International consumer searches surge for UK fashion and beauty

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 9, 2018

EU-based shoppers searched for UK fashion items using smartphones in greater numbers than ever in the first three months of this year. But local UK shoppers were much more focused on beauty, according to new data.

The BRC-Google Online Retail Monitor for Q1 revealed double-digit growth in searches for UK brands across categories from outside the country and within the EU, Italians were the most UK focused, their searches rising 31%. Meanwhile with the EU excluded, international searches rose 13%.

As mentioned, fashion was the biggest beneficiary off the surge in global interest, but for UK users beauty was the big obsession with a 10% search rise. UK beauty brands also appealed to non-EU international consumers as their searches rose 22%.

BRC chief Helen Dickinson said the figures show the ongoing strength of online shopping and that the trend towards e-shopping isn't slowing down. “We can expect online retail search activity to maintain this upward growth trend as retailers continue to invest in improving their online offering for consumers,” she said.

Although Q1 came after the frenzy of the Christmas shopping season, it did feature three major shopping events, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, as well as Easter, this year. It looks like online shopping would have been boosted as well by the impact of poor weather that kept shoppers out of physical stores across large parts of Europe, helping to drive the number of online searches upwards.

Google’s retail director, Martijn Bertisen, said: “As in most years, Q1 represents a ‘cooling off’ period after the Christmas retail peak: with retail activity lower than Q4, but still higher in most categories compared to earlier quarters. Retail activity overall was up compared to the same period last year, due in part to the ‘Beast from the East’ at the end of February; no doubt as many stayed indoors connected to their devices. Mobile continues to drive growth in the industry.”