what sells best on the web

In the UK

[lloyd]

Read this on one of the newsletters, where someone wanted to know what sells best on the web. One of the replies was:

The order has remained fairly consistent over time. The percentages have varied:

Rank Category

1. Travel
2. Computer hardware
3. Office
4. Consumer electronics
5. Books
6. Event tickets
7. Home and garden
8. Health and beauty
9. Sport and fitness
10. Movies and video

Would everyone trend to agree with this for the UK market.

Suggestions welcomed.

[sem4u]

Do you mean by profit margin or volume? CDs are missing from your list.

[max_rk]

Hi Lloyd,

Very interesting topic. Would be very interesting to see some stats. I always imagined that Travel is the big percentage.

It would be interesting to see where financial services i.e. insurance, consumer credit would be on this list.

Regards
Max.rk

[traffik daddy]

Travel by far.

There are a lot of big markets out there but too with plenty of competition.

A few other big markets:

Travel
Finance - Credit Cards, Mortgages & Loans
Insurance
Cars
Software

It goes to show that what people are really searching the Internet for. What happened to the Internet being a source of useful (and useless) information? These days its for the bargain hunters.

Of course I'm just speaking in general going off the stats I have seen in my time as a marketer, there are generally loadsa loadsa people out there searching for information too ;)

Terry

[DaveN]

:: cough :: pills

[running scared]

dating
adult

[caine]

i would have thought it would have been more like this:

adult
pills
books
music
travel
finance
hardware
consumer

This is more a volume outlook, what actually makes the most money as a industry sector?

i would have thought it would be ADULT

[Bobby_Davro]

Is it really? How many people actually pay for Adult material on the web? I would have put it below CDs, books and travel. But then, I don't sell any of these products so I don't know...

After Operation Ore, you would be crazy to give your credit card number to any adult networks, just in case they are involved in anything dodgy. If they get done for making or distributing paedophilia, every person who has *ever* given them a credit card number will be investigated, have their computer equipment seized and their house searched. The slightest hint of child pictures and you will be prosecuted. It happened to 7000 people in the UK last time.

I would have thought that would put a few people off paying ;-)

[bcolflesh]

Is the list supposed to be what are really the best sellers, ie:

1. Pornography (Adult Content)
2. Gambling
3. Pharmaceuticals

Or everything else besides those three?

[caine]

hey B-D,

glad i never did that then.

But very guilty for the following starting with what costs me the most per year.

Computer Hardware - £8K a year
Software - £3K a year
plane tickets - £1.5K
hotels - £2K
music - £1.5K
books - £1K
dating agency memberships (new to me - nice women though) - not much

I have never bought anything else online, i.e. pills, adult, gambling, finance, etc.

One thing that no one has mentioned which is surprising is PPC/PFI and paid directory listings - that has got to be the biggest by far, for all the companies. I actually have a nominal code in our accounts for expenditure for web-advertising expenditure.

[herb]

Having just spent over $300.00 (240.00 for drugs) at the vet to treat a rash on my dog, I would suggest "pet pharmaceuticals" as a clear hit.

[Bobby_Davro]

I have purchased (probably in decreasing overall cost):

Computer Hardware
Flights + Hotels
DVDs + Cds + Books
A Television
Insurance (Travel, House, Car)
Furniture
DVD players
Junk I don't need
AA cover
Clothes

[exmoorbeast]

Bobby - what did you do with the other 8 million quid you made then?

[Bobby_Davro]

I blew it on beer and babes... at least that is what I would like to say. In fact, I am using the money that I have made so far to put a deposit on a house.

I would never buy a house off the web, but we have been using it extensively for research, and have found several that we wouldn't have just using local estate agents. Property is also one of the most searched for topics on the stuff that I run, especially now and last month. Just because you can't add a house to your shopping basket doesn't mean that a lot of money involved.

The same goes for cars and family holidays. Lots of research on the web leading to sales off line.

[le_gber]

Just to second what Bobby_Davro said: I went to see my estate agent this morning and in their shop window they had two add that caught my eye.

The first one said something about:
85% of people looking to buy a house, look on the net first to find it.

The second said:
25% of people who bought a house, visited it online the first time.

Leo

[Mark_A]

Leo those stats just dont look good for that estate agent ..

I would give them a wide berth :-)

They mean that of the 100% of people looking to buy a house ... 85% look on the net first ..

and yet when they get to this great estate agent or their pals ... only 25% of those that complete and actually manage to buy a house started by looking on the net ... thats a lot of people looking to buy a house that despite the estate agents attempts online and offline .. just dont buy a house ...

And these are qualified prospects .. who want to buy a house ... "people looking to buy a house" you said....

Hmm .. statistics :-)

[le_gber]

Agree with the 85 %, sorry my english is not as good as it should be (I've lived here 4 years so it should be better :()

The 25% [b]visited[b] the house online, so I assume they are talking about video of the house or something similar.

I will go down to the estate agent next week and write the stats down to make sure I've got them right ;)

Leo

[Mark_A]

Leo .. dont worry on my account :-) I just was looking at the stats and thought .. hmm wonder how they work together ..

As you mention perhaps they dont actually compare apples with apples at all :-)