As the great British summer draws in, this week will see shoppers flock to invest in wellies and camping gear, using May‘s salary prepare for summer festivals, according to insight released by eBay Advertising today.
This week last year, eBay saw a jump of 40% in searches for “wellies” and an increase of almost a quarter (24%) in searches for “waterproof,” as consumers who had just been paid invested in items to keep them warm and dry.
Phuong Nguyen, Director of eBay Advertising in the UK, commented: “Although brands don‘t have huge sporting events such as the World Cup, the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics to use as points of engagement this year, summer 2015 still holds huge potential for smart marketers.”
The new insights show that brands have two distinct opportunities to reach the festival market. In the final days before Glastonbury last year, searches for “festival” peaked as festivalgoers who had the basics covered looked for last minute inspiration, highlighting the need for brands to tailor campaigns to tap into eleventh hour excitement later in June.
EBay‘s insights also indicate that fashion and outdoor brands should keep an eye on the weather forecast all summer long to avoid missing out on consumer spend in the festival season. When the Met Office released a forecast for rain in the days before the Reading and Leeds Festival last August, searches for “wellies” and “waterproof” on eBay increased by more than a quarter (26%) and more than a fifth (22%), respectively, demonstrating the potential rewards for brands that target in real-time.
Nguyen continued: “By tapping into peaks in consumer interest in festivals and using observed insight to react to unpredictable factors such as the weather, brands can stay relevant and offer consumers what they need and what they want this summer.”
Pauline Robson, Director, MediaCom Real World Insight, added: “Online advertising allows marketers to target at scale but with great precision, which means that brands can reach the huge audiences that head out to festivals without pigeon-holing by demographic.”
“As a result, they can capture different waves of consumer interest with impactful, engaging formats and get the best possible return on their investment.”
Talya Misiri
