Black Friday Shopping Searches Surge, Thanksgiving Also Key Shopping Day

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Nov 29, 2014) - Nearly five times more consumers conducted shopping searches on major retail sites on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday 2014 versus the pre-holiday average, according to HookLogic, the commerce search advertising leader, whose network includes 20 of the Internet's top retailers with four billion shopping searches in November alone. 

HookLogic's Retail Search Exchange, which serves as a gateway for brands to promote their products on those retailer sites, reports that Thanksgiving searches were up 4.3 times and Black Friday searches were up 4.8 times compared to the pre-holiday daily average. Approximately 31% of searches occurred via mobile web on smartphones. HookLogic's network now reaches as many shoppers as Amazon, according to data from comScore (Sep 2014), and is expected to surpass it in early 2015.

Traffic peaked in the 9-10pm EST period on Thanksgiving and again during the 11am-12pm EST period on Black Friday. The peak hour of traffic on Thanksgiving evening was 10% higher than the morning Black Friday peak. HookLogic observed a similar pattern in 2013. 

"We're excited for our advertisers and retail partners, as this holiday season is looking to be the best in a long time," said HookLogic CEO Jonathan Opdyke. "They've got a ton of momentum going through the weekend, and we expect to see the biggest Cyber Monday ever, as well. Our analysts will report that outcome on Tuesday, so stay tuned."

Moreover, conversion rates -- product detail page views resulting in sales -- also surged this week over the baseline pre-holiday average. Conversion rates began to rise on Monday of this holiday week, doubled on Thanksgiving, and peaked on Black Friday itself at 2.25 times the pre-holiday average. This means more browsers were converting to buyers during these key decision days. 

HookLogic predicts that 9-10 pm EST on Cyber Monday, December 1^st, will be the busiest hour of online shopping in U.S. history. 

About HookLogic
HookLogic, the global leader in commerce search advertising, partners with the world's leading retailers, online travel agencies, and automotive companies to provide marketers unprecedented access to active category shoppers and a clear view into resulting sales attribution. The company's high-performance vertical marketing programs accelerate sales for product brands, marketplace sellers, hoteliers, and automotive marketers. Network partners and advertisers including Network partners and advertisers including Walmart, Target, Intel, L'Oreal, Expedia, Priceline, General Motors, and Chrysler use HookLogic to increase sales and monetize site traffic. Backed by Bain Capital Ventures and Intel Capital, HookLogic is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Ann Arbor, Atlanta, and London, UK. For more information, please visit www.hooklogic.com or call (646) 467-8200.