| NEW YORK, April 2001�Jupiter
Media Metrix (NASDAQ:JMXI), the global leader in market intelligence,
reports that airline sites are growing faster than travel sites overall
and are even narrowing the lead of online travel agencies. According to
Media Metrix ratings data from February 2000 and February 2001, unique
visitors to all travel sites increased 23.5 percent, from 24.4 million
to 30.1 million. Unique visitors to airline Web sites increased 26.1 percent,
from 8.2 million to 10.4 million, while visitors to online travel agencies
increased seven percent, from 14.4 million to 15.4 million.
"Media Metrix began measuring
online behavior when airline and travel sites frequently served as mere
online corporate brochures," said Doug McFarland, president, Media Metrix,
a Jupiter Media Metrix unit. "While the online travel agencies made the
first aggressive push to accumulate audience share through both information
and transaction services, the airline sites have made significant inroads
over the past year, and the data are testimony to that."
"Jupiter
estimated last year that in 2001 online agencies would cede online market
share to traditional travel suppliers, resulting in a 51-49 percent bookings
share with suppliers gaining ground going forward," said Heidi Kim, Jupiter
analyst. "The Media Metrix ratings show that airlines' aggressive online
initiatives have expanded their audience and therefore raised the stakes
for online agencies who are clamoring for customers in order to reach profitability.
To maintain their lead and increase revenues, online agencies must prioritize
strategies that engender both accelerated conversion and customer retention."
Travel
highlights:
-
According to Media Metrix
ratings data, the top airline sites were Southwest Airlines with 2.9 million
unique visitors in February 2001, followed by United Airlines and American
Airlines with 2.5 million and 2.4 million unique visitors. From February
2000 to February 2001 these sites had traffic increases of 19.8 percent,
40.6 percent and 126.2 percent, respectively.
-
In contrast, the top online
travel agencies were Travelocity with 6.9 million unique visitors in February
2001, followed by Expedia Travel and Priceline with 6.8 million and 3.0
million unique visitors. Compared to February 2000, Travelocity was down
three percent, Expedia was up 10.2 percent and Priceline was down 21.9
percent.
-
Travel agencies, which accounted
for 90 percent of the online ad impressions served by the travel industry
in February 2000, decreased their share of impressions to 63 percent in
February 2001, according to AdRelevance, a division of Jupiter Media Metrix.
Suppliers in the airline, destination and lodging industries, meanwhile
increased their share of online ad impressions from 10 percent to 22 percent.
Media
Metrix Digital Media Audience Ratings
February 2000 and
February 2001 � U.S. Combined Home and Work Usage |
| Category |
Unique
Visitors |
%
Traffic Change |
| Feb-00 |
Feb-01 |
| World Wide
Web |
70,359,000 |
85,653,000 |
21.70% |
| Total Travel |
24,378,000 |
30,112,000 |
23.50% |
| Travel Agencies |
14,437,000 |
15,453,000 |
7.00% |
| Airlines |
8,251,000 |
10,408,000 |
26.10% |
Media
Metrix Digital Media Audience Ratings
Top 10 Airlines Sites
in February 2001
February 2000 and
February 2001 � U.S. Combined Home and Work Usage |
| Site |
Unique
Visitors |
% Traffic
Change |
| | |
Feb-00 |
Feb-01 |
| |
| All Airline
Sites |
8,251,000 |
10,408,000 |
26.10% |
| Southwest
Airlines |
2,456,000 |
2,942,000 |
19.80% |
| United Airlines |
1,742,000 |
2,450,000 |
40.60% |
| American Airlines* |
1,080,000 |
2,443,000 |
126.20% |
| Delta Airlines |
2,227,000 |
2,288,000 |
2.70% |
| US Airways |
1,156,000 |
1,746,000 |
51.00% |
| Northwest
Airlines |
1,933,000 |
1,703,000 |
-11.90% |
| Continental
Airlines |
1,120,000 |
1,211,000 |
8.10% |
| Alaska Air |
585,000 |
483,000 |
-17.40% |
| TWA.com |
498,000 |
461,000 |
-7.40% |
| JetBlue Airways |
71,000 |
266,000 |
274.60% |
Media
Metrix Digital Media Audience Ratings
Top 10 Travel Agency
Sites in February 2001
February 2000 and
February 2001 � U.S. Combined Home and Work Usage |
| Site |
Unique
Visitors |
% Traffic
Change |
| | |
Feb-00 |
Feb-01 |
| |
| All Travel
Agency Sites |
14,437,000 |
15,453,000 |
7.00% |
| Travelocity* |
7,143,000 |
6,932,000 |
-3% |
| Expedia Travel* |
6,168,000 |
6,796,000 |
10.20% |
| Priceline* |
3,880,000 |
3,029,000 |
-21.90% |
| OneTravel.com |
313,000 |
2,031,000 |
548.90% |
| CheapTickets.com |
1,009,000 |
1,585,000 |
57.10% |
| LowestFare.com |
1,565,000 |
1,133,000 |
-27.60% |
| TravelNow.com |
875,000 |
1,055,000 |
20.60% |
| HotelDiscounts.com |
765,000 |
1,042,000 |
36.20% |
AdRelevance,
a unit of Jupiter Media Metrix
Online Advertising
Measurement
Online Travel Industry
Breakdown Based on Share of Impressions |
| Travel
Segment |
Share
of Online Ad Impressions Served for Travel Industry |
| | |
January
to February 2000 |
January
to February 2001 |
| Travel Agencies |
90% |
63% |
| Airlines |
5% |
16% |
| Travel Destinations
Suppliers |
2% |
9% |
| Lodging Suppliers |
3% |
6% |
| Others |
0% |
6% |
Definitions:
*Represents an
aggregation of commonly-owned/branded domain names.
Unique
Visitors: The actual number of people who visited the reported
Web site or online property at least once in the given month. All Unique
Visitors, at home and at work, are unduplicated.
Ad
Impressions: The number of times an ad is rendered for viewing.
One impression is equivalent to one opportunity to see an ad.
Average
Minutes Spent Per Usage Month: The average total number of minutes
spent on the Web site, category or channel during the month, per visiting
person.
About
Jupiter Media Metrix
Jupiter Media
Metrix is the global leader in market intelligence for the new economy.
The company delivers innovative and comprehensive Internet measurement,
analysis, intelligence and events to provide businesses with unmatched
global resources for understanding and profiting from the Internet. Jupiter
Media Metrix brings together world-class, innovative and market-leading
products, services, research methodologies and people. Jupiter Media Metrix
brands include Media Metrix, AdRelevance, Jupiter Research and Jupiter
Events. The Company is headquartered in New York City and operates worldwide,
across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe (as Jupiter MMXI Europe), and
the Middle East. Visit us at www.jmm.com
for more information.
This press
release contains statements of a forward-looking nature relating to future
events or future financial results of Jupiter Media Metrix. Investors are
cautioned that such statements are only predictions and that actual events
or results may differ materially. In evaluating such statements, investors
should specifically consider various factors, which could cause actual
events or results to differ materially from those indicated from such forward-looking
statements, including the matters set forth in Jupiter Media Metrix reports
and documents filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
Press
Hotline: 917-534-6208 | press@jmm.com
PR Contacts:
Max
Kalehoff
Jupiter Media Metrix
Tel: 917-534-6222
Kumar
Rao
Jupiter Media Metrix
Tel: 917-534-6201| |
