Search habits 'precursor of sales trends'

30 July 2007

Consumer search habits offer an indication of future sales trends, it has been claimed.

Bill Tancer, general manager of global research at internet analyst Hitwise, suggests that popularity for a particular search term frequently precedes a boost in sales for an associated brand.

His comments come in response to figures which show that while the Nintendo Wii is currently increasing its share of the market faster than the Xbox 360, the latter console is receiving the most online search interest.

Mr Tancer explains: "We often find that internet searches are a leading indicator and can be predictive of future sales growth."

He adds that demand for a price drop and hype for new games are two key elements driving the interest in searching for games consoles online.

WebProNews staff writer David Utter suggests that the information could be welcomed by Microsoft as the firm looks to recover from "a billion-dollar charge to fix defective Xbox 360s".

Category: Natural search