comScore Media Metrix examines the affect of back-to-school and holiday shopping on comparison sites.

In recent months, Comparison Shopping sites have been in the spotlight through a series of major acquisitions. On June 1, eBay announced its acquisition of Shopping.com for approximately $634 million. Shortly thereafter, the E.W. Scripps Company purchased Shopzilla for $525 million. 

Although many Comparison Shopping sites draw audiences in the millions, the four largest sites in particular draw significantly larger crowds than the competition:

Comparison shopping sites are very popular among demographic segments with high buying power and familiarity with the internet. For example, comScore Media Metrix data from August 2005 reveal that persons between the ages of 35 and 44 were 21 percent more likely to visit Comparison Shopping sites than the average internet user. 

Buyers of certain product categories have come to find comparison shopping sites to be particularly indispensable. Perhaps the most noteworthy example of this is consumer electronics.

A recent comScore Networks study, “The Ascent of the Precision Shopping Machine,” found that the proportion of online consumer electronics buyers (in the post-holiday quarter) that also visited Comparison Shopping sites had risen from 59 percent in 2002 to more than 90 percent in 2005.

Consumer comfort with online shopping continues to grow, and search marketing continues to be a critical element of the multi-channel mix for virtually every major advertiser. Comparison Shopping sites fall squarely at the center of these trends, and represent an important communications channel that marketers -- and retailers in particular -- are increasingly finding to be worthy of attention.

About comScore Networks
comScore Networks provides unparalleled insight into consumer behavior and attitudes. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than two million consumers who have given comScore explicit permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its patent-pending technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes. comScore consultants apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. comScore services are used by global leaders such as AOL, Yahoo!, Verizon, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Tribune Interactive, ESPN, Nestlé, Bank of America, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, GlaxoSmithKline and Orbitz.