Hot Shops List index: Amazon, Argos, Next - top UK online retailers

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Retailers Amazon.co.uk, Argos and Next were the most visited online stores in the UK throughout July 2011, according to the latest Hot Shops List, released on August 15.

The Hot Shops List , published quarterly by e-retail association Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) and online market analysts Experian Hitwise, tracks retailers' online popularity and excludes eBay and price comparison sites. 

The UK edition of Amazon (amazon.co.uk) topped the list, followed by Argos (argos.co.uk). Although both sites have held these positions for a while, their dominance could be challenged by clothing retail Next (next.co.uk), which from May to July climbed two places into third position.

On the rising popularity of Next, IMRG's Chief Information Officer Tina Spooner noted, "Amazon UK and Argos have been heading up the list for a while now, but competition seems to be arriving from Next, who have made great gains over the past year, rising from 8th to 3rd in the space of just 15 months."

Supermarket Tesco (tesco.co.uk) fell one position since May to fourth place while Amazon (amazon.com) climbed into the top five, moving from sixth to fifth position.

Amazon's dominance also extend to the United States, where separate data regularly published by Experian Hitwise ranks Amazon.com and US supermarket chain Walmart as the two most visited online retail sites within the country.

The top ten UK e-retailers according to the Hot Shops List, released August 15 by Experian Hitwise and IMRG:

01.       Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk
02.       Argos - www.argos.co.uk   
03.       Next - www.next.co.uk
04.       Tesco - www.tesco.com
05.       Amazon.com-   www.amazon.com
06.       Play.com - www.play.com
07.       Your M&S - www.marksandspencer.com
08.       Apple - www.apple.com
09.       John Lewis - www.johnlewis.com
10.       Thomson - www.thomson.co.uk