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Hitwise Intelligence - Heather Hopkins - UK

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Sales Lead to Demand for LCD TV, DVD Recorders, and Sofas

January 03, 2006

In the lead up to Christmas, we were publishing a weekly update of the top 20 product related search terms sending visits to retail websites. This morning, in an attempt to put off sifting through my inbox, I thought it would be interesting to compare the items that UK consumers were searching for before and after Christmas.

I compared the search terms pre- and post-Christmas and found that there were search terms related for electronics and furniture that appeared on the list post-Christmas. Seems that the items searched for post-Christmas are a combination of items consumers were hoping to receive for Christmas and were holding out for until the sales.

The terms that appeared among the top 20 product related search terms sending visits to retail websites in the week ending 31st December 2005 included 'lcd tv', 'dvd recorders' and 'televisions'. The term 'lcd tv' was the sixth highest product related search term sending visits to Shopping & Classifieds websites in the week ending 31st December 2005, after not appearing among the top 20 in the weeks leading to Christmas. Searches for 'lcd tv' increased more than two and a half times comparing the week ending 31st December 2005 to the week ending 24th December 2005. Searches for 'dvd recorders' and 'televisions' doubled in that same period.

Also among the top search terms were 'sofas' and 'beds', indicating that large household items are popular during the sales. The term 'beds' was the seventh highest volume product term among product search terms sending visits to retail websites. Week on week, searches for 'beds increased three and a half times and searches for 'sofas' increased two and a half times.

Also entering the top 20 last week was 'music downloads'. While the search phrase 'free music downloads' was a staple in the lead-up to Christmas, the addition of 'music downloads' is likely a result of the rush on Christmas day to fill new mp3 players with digital music. Hitwise issued figures on Boxing Day showing that visits to music sites surged on Christmas Day.

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