Brands urged to think outside the box to create cut through this Black Friday

This Black Friday, brands can cut through the crowded ecommerce environment by engaging with their audiences in places where there’s likely to be less competition, according to a new study.

eBay’s ‘Also Bought Report’ highlights some of the weird and wonderful keyword combinations that shoppers have searched for during a single session – and coins a number of new audience segments, including:

Face mask fashionistas – 28,087 searches were made for “face mask” and “jewellery” • New parents in denial – 18,858 searches were made for “cot” and “headphones” • Disco drivers – 21,869 searches were made for “tyres” and “speakers” • Biker babes – 54,764 searches were made for “dress” and “cycling” • Decadent desk workers – 9,662 searches were made for “luxury” and “office chair”

Based on analysis of the shopping behaviour of the 32 million monthly users on ebay.co.uk between March and August this year, the report makes the case for brands to be more creative about how and where they reach their audiences, by using real-time data to understand what else they might be interested in.

Harmony Murphy, Head of Advertising UK at eBay, comments: “With this year’s Black Friday forced to be an almost exclusively online event, competition for consumer attention will be fiercer than ever. Our insights show how unpredictable behaviour can be – and while this can be challenging for brands to navigate, it also presents an opportunity to reach audiences in unexpected places where competitors are less likely to be lurking. This will allow for more meaningful connections and, most likely, a more efficient use of marketing budgets.”

Pauline Robson, Head of Real World Insight at Mediacom, added: “People are multifaceted and this data reveals the extent to which people’s passions can intersect in sometimes surprising ways. This can create interesting opportunities to engage with consumers in ways that are not immediately obvious. These fascinating product combinations show that, now more than ever, real time behavioural data is crucial to ensuring that brands stay on top of customers’ changing behaviours and needs.”