Consumers inspired by the style on show at the Wimbledon tennis championship head online to recreate celebrity looks, according to new insight from eBay Advertising.
The publisher has revealed that the outfits of Wimbledon “Wags,” such as Kim Murray and Jelena Djokovic, and other celebrity spectators, have a big impact on consumer shopping behaviour during the championship.
In the 2013 final that pitted their husbands against one another, the style choices of Kim and Jelena were dividing audiences at home. Kim opted for a green crochet dress, which sent searches for “crochet dress” soaring by 37%, and a nude Mulberry handbag, which triggered a 20% increases in searches for the brand on eBay.co.uk.
But Jelena was triumphant in the style stakes; her colourful outfit caused an increase of 39% in searches for “striped dress,” outdoing Kim’s sartorial influence by the narrowest of margins.
And it’s not only during the big-ticket matches that the Wimbledon stars’ wives and girlfriends have an impact on shopping behaviour. When early on in last year’s competition, Kim Murray appeared in a white dress by high street brand Reiss, there were more than 100 searches per hour for the label on eBay.co.uk. Similarly, when she sported a bag by British design house Aspinall, searches