I had a meeting with the guys from Google the other day and they where telling me that the volume of search in retail areas such as electricals and fashion have gone back to pre crisis levels and the key words used are more around range and features and not around price, discount or money off.
Logic says that consumers should have filled their boots before the rise in VAT in January, but as ever logic and the consumer are never good bed fellows. The City and the economists are all still very gloomy about the chances of a double dip recession and slow growth, or not growth, but they are relying on the consumer to be logical! Google search analysis is based upon what consumers are actually doing and as such things could be looking up for the future of the economy becoming more rosy and robust in the forthcoming months, so long as the consumer does not get a dose of logic!
Chris Lovell, Group CEO
March 11th, 2010
