Compete submits: As economic woes seep out of the financial sector and gas prices shake consumer confidence, American shoppers are learning how to be bargain hunters . However, for Wal-Mart (WMT) and Target (TGT), two of America’s most popular discount retailers, September sales fell short of expectations in a Back-to-School season that usually lifts the books. In the online world, last month was certainly a dismal one for growth as these retail giants maneuver for consumer attention. Target’s visitor traffic shrank by 6% and Wal-Mart’s 8% from August; and last September, Wal-Mart and Target were up 14% and 25% annually, while this year each crept upward a mere 5%. Since each site sees about the same amount of traffic , the competition happens at the on-site category-level. For both, the Electronics category ranks atop the rest, but Wal-Mart electronics attracts a full two-thirds more people than Target. Scanning down the top-visited channels for Wal-Mart, it appears their emphasis is placed in technological gadgets, with TVs and video game departments two of the most popular. On the other hand, Target maintains an Apparel focus as Women, Baby and Children sections see the most visitors. At the same time, a battle for user engagement is championed by Wal-Mart, with nearly twice as many minutes spent per visitor than Target in every Top 10 category. Its TV section alone clocked in just under 4 minutes per user – apparently, people ...
Anytime
Compete submits: As economic woes seep out of the financial sector and gas prices shake consumer confidence, American shoppers are learning how to be bargain hunters . However, for Wal-Mart (WMT) and Target (TGT), two of America’s most popular discount retailers, September sales fell short of expectations in a Back-to-School season that usually lifts the books. In the online world, last month was certainly a dismal one for growth as these retail giants maneuver for consumer attention. Target’s visitor traffic shrank by 6% and Wal-Mart’s 8% from August; and last September, Wal-Mart and Target were up 14% and 25% annually, while this year each crept upward a mere 5%. Since each site sees about the same amount of traffic , the competition happens at the on-site category-level. For both, the Electronics category ranks atop the rest, but Wal-Mart electronics attracts a full two-thirds more people than Target. Scanning down the top-visited channels for Wal-Mart, it appears their emphasis is placed in technological gadgets, with TVs and video game departments two of the most popular. On the other hand, Target maintains an Apparel focus as Women, Baby and Children sections see the most visitors. At the same time, a battle for user engagement is championed by Wal-Mart, with nearly twice as many minutes spent per visitor than Target in every Top 10 category. Its TV section alone clocked in just under 4 minutes per user – apparently, people ...