eCommerce

New York - Visits to the top 500 retail sites increased 13% on Black Friday, according to data from Experian Hitwise. For the sixth year in a row, Amazon was the top retail site receiving traffic on Black Friday. Walmart was the second most visited retail site, followed by Target. But Target’s visits increased 13% on versus 2009, representing the biggest increase among the top five sites. The top 20 retail sites accounted for 61% of all visits among the top 500 retail sites.

New York City -- Confidence among U.S. consumers increased more than forecast in November to the highest level in five months. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment rose to 71.6 during the month, from 67.7 in October. Economists had projected a reading of 69.5.

The report came as retailers prepared for the Black Friday shopping onslaught, the official start of the holiday shopping season.

Atlanta -- For the first time ever, Home Depot will offer free shipping on 90,000 of the 100,000 items it offers online beginning on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, and running through Monday. Eligible items will be shipped for free via standard ground shipping.

"We know shipping is a large influence on where customers shop," said Hal Lawton, president of e-commerce and The Home Depot. "We made some improvements and changes to the site over the last year and we thought this would be a great way to attract new customers to site."

New York City -- Online spending should increase by 11% this holiday shopping season, according to date collected by comScore. Already, consumers have spent $9 billion online in the first 21 days of November, a 13% increase versus the corresponding days last year.

ComScore is forecasting that online spending from the November to December period will reach $32.4 billion, representing an 11% gain versus a year ago.

Santa Clara, Calif. -- A study of some of the country’s largest retailers’ return policies has found significant failings, according to CrossView, a premier provider of cross-channel commerce solutions.
 

Los Angeles -- Guess said its fiscal third-quarter net income rose 7.8% to $69.1 million from $64.1 million a year ago, surpassing analysts forecasts. The company lifted its full-year earnings forecast.

Revenue for the quarter ended Oct. 30 rose 17% to a record $613.9 million, also topping predictions, with a strong boost from international sales.

The company's retail stores in North America generated revenue of $253.7 million in the third quarter, up 5.9% from the same period a year ago. Same-store sales increased 1.5%.