Google Data Flags Changing Home And Furniture Consumer Habits To Retailers

• 3 in 4 home and furniture consumers feel that economic uncertainty has impacted their plans for Christmas: Google Retail Index
• New findings from Google reveal most home and furniture consumers don’t have a specific retailer or brand in mind when gathering inspiration for a purchase

Today, Google is sharing new research findings and Google Search insights to help home and furniture retailers understand current shopping habits and plans for Christmas ahead of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday rush. The Google Retail Index, conducted with research partner Trinity McQueen, surveyed over 5,000 UK shoppers. It shows most home and furniture consumers feel that current economic uncertainty will impact their Christmas spending plans. 

Key findings from the research (conducted September 2022) include:

• Three in four home and furniture consumers feel “economic uncertainty” has impacted their plans this Christmas and half will search for deals and discounts when festive shopping as a result
  
  
• 63% of home and furniture consumers don’t have a specific retailer or brand in mind when gathering inspiration for a purchase
  
  
• When asked why they had bought from a home and furniture retailer in the last six months that they hadn’t shopped with before, 39% said it was down to a particular product being cheaper than it would be from their usual retailer of choice
  
  
• One in three bought furniture from a new retailer or brand in the past six months
  
  
• 65% of home and furniture consumers are cutting back on buying luxury or expensive gifts this Christmas
  
  
• Shoppers visited an average number of seven home and furniture retailers over last year’s Christmas period. Just 16% of those shoppers think they will shop with fewer retailers this Christmas
  
  
• Two in five home and furniture consumers intend to watch all or most of the England world cup matches live over the Christmas period

Concerns about current economic uncertainties are reflected in what Brits are searching for on Google today with searches for “inflation” increasing by 112% year-on-year. Online shoppers are also conducting more research than ever before making a purchase with big rises in searches of generic terms like “best coat” and “best deals” to compare options. 

“Retailers know all too well that the key to their success lies in meeting their customers where they are, by catering to their evolving needs and preferences. That’s why we’re sharing insights into their customers’ search and shopping habits and plans for the peak shopping season,” said Kevin Mathers, MD, Retail at Google. “Our findings point to the fact that people are browsing more, are increasingly open to trying new brands, and respond best to omnichannel shopping experiences with 30% of UK shoppers today browsing online to decide what they’re going to buy before heading to a physical store to make the purchase. Retailers with strategies to capitalise on these trends will reap the rewards.”

The insights are intended for use by home and furniture retailers to get the most out of their campaigns during this peak shopping season. To best prepare for 2022’s peak season, Google’s Mathers recommends that retailers keep the following three things in mind:

1. Automation key during uncertain times 🤖. Retailers can feed their first party data into automated tools to drive the return on advertising spend they want to achieve.
   
   
2. Using marketing campaigns that cover multiple fronts 📊. By connecting sales data across touchpoints, retailers can more accurately measure the impact of marketing on in-store outcomes. 
   
   
3. Tackle challenges by uniting teams 🤝. Omnichannel marketing campaigns are most successful when teams across an organisation break down silos to work together and deliver a seamless experience.

Source : Google

Image : Berezko / iStockphoto.com (1371157643)

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