-By NielsenWire

Nielsen Online reports that traffic from home and work to the Holiday eShopping Index increased 10 percent year over year on Black Friday, growing from 28.8 million unique visitors in 2007 to 31.7 million unique visitors in 2008 across more than 120 representative online retailers.

"Even with the weakening economy, an unstable stock market and a rising unemployment rate, Black Friday traffic to online retail sites grew at a double digit rate this year," said Ken Cassar, vice president, industry insights, Nielsen Online.

To gauge consumer perceptions about Black Friday, Nielsen Online created a Brand Association Map (BAM), based on online discussions in blogs and online forums between Oct. 1 and Nov. 22, 2008. With the keyword "Black Friday" at the center, the BAM reveals words and phrases most frequently used when consumers discussed Black Friday. The closer the words are to the center, the greater the association.

Key findings:
- Not surprisingly, shopping incentives were a key part of Black Friday discussions. The terms "deals," "sales" and "doorbusters," referring to deep discounts intended to get shoppers in the door, were all closely associated with Black Friday.
- Specific retailers were also mentioned in relation to Black Friday, including Sears, CVS, Wal-Mart, JC Penney, Staples and Circuit City, among others.
- Consumers discussed specific products and gift ideas, including high-definition televisions, video games, laptops and toys.

The Nielsen Online Holiday eShopping Index is comprised of more than 120 representative online retailers across 12 categories, and acts as a barometer to gauge the level of activity at online shopping destinations during the holiday season. The index illustrates increased shopping activity through category growth.

Mediaweek is a unit of the Nielsen Co.