THE FAIRWINDS CYBER MONDAY
CHAMPIONSHIP
Which E-Retailer Is Best Prepared for the Busiest Online Shopping Day of the Year?
Introduction
It's no secret that Cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving, is the Internet's
answer to Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. The term "Cyber Monday" was
coined in 2005, and the day has quickly become a massive source of revenue for Internet
retailers, with consumers spending over $1.25 billion in 2011, according to comScore1. Sites
offer deals and savings comparable to in-store specials that consumers find on Black Friday,
resulting in huge boosts to site traffic – and, of course, online sales.
Are brands maximizing this online sales potential on Cyber Monday, or are retailers
losing thousands of dollars in revenue during the busiest online shopping period of the year to
typo variations of their websites?
Typosquatting, a type of cybersquatting, refers to the practice by which individuals seek
to monetize or otherwise benefit from traffic generated by spelling or keystroke mistakes made
by Direct Navigators attempting to reach popular branded and other domain names by typing
the domain names directly into the address bar. Third parties often host fraudulent content and
targeted ads on these pages, which can confuse potential customers and divert them from
their intended destination. Controlling and enforcing this practice, then, should be a priority for
the most popular ecommerce sites, especially during the busiest online shopping period of the
year. It is also important to note that there are common typos that divert traffic that are not
examples of infringement, but are equally as valuable for brands to consider owning and using.
Considering the importance of Cyber Monday to retailers that engage in ecommerce,
FairWinds was eager to look at the day from a different perspective. We sought to determine
which of the 50 largest e-retailers (according to Internet Retailer) are taking the best advantage
of Cyber Monday by owning the best domain names. To do that, we started by analyzing the
increase in traffic to each retailer’s site. Then, we determined the most frequently visited typos
of each of the 50 retailers’ main domain names to measure increases in traffic on these domain
names and more importantly, whether or not the retailer owns the misspelled domain name.
Weighing these factors, we ranked the top 50 retailers and are ready to crown one company
the FairWinds Cyber Monday Champion. The FairWinds Cyber Monday Champion is the
retailer that experiences the largest percentage increase in traffic across its own site and the
most common typo domain names that it owns.
1
http://tinyurl.com/d9f97qu
1000 Potomac St. NW, Suite 350 | Washington, DC 20007
Methodology
In determining the ranking of the ecommerce sites included in this study, FairWinds
utilized a number of different tools and factors. First, we used Internet Retailer's Top 500 Guide
to determine the 50 largest retail websites in the United States. The list is based on yearly
sales, and it spans a variety of categories, from office supplies to electronics to apparel.
In order to determine increases in traffic around Cyber Monday, we analyzed data from
Compete, a digital intelligence site that breaks down traffic on a month-to-month basis.
Because of the variations in the baseline number of visitors to each site, we determined the
percentage increase in traffic over the months of October and November 2011.
The other primary component of the study is examining whether or not these e-retailers
own the most-visited typos of their main domain names. Using DomainTools' Domain Typo
Finder and Compete data, we collected up to 20 of the most common typos of each domain
name and calculated traffic increases across October and November 2011 for each one.
Some domains had fewer than 20 typos with significant traffic, as determined by Compete,
and in those cases we included as many typos as possible.
Based on each domain's WHOIS data, we were able to tell which of the typo domain
names each of the 50 sites owned, and because of the differences in numbers of domain
names owned and not owned among the different sites, we took an average of the traffic
increase (or decrease) across the months of October and November.
The ranking numbers are the sum of three different figures. Sites received one point for
each percentage increase or decrease in traffic on their primary domain name between
October and November 2011. Sites received one point for each percentage of the average
increase or decrease of owned typo domains between October and November. Finally, sites
received one negative point for each percentage of the average increase of not owned typo
domain names between October and November. If there was a decrease in average traffic
among third-party owned typo domain names, a site received zero points in that category.
The full list of 50 sites was then ranked according to this scoring system, and a higher
score indicates a better standing in the FairWinds Cyber Monday standings.
