Site Search Provides a Major Boost for E-Commerce Sites During 2005 Holiday Shopping Season, According to WebSideStory

Site Search Provides a Major Boost for E-Commerce Sites During 2005 Holiday Shopping Season, According to WebSideStory Visitors Using the Search Box on a Web Site Nearly 3x More Likely to Convert Than the Average Visitor, According to WebSideStory Index SAN DIEGO, Jan. 12 -- Site search provided a huge boost to e-commerce sites during the holiday shopping season, helping convert visitors into buyers at nearly three times the rate of average site users, according to a new study by WebSideStory, Inc. (Nasdaq: WSSI), a leading provider of on-demand digital marketing applications. During the last three months of the year, the conversion rate for visitors using the search box on a web site was 7.54 percent -- 2.7 times higher than the conversion rate for average site users (2.79 percent), according to the WebSideStory Index, a new statistical barometer that features techno-graphic and e-commerce trends culled from the millions of users that visit web sites using the company's award-winning web analytics technology. Site search conversion rates also soared as the holiday shopping season progressed, jumping from just under 6 percent in October to more than 8 percent for the month of December, according to the index. "This data shows that effective site search is becoming one of the most critical conversion drivers in online commerce," said Ali Behnam, senior digital marketing consultant for WebSideStory. "Helping visitors find what they are looking for in a fast, convenient manner significantly increases the likelihood of their making a purchase. We only expect these conversion rates to increase as more and more e-commerce sites engage in best of breed site search implementations." The WebSideStory Index is a compilation of techno-graphic and e-commerce trends. It spans everything from browser and operating system trends to shopping cart usage and checkout conversion rates. Other findings of the latest index, which covered the last three months of the year and early 2006: * Branding and customer loyalty also continue to drive conversion rates, especially during the holiday season. Repeat visitor conversion rates (13.88 percent) were seven times higher than new visitor conversion rates (1.68 percent) during the last quarter of the year * Despite making strong gains in 2005, the Firefox browser did not meet its reported goal of 10 percent market share by year's end. As of Jan. 5, 2006, Firefox had a U.S. browser usage share of 8.88 percent, according to the index. Although Mozilla Corp. did not reach its intended goal -- a target first reported by ZDNet -- the browser still made significant strides over the last year, rising from a 4.23 percent share on Jan. 5, 2005. Three-quarters of that growth came during the first half of the year. The last time a non-Microsoft browser achieved close to a 9 percent market share was Netscape in April 2002, according to the index. "The good news for Firefox in 2005 is that it established itself as a viable Microsoft alternative with millions of users," said Geoff Johnston, a WebSideStory analyst. For more information about WebSideStory, please visit http://www.websidestory.com. U.S. Browser Share Over the Past Year Browser Jan. 5, 2006 July 5, 2005 Jan. 5, 2005 Internet Explorer 87.63% 88.57% 90.55% Firefox 8.88% 7.44% 4.65% Other 3.49% 3.99% 4.80% Note: For consistency and accuracy, WebSideStory always compares weekday averages. About WebSideStory, Inc. Founded in 1996, WebSideStory, Inc. (Nasdaq: WSSI) is a leading provider of on-demand digital marketing applications that improve online marketing and sales. Its Active Marketing Suite(TM) consists of web analytics, site search, web content management and keyword bid management (scheduled for release in early 2006). WebSideStory is headquartered in San Diego, California, and has European headquarters in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. For more information, contact WebSideStory. Voice: 858.546.0040. Fax: 858.546.0480. Address: 10182 Telesis Court, 6th Floor, San Diego, CA 92121. Web site: http://www.WebSideStory.com. HBX and Active Marketing Suite are trademarks and WebSideStory is a registered trademark of WebSideStory. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. You should not regard any forward-looking statement as a representation by WebSideStory that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in WebSideStory's business including, without limitation: WebSideStory's reliance on its web analytics services for the majority of its revenue; blocking or erasing of cookies or limitations on our ability to use cookies; WebSideStory's limited experience with digital marketing applications beyond web analytics; the risks associated with integrating the operations and products of Avivo Corporation with those of WebSideStory; privacy concerns and laws or other domestic or foreign regulations that may subject WebSideStory to litigation or limit our ability to collect and use Internet user information; the highly competitive markets in which we operate that could make it difficult for WebSideStory to acquire and retain customers; the risk that WebSideStory's customers fail to renew their agreements; WebSideStory's recent achievement of profitability and the risk that it may not maintain its profitability; the risk that WebSideStory's services may become obsolete in a market with rapidly changing technology and industry standards; and other risks described in WebSideStory's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including WebSideStory's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, as amended, and quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2005. Do not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date of this news release. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and WebSideStory undertakes no obligation to revise or update this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release. SOURCE WebSideStory, Inc. Web Site: http://www.websidestory.com Online Free Recipes Famous Quotes Gatlinburg Cabins Christmas Recipes Healthy Chicken Recipes Cute Quotes Sales Books Chicken Recipes Wes Zimmerman Fireplace Mantles recipes Fast Cash Payday Loan Center Recipes Famous Quotes Debt Consolidation Mortgage Chicken Recipes Love Quotes sell home Auto Insurance BOOK Chicken Recipes Quotes Diabetic Recipes Funny Jokes