As marketers, we’re all in this together. The business of identifying, serving and solving consumer needs. Faced with increasing demand and higher expectations, we need to help consumers find what matters to them at any given moment.
When you understand how your customers are searching, and what they’re searching for, you gain a greater understanding of what matters to them – and that is an advantage for any business.
We’ve analysed Google Trends data from the past 12 months and learned that we’re a nation of budding entrepreneurs, thoughtful fashionistas, nature-lovers, smart savers and big-night-in-ers – and that’s not even the half of it.
To bring you up to speed, we’ve summarised the data into 20 trends for 2020, focusing on five key sectors:
However, you don’t need to be in these sectors to gain valuable insights from this report. Here are the key themes we've discovered:
1. We want more convenience
Searches with “near me” continue to grow, with a 40% further YoY increase in the last year. While this growth might not be new news, what is new is the rise of specific, personal searches for more than just purchasing. We're searching for jobs, dentists, GPs and experiences near us too. Whatever your service, it’s never been more important to stand out in the digital shop window.
2. We’re looking for reassurance
We’re asking questions, comparing, contrasting, and reading reviews before we evaluate our options. Searches for user review websites, across all sectors, have increased year on year and we’re trusting Search to help us find the “best.” For instance, searches for "best burger" increased by 400% YoY.
3. We’re redefining value
We want to shop ethically, have authentic experiences and live consciously. We also want to make better-informed financial decisions and save money – with a growth in searches for everything from “take home pay calculator” to a 100% increase YoY in searches for “promo codes”.
4. We want to be inspired, not told
When we’re curious about something, but aren’t quite sure what we want, we’re in exploration mode – open to ideas and plenty of options. A growth in generic search queries like “things to do” suggests we’re looking to be inspired, see what’s happening and choose for ourselves. For example, we've seen a 45% YoY increase in searches for ''festival outfits''.
5. We’re finding our unique tribes
We’re embracing our individuality and using Search to find like-minded souls online. Google Trends data reveals our most popular searches from 2019 centre around meme, internet and popular culture, including queries such as “How to floss dance” and “how to eat pineapple''. We're even exploring our culinary options, with searches for ''plant based'' growing 180% YoY.
