In Online Traffic Search, ‘Alternative’ Sites Nudge Out Traditional Retailers

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In an analysis of online search traffic of the top global retail and fashion brands during February, as the coronavirus outbreak was peaking in China, researchers at SEMrush found a surge at sites such as the U.K.’s “Amazon alternative” Onbuy.com and French men’s wear site Celio.com.

These sites beat out traditional retail fashion leaders such as macys.com and online giant Amazon, who have consistently drawn robust year-over-year online search growth.

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The software-as-a-service company said in its report that “unprecedented growth was observed for traffic at the brands’ web sites in February compared to the average monthly traffic in 2019.”

“For example, the biggest increase was seen at bimbaylola.com (whose traffic has increased by 87 percent during January and February) and nebulus.biz (83 percent increase),” the firm stated. Other leaders in online traffic for February included Cortefiel, Women’secret, and Damart, which all experienced over 40 percent growth.

SEMrush said, overall, the leaders in online search traffic were sites that sold accessories, clothing and home goods.

Bimba Y Lola is a Spanish fashion retailer with over 200 stores in more than a dozen countries. It targets fashion-forward Millennials and Generation Z with ready-to-wear, jewelry and accessories.

Nebulus.biz is operated by Nebulus GmbH and is based in Germany. The site offers sportswear and specializes in the ski category.

Regarding Onbuy.com, the company is a marketplace platform that connects consumers with sellers in a “transparent way” while not selling any products itself. The site was launched in 2016.

 

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