New Data Reveals Hottest Holiday Retail Trends, Forecasts Traditional Brick-and-Mortar Stores to Dominate Black Friday E-Commerce

The 2021 Retail Trends Report from Conductor takes a deep dive into the most searched brands this past year, how retailers like Old Navy are expected to dominate the 2021 holiday shopping season, and how TikTok fashion influencers are changing the game


NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Conductor, an innovative enterprise SEO and organic marketing technology company, released its latest study of what consumers are seeking out on the internet. The report — “2021 U.S. Retail Trend Report: What’s Hot in U.S. Retail Trends?” — reveals which brands are expected to dominate this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday, what topics and products retailers should be prioritizing, and how consumers are turning to TikTok fashion influencers for inspiration, among other findings.

By using its proprietary search technology to track more than 100,000 apparel-related search terms from June 2020 to July 2021, Conductor was able to analyze the sustained shift from traditional brick-and-mortar shopping to e-commerce, significantly accelerated by the pandemic. As retailers continue to bolster their online presence, Conductor’s “2021 Retail Trends Report” highlights what brands and trends consumers are seeking out the most amid year two of the pandemic.

The data reveals some surprises.

Though traditionally built on mall sales, Old Navy is ranked as the second highest searched brand in June 2021, behind only Shein — a brand ultra popular with teens. This is just as the company announced its most recent inclusivity initiative to no longer house women’s plus-size clothing in separate sections. The study shows searches for “Old Navy plus size” are averaging 12,000 per month.

The report also spotlights a tight race to see which brand will claim the most coveted gift card this Black Friday. July 2021’s search volume shows online gaming giant, Robolox, is in three-way tie for the top spot, along with Amazon, and Visa gift card distributor, Vanilla.

Additionally, Conductor’s data indicates that, even as consumers continue to turn to e-commerce, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are expected to dominate online Black Friday shopping. Walmart, Target and Kohl’s all beat out Amazon as the top three most searched brands in relation to this year’s Black Friday deals.

Other key findings from the 2021 Retail Trends Report include:

  • Consumers are moving forward from the pandemic-era comfort of yoga pants and athleisure and embracing denim. TikTok trends have led the way with the high-waisted Zara jeans that went viral in late 2020.
  • When consumers ask Google “what to wear” or “how to wear,” they most often turn to YouTube. Partnering with influencers who promote brands in “try-on-haul” videos on their YouTube channels is popular among today’s savviest retailers.
  • Consumers are prioritizing four main categories this upcoming shopping season — baby and toddler products, bags of all types, wedding apparel, and trendy pants, denim and other TikTok favorites.

“Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become so much more than just two days of shopping, and as more consumers move online, retailers are running deals for days both before and after, with months of preparation,” said Lindsay Hagan, Vice President of Marketing at Conductor. “It is essential for retailers to be aware of their site’s strengths and weaknesses before going into the holidays, and see what brands and trends are owning the market in order to properly place themselves in the conversation.”

To download a full copy of the 2021 Retail Trends Report, and learn more about how the power of SEO data and the Conductor platform can help retailers grow website traffic and revenue, please visit www.conductor.com/learning-center/retail-trends-report-2021/.

About Conductor

Conductor is the world's leading organic marketing platform, helping businesses accelerate search traffic, digital growth and revenue. Conductor's technology helps marketers create powerful marketing content to drive high quality traffic to their site and track their organic performance. Conductor was named a Leader in the Forrester Wave for SEO platforms and is rated #1 on TrustRadius and G2 by enterprise marketers. Their forward-thinking customers include global and emerging enterprise brands such as Citibank, Visa, and Casper. For more information, visit Conductor.com.

 

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