The MSN� network of Internet Services today announced that MSN Shopping kicked off the holiday season this week as the No. 1 online shopping portal, with traffic up 50 percent this November, as compared to the same time last year. MSN Shopping looks to build on this momentum by offering shoppers an increased selection of merchandise and brands, enhanced comparison shopping tools, improved customer service and special promotions -- including MSN Dollars incentives -- in time for the busy holiday season. "It's great to be recognized as the No. 1 shopping portal," said Jim Barr, general manager of commerce services at MSN. "This confirms that MSN Shopping is delivering valuable information and easy-to-use tools to help consumers make informed purchase decisions, and that we are providing the shopping experience they appreciate and choose over other options." The holiday shopping season caps a year in which the total number of visitors to MSN Shopping exceeded 100 million, almost double the traffic on MSN Shopping in 2001. The recent 12 Days of Exclusive Deals program contributed to this increase in traffic and jump-started holiday shopping on MSN Shopping. Several of the merchants featured in the program sold out of their exclusive inventory in hours, and merchants hailed the 12 Days program as the most successful MSN promotion of the year, delivering results that surpassed expectations.