Ebay has released its first ever UK retail report that indicates a trend in “dual screening” where consumers shop as they‘re watching their favourite programs.
Primetime TV programs like Game of Thrones and Peaky Blinders have been found to cause a sharp rise in online searches for related items.
During the latest series of Game of Thrones, eBay UK reported an increase of six fold in searches for merchandise, including DVDs, branded clothing, books and jewelry.
On the advent of the latest series finale, a massive 71 per cent of searches were made using mobile devices, reportedly the favourite device for dual screening.
RELATED: Will GBBO’s move to Channel 4 make the “bake off effect” even stronger?
Similarly, during the latest series of Peak Blinders, sales of flat caps as worn by the main gang in the drama tripled.
The Rio 2016 Olympics saw exercise bikes and Bromptons become the two fastest rising search trends on eBay, as Team GB continued to win medals in the event.
Recently the Retail Gazette reported on the dominance of the Great British Bake Off’s the “bake off effect”, which eBay‘s study also supports.
Search figures for related items rose by 67 per cent during the program and 133 per cent in the hour following its broadcast.
RELATED: eBay eyes possibility of pop-up stores in Sainsbury’s outlets
“Primetime television breaks have long been the gold standard in advertising, with millions spent on ads that air during some of the nation‘s favourite programmes,” eBay UK trading director Murray Lambell said.
“Our trends report demonstrates the power that popular shows have in and of themselves – as evidenced by the sudden burst of flat cap sales we experienced during Peaky Blinders, or the baking interest seen throughout GBBO.”
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette’s free daily email newsletter
