In April, the young Prince George was photographed sporting a pair of boat-embellished dungarees on his first royal tour, prompting a 20% increase in searches for dungarees on ebay.co.uk. Similarly, back in February, when plaid fabrics dominated London fashion week, searches on eBay for the term “plaid” rocketed by 50%.
All fashion retailers are aware of the traditional seasonal divide, but on eBay, we’re seeing media-driven “fashion moments” have a huge impact on consumer spending. For brands that are able to rapidly align their campaigns and target shoppers reacting to emerging trends, the rewards may be rich.
Extremes of weather can also have a significant impact on shopping behaviour: the coldest March since 1962 resulted in a 113% spike in searches for “onesie” compared with the same month in previous years. It wasn’t just younger shoppers jumping on the trend for this fashionable yet functional item; almost 500,000 of these searches were by people over the age of 45, demonstrating that brands must look further than demographic stereotyping.
The trends that we’ve observed highlight the extent to which the digital age has transformed the fashion landscape. Although trends may be less predictable, by monitoring external triggers and leveraging the power of online to react to shifts in shopping mindset, retailers can target customers with the right message at the right time. Ultimately, this could give them a competitive advantage over rivals.
Phuong Nguyen is director of eBay Advertising in the UK
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