As we all continue to adapt to being at home, consumer behaviour continues to evolve and reflect the needs and focus of each and every one of us.
Our goal is to continue to provide you with the latest insights into these changing consumer habits in order to help you make better and more informed decisions. We will continue to update you each week with key insights to keep you abreast of changing behaviour and choices that people are making, which in turn influence your business.
At Microsoft Advertising, it is our aim to help you adjust to this rapidly changing environment as smoothly as possible. We're here to support you and your team, and we’re committed to helping you every step of the way. Please keep in touch. Reach out to us on LinkedIn or Twitter with any questions, as we’d love to hear the strategies you are adopting to adapt to the new reality of today.
New financial realities
In France, consumers are becoming more price sensitive which may be a result of COVID-19 driving economic impact. Products with lower prices attached to them have a higher click rate–these include products across electronics, apparel and toys. With interest rates at an all-time low in the UK, consumer search behaviour shows us a curiosity to understand what it means for mortgages and credit cards. The number of contactless payments have risen year-on-year, credit card payments are outpacing the card market, plus consumers have been more likely to search for interest free and balance transfer cards. Airmiles and rewards cards are, naturally, less in focus.
Retail – Price sensitivity, France
Finance – Mortgages, United Kingdom
Finance – Credit Cards, United Kingdom
Autos – Sub segments, United Kingdom
Isolated life
With the shops forced to close their doors, online shopping for apparel is on the rise in Germany. And with more people currently working from home, the usual weekend spikes have disappeared as now consumers are shopping for clothes consistently across the week. In the Netherlands, there is a rise in home and garden searches as well as kitchen-related services. High pressure cleaners and trampolines support the former, whereas coffee-related items like cups and coffee machines support the latter. With consumers seeking to keep themselves busy, we see flooring-related searches hit the roof in the UK and photo printing, such as photobooks, wall art and photo calendars in France and the Netherlands also increasing.
Retail – Apparel Trends, EMEA
Retail – Apparel Trends, DE
Retail – Home and Garden, Netherlands
Retail – Photo Printing, Netherlands and France
Retail – Flooring, United Kingdom
Work from home
As employees, students and school children all work and study from home, people are setting themselves up by buying office supplies in Germany. With lockdowns and increased work from home comes increased interest in 5G and 5G services, as seen in the UK.
Retail – Working from home, Germany
Tech & Telco – 5G, United Kingdom
Stay tuned as we bring you more consumer trends and insights from across Europe in the coming days.