People are reading less about inflation
and more about gift guides and discounts on publisher sites as the holidays move into full swing, according to data released Friday, which suggests a big spending weekend ahead for U.S. consumers.
Taboola, which powers recommendations for the open web, has begun to track Black Friday search data through Skimlinks, its ecommerce network.
Readership rose 150% among gift guide-related
articles during the past 45 days. Discounts-related articles rose about 32%, while inflation-related articles fell about 150%.
Readership on publisher sites continues to rise for key
post-Thanksgiving shopping dates, with "Small Business Saturday" receiving the biggest increase in traffic.
In the past 45 days, readership for Small Business Saturday-related articles rose
6,438%, while it rose for Cyber Monday about 1,251%, and Black Friday, about 1,065%.
Leading up to Black Friday, despite pressures from inflation, the data shows consumers still plan to spend
on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Web traffic data analyzed by Taboola indicates that customers are poised to spend on things like athleisure from companies like lululemon and
app-related TVs from brands like Amazon and Apple.
The data shows lululemon as a top performer on Skimlinks’ network in 2021, and Skimlinks is already seeing traffic to articles on
lululemon deals for 2022. Taboola readership data also supports an increase of interest in sports bras (2,252%) and leggings (140%), despite a lack of gym membership interest.
App-equipped
TVs: With the rising number of TV shows and movies to stream, consumers are determined to keep up. Taboola saw a spike in readership for Amazon Fire TV (781%), and the Apple TV was one of the most
sold items during October Prime Day.
Taboola expects the athleisure category would rise 2,252% over a 45-day period based on readership for articles mentioning sports bras, and a 140% increase
in readership in articles that mentioned leggings.
Taboola data also shows a 15% increase in air fryer-related articles during October Prime. Electric bicycles gained momentum on
Skimlinks’ network. Taboola saw an increase for electric bikes by 80%.