1 – December 23*          $26,332     $25,537       -3%
November 27 (Thanksgiving Day)*       $273        $288        6%
November 28 (Black Friday)*                 $531        $534        1%
December 1 (Cyber Monday)*                $733        $846       15%
Heaviest Online Shopping Day              $881        $887        1%
                                   (Dec. 10)     (Dec. 9)  
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* Versus Corresponding Shopping Days in 2007 Relative to Thanksgiving
 
About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.

RESTON, VA – comScore (NASDAQ : SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, reported its tracking of holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 35 days of the November – December 2008 holiday season. For the holiday season through December 5, $14.92 billion has been spent online, essentially the same level compared to the corresponding days last year. For the five days beginning with December 1 (Cyber Monday), the kick-off to the heaviest part of the online shopping season, sales totaled $3.74 billion, up 9 percent versus year ago. Two individual days in the past week achieved more than $800 million in online spending: Monday, December 1 (“Cyber Monday”) with $846 million, and Tuesday, December 2 with $823 million.

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2008 Holiday Season To Date vs. Corresponding Days* in 2007

Non-Travel (Retail) Spending

Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases

Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore, Inc.

Holiday Season to Date Millions ($)

2007 2008 Pct Change

November 1 – December 5 $14,903 $14,922 0%

Dec .1 (Cyber Monday) – Dec. 5 $3,419 $3,743 9%
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*Corresponding days based on equivalent shopping days relative to Thanksgiving (October 27 – November 30, 2007)

“The online holiday shopping season has picked up noticeably since Thanksgiving as consumers have given in to the holiday spirit – and very attractive retailer discounts,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “Particularly encouraging is the growth of 9 percent in online sales that has occurred since Cyber Monday. While this growth is certainly a positive development in this tough retail season, it also needs to be put into perspective. With the compressed time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year – five days shorter than last year – we need to see continued strong growth during the critical weeks between today and Christmas if this year’s shopping season is to at least match that of last year.”

Top Performing Retail Categories Since Cyber Monday

The fastest growing product categories during the period from December 1 through December 5 were Sport & Fitness (up 35 percent) and Consumer Electronics (up 24 percent), which saw sales surge as a result of significant price reductions on many items, including flat panel TVs. Apparel & Accessories, the second largest retail category in terms of dollar sales (after Computer Hardware) during this period, also experienced strong gains (up 16 percent). The softest retail categories include Music, Movies & Videos (down 24 percent) and Jewelry & Watches (down 22 percent).
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Growth in Retail E-Commerce Categories by Dollar Sales Since Cyber Monday

Non-Travel (Retail) Spending
Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases
Dec. 1- Dec. 5, 2008 vs. Corresponding Shopping Days in 2007
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore, Inc.

Retail Category Y/Y Percent Change in Category Sales ($)

Sport & Fitness 35%
Consumer Electronics 24%
Apparel & Accessories 16%
Toys 16%
Books & Magazines 10%
Video Games, Consoles & Accessories 9%
Computer Hardware 2%
Home, Garden & Furniture 0%
Flowers, Greetings & Gifts -8%
Jewelry & Watches -22%
Music, Movies & Videos -24%
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Visitors to Top Retailer Sites Since Cyber Monday

During the five-day period since Cyber Monday, traffic to the retail site category is up 2 percent versus year ago, with many sites drawing a substantial number of visitors. eBay topped the list with 36 million unique visitors, while three of the top ten retailer sites saw gains versus year ago: Amazon Sites (up 10 percent), Wal-Mart (up 7 percent), and Apple Inc. (up 29 percent).

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Visitor Growth at Top Retailer Sites

Dec. 1- Dec. 5, 2008 vs. Corresponding Shopping Days in 2007

Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore, Inc.

Unique Visitors (000)

2007 2008 Percent Change

Retail Site Category 118,393 121,271 2%
eBay 40,180 36,631 -9%
Amazon Sites 26,859 29,505 10%
Wal-Mart 18,183 19,514 7%
Target Corporation 16,273 15,905 -2%
Apple Inc. 9,290 11,943 29%
Best Buy Sites 9,350 8,561 -8%
JCPenney Sites 6,657 6,435 -3%
Overstock.com 6,930 5,874 -15%
Toysrus Sites 6,434 5,969 -7%
Dell 6,740 5,611 -17%
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comScore’s Summary of 2008 Holiday Online Retail Spending by Key Time Period
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Online Non-Travel (Retail) Holiday Consumer Spending

Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases

Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore, Inc.

Millions ($)

2007 2008 Pct Change

January – October $93,551 $102,144 9%

comScore Holiday Season Forecast (Nov-Dec) $29,169 $29,200** 0%**

November 27 (Thanksgiving Day)* $273 $288 6%

November 28 (Black Friday)* $531 $534 1%

December 1 (Cyber Monday)* $733 $846 15%
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* Versus Corresponding Shopping Day in 2007 Relative to Thanksgiving
**Forecast

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/boilerplate.