U.S. traffic on Thanksgiving Day in 2007 increased 20 percent compared to Thanksgiving 2006, Hitwise reported-. This is the fourth year in a row that traffic has peaked on Thanksgiving Day making it the busiest day online during the holiday season.

The Hitwise Top 100 Retail Index, which is comprised of the top 100 retail websites, received 6.84 percent of all U.S. visits on Nov. 22, 2007 representing an increase of 20 percent versus Nov. 23, 2006, which received 5.84 percent of visits. Online traffic on Black Friday, Nov. 23, 2007, increased 16 percent versus the same day in 2006.

“The increase in traffic to retail sites on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday signals a strong online holiday season,” said Heather Dougherty, director of research at Hitwise. “The big box retailers are taking advantage of their sites to heavily promote both in-store offerings and online-only specials to drive traffic even while stores are closed to capture holiday dollars.”

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