High street retailers have relied on the Christmas period for a large portion of their yearly revenue ever since commercialism got its hands on the Christian celebration. The same can also be said for those businesses trading online, and this year sees the highest level of competition ever among websites in terms of visibility and sales. But which sites are best placed this year to make the most money?

Supermarket Websites. Recent reports have shown that supermarket websites have gained a further 25% of the toys and games market this year, following the collapse of smaller retailers both on the high street and online. As the smaller sites struggle for visibility against these powerhouses, many fear that monopolies will be formed and it will only be the well-established and wealthy companies that make any money. That said, their approach is certainly very effective and their shareholders are likely to be very happy come January.

Affiliates. As the number of online retailers has increased over the last decade, so has the prevalence of online affiliate sites. These sites tend to advertise the products of larger successful internet sites such as IWOOT, and the larger sites then pay the affiliates commission on each lead they receive. As these affiliate sites are often owned by skilled internet marketers, they frequently get large traffic numbers and can therefore make large profits themselves, especially over busy holiday periods.

Niche Internet Sites. As people can find more and more specialised products and services online, niche sites that have marketed themselves well, promise to clean up in certain markets this year. Sites such as I Want One of Those, who sell gadgets and boys toys, will do very well this year as they have a loyal following of customers and can offer more specialised items that the bigger sites simply cannot.