Great British Bake-Off and Wimbledon reveal opportunity to target “peripheral” audiences online

Consumer insights released by eBay Advertising today reveal the unpredictable impact external events such as The Great British Bake-Off and Wimbledon can have on a brands’ customer base.

Behavioural insights from eBay this summer reveal some surprising ‘peripheral’ groups:

• Mr Bakers
The start of this year’s Great British Bake Off prompted a 50% rise in the number of baking items sold on eBay in the UK, compared to the previous month, with the male audience emerging as a significant customer for baking brands.Men have clocked up over 380,000 searches for ‘cake tins’ and nearly 8,000 searches for baking trays on eBay in the UK in the last two months alone, and since the latest series aired eBay has recorded a 10% increase in baking items purchased by men aged between 25 – 29 years.

• Murray mania

Thanks to Great Britain’s first win since 1936, eBay saw a 20% increase in sales of tennis items in the UK during Wimbledon 2013, compared to the preceding two weeks of June.

Phuong Nguyen, UK head of eBay Advertising commented, “Our data shows that seasonal shifts and external events create a big opportunity for brands;