1000 Potomac St. NW, Suite 350 | Washington, DC 20007
Ranking
Cyber
Monday
Ranking
Company
Industry
Domain Name
Internet
Retailer
Ranking
1
Vistaprint
Printing
Vistaprint.com
35
1
Target
General
Target.com
23
3
OfficeMax
Office
OfficeMax.com
12
4
Newegg
Computers/Electronics
Newegg.com
13
5
Macy's
Apparel
Macys.com
14
6
Wayfair
Home/Furniture
Wayfair.com
50
7
Kohl's
Apparel
Kohls.com
28
8
Victoria's Secret/Body Works
Apparel
VictoriasSecret.com
19
9
Williams-Sonoma
Cooking
Williams-Sonoma.com
24
10
L.L. Bean
Apparel
LLBean.com
18
11
Urban Outfitters
Apparel
UrbanOutfitters.com
48
12
Buy.com
General
Buy.com
36
13
Liberty Interactive
General
QVC.com
7
14
Staples
Office
Staples.com
2
15
Best Buy
Computers/Electronics
BestBuy.com
11
16
1-800-Flowers.com
Floral
1800flowers.com
51
17
Sony
Computers/Electronics
Sony.com
16
18
Amazon
General
Amazon.com
1
19
PC Connection
Computers/Electronics
PCConnection.com
39
20
W.W. Grainger
Hardware/Supplies
Grainger.com
15
1000 Potomac St. NW, Suite 350 | Washington, DC 20007
Cyber
Monday
Ranking
Company
Industry
Domain Name
Internet
Retailer
Ranking
21
Saks Fifth Avenue
Apparel
SaksFifthAvenue.com
38
22
Abercrombie & Fitch
Apparel
Abercrombie.com
45
23
Avon
Cosmetics
Avon.com
37
24
Wal-Mart
General
Walmart.com
4
25
Barnes and Noble
Books
BarnesAndNoble.com
32
26
Fanatics
Apparel
Fanatics.com
46
27
HSN
General
HSN.com
26
28
HP
Computers/Electronics
HP.com
21
29
Neiman Marcus
Apparel
NeimanMarcus.com
41
30
Apple
Computers/Electronics
Apple.com
3
31
Amway
Cosmetics
Amway.com
30
32
CDW
Computers/Electronics
CDW.com
10
33
Office Depot
Office
OfficeDepot.com
6
34
Gilt
Apparel
Gilt.com
49
35
Symantec
Software
Symantec.com
40
36
Gap
Apparel
Gap.com
22
37
Overstock.com
General
Overstock.com
27
38
Nordstrom
Apparel
Nordstrom.com
31
39
Dell
Computers/Electronics
Dell.com
5
40
Lowe's
Hardware/Supplies
Lowes.com
47
41
Musician's Friend
Music/Instruments
MusiciansFriend.com
44
42
Home Depot
Hardware/Supplies
HomeDepot.com
42
1000 Potomac St. NW, Suite 350 | Washington, DC 20007
Cyber
Monday
Ranking
Company
Industry
Domain Name
Internet
Retailer
Ranking
43
Sears
General
Sears.com
8
44
Cabela's
Hunting/Fishing
Cabelas.com
43
45
Costco
General
Costco.com
17
46
Systemax
Computers/Electronics
CompUSA.com
25
47
J.C. Penny
Apparel
JCPenny.com
20
48
Walgreens
Drugstore
Walgreens.com
33
49
Netflix
Movie Streaming/Rental
Netflix.com
9
50
Toys 'R' Us
Toys
ToysRUs.com
29
1000 Potomac St. NW, Suite 350 | Washington, DC 20007
Discussion
FairWinds’ ranking of the top 50 sites revealed some interesting patterns and
information. Target and Vistaprint, ranked 23 and 35, respectively, in the Internet Retailer
rankings, tied for the win this year. Target and Vistaprint, like other high-scoring sites, ranked
highly by owning the typos that receive major jumps in traffic and by virtue of a significant jump
in visitors to its homepages in November. On the other hand, sites that ranked in the bottom
part of the list, suffered because third parties control typo domains that experienced huge
jumps in traffic between October and November. Traffic to one site jumped an astonishing
10,788 percent, and the fact that the company does not own it negatively affected its score
and its ranking.
Only four of the top ten largest retail sites, Liberty Interactive (QVC), Staples, Amazon,
and Wal-Mart, rank in the top 25 on FairWinds’ Cyber Monday ranking list. These sites are
committed to ecommerce and have invested significant capital in their websites, which are a
large source of revenue, so owning typo domains should be a high priority for them. By owning
common typos domains that experience big traffic bumps during November, these firms would
be able to redirect errant navigation back to their homepage, retaining customers and
protecting brand identity. These sites, and the rest of the sites in the ranking for that matter,
are losing revenue from potential customers by not owning these sites, especially during the
busiest shopping period of the year.
In terms of industry, seven of the 13 clothing sites in the top 50 rank in the top half of
the list, demonstrating that the apparel industry is cognizant of the importance of typo domains
and is taking appropriate measures to take advantage of it and curtail any possible
typosquatting. On the other hand, more than half of the sites that sell computer equipment and
electronics rank in the bottom half of the list with negative scores. Given the proliferation of
counterfeit goods and the space within the tech industry, this is somewhat surprising.
1000 Potomac St. NW, Suite 350 | Washington, DC 20007
Conclusion
Although it is challenging to determine the exact number of customers or amount of
revenue a particular site loses to typo domains, these results make it clear that typo domains
present lost opportunities for some of the most popular ecommerce sites. Other than lost
monetary opportunities, not owning typos of a brand's domain presents lost reputational
opportunities as well. While some brands, like Target, Vistaprint, and OfficeMax, are doing a
commendable job of owning domain typos that experience large jumps in traffic and
redirecting customers to the intended homepage, other popular brands, are struggling.
Brands should take appropriate action on typos domains to make their Cyber Mondays
as busy and profitable as possible. Following the release of traffic data for November 2012,
FairWinds will update the study to crown the 2010 FairWinds Cyber Monday Champion.
1000 Potomac St. NW, Suite 350 | Washington, DC 20007