Chains and well-known brands were among the top 10 sites in the 2005 yearend holiday shopping season, according to comScore, reports Internet Retailer. Wal-Mart Stores, the largest retailer, ranked third in site visits. Above it, in second place, was Amazon. Ranked first in site visits was eBay. Apple was fourth, a strong showing tied to the success of iPod. Target (fifth) and Circuit City (tenth) benefited from strong brand names.

Pure-play Overstock (eighth) benefited from catchy holiday TV advertising featuring model Sabine Ehrenfeld, according to InternetRetailer. In sixth, seventh, and ninth place were Dell, Toys R Us, and Best Buy, respectively.

ComScore has not yet reported the visitor numbers or changes in numbers from the previous year.