Commentary

Online Shopping Actions in August Show Increased Purchase Intent for (Surprise!) Back to School and Halloween Retail Products

Based on analysis of over 160 million unique consumers across the BlueKai Exchange, the BlueKai Pulse report provides a snapshot view on popular shopping intent activity across auto, travel and retail verticals this past month.

August shows a significant increase in online purchase intent for back to school items and Halloween-related products, a sure sign that Fall is just around the corner (and that sadly, summer is coming to an end.)

Retail: gainers and losers in the month of August correlate strongly with the end of summer with the decrease of purchase intent for air conditioners and outdoor retail items such as barbecues and patio furniture. Intent activity has shifted towards back-to-school and Halloween season with costumes and reenactment attire leading the gainers' chart along with textbooks and Ugg's, a popular brand of boots for girls.

Retail Chart

Automotive: In the auto vertical, Kia leads the gainers chart with both their Sportage and Sedona models. This spike in purchase intent may be a result of the 2011 Kia Sportage being named 'Top Safety Pick' by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety last month.

Auto Chart

Travel: This month we've highlighted the most popular international destinations by intent actions for flight bookings. We find the UK, Canada and Mexico taking the top spots for where people are actively shopping for air travel. Seasonal trends correlate with increased air travel purchase intent for Rome and London. This correlated with the strengthening of the dollar against both the Pound Sterling and the Euro, making overseas travel a little easier on the wallet. Advanced bookings departing in 21 days or more also made the top gainers list reflecting early trip planning for the upcoming holiday seasons.

Travel Chart

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