Introduction
Bloomreach powers over 25% of US & UK eCommerce search and commerce experiences across 500+ global enterprise brands and businesses.
We’ve been continuously analyzing digital behavior across key industries to understand in real-time the impact current events have had on global eCommerce activity.
We believe it is important to process and share insights from our data to help businesses make adjustments where necessary.
Traffic, Sales and Search Trends by Vertical
February 2021
February 2021 was a very strong month for eCommerce across all geographies, with the UK+EU finally outperforming North America (after months of languishing eCommerce results). Home Furnishings and Grocery continue to be segment standouts, while Luxury and B2B continue to lag behind. Though many think the Covid pandemic did not start affecting the majority of consumers until March 2020, the February 2020 vs. February 2021 comparisons tell a different story. For example, masks and other Covid-essentials were already topping the charts back in February 2020.
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North America
- Traffic (+55.37% YoY) & Sales (+38.51% YoY) gains in February were substantial, but not as strong as previous months. The effects of pandemic-driven online shopping in February 2020 can already be seen in the year-over-year comparisons.
- Average order size (AOS) is up a startling +17.34% YoY. Not only are more people visiting sites, they are buying larger basket sizes by a larger degree (+3.66% in conversion rate). AOS did drop month-over-month, likely due to the fact that people have spent their holiday gift cards and are done with all their holiday shopping.
UK & EU
- February was a very strong month for the UK+EU, with Traffic +44.92% and Sales +53.17%. In fact, MoM Sales grew (unlike North America). This is an important shift in the UK+EU markets, which were really struggling in Summer and Fall 2020 to deliver strong eCommerce results.
- Increased online spending in the region can be attributed to a boost in consumer confidence (coming from post-Brexit resolutions) and the continued lockdown orders, forcing consumers to shop from their homes.
Grocery
- Grocery continues to be a very strong segment, with YoY Sales up +99.14%. YoY Search Sales is up +111.74%, indicating that search continues to be absolutely critical in this category.
- AOS is down -8.89% YoY, demonstrating a shift to smaller, curbside pick-up orders and the elimination of minimum order sizes for delivery.
The demand for online shopping is huge, tremendous, and we are doing the best that we can to fill what we can.
David McInerney, CEO, FreshDirect
Luxury
- Though many thought Valentine’s Day would give the Luxury segment a much-needed boost in February, Sales were up just a small +.19%.
- Conversion rate was up +17% YoY, meaning that those who visited Luxury retailer’s sites were likely converting on lower-priced or discounted items.
- Luxury will be an interested segment to watch. Historically, after periods of recession this category performs well after a long period of pent-up demand.
Home Furnishings
- Home Furnishings saw a big jump in YoY Traffic (+133.53%) and moderate Sales growth (+29.54%). Sales were hampered by out-of-stocks and supply chain issues, which can be seen by the big drop YoY in conversion rate (-54.71%).
See how Hobbycraft saw a huge increase in new customers during lockdown.
Read the full story here
Search Terms
- “Heaters” and “generators” make an appearance in the top search terms for the first time. Consumers sought these items in response to record winter temperatures and snowfall in many regions of the US and UK.
- It may be hard to believe - but it’s now been 1 year since the effects of Covid started to infiltrate our daily lives. “Masks” is the #1 search term for both February 2020 and 2021.
- “Easter” appears as a top search term for February 2021. As consistent with previous holiday reporting, consumers are starting to purchase items much sooner than usual for special occasions.
Interested in the Data from Previous Weeks?
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Take a look at February 2021 in review [Infographic]
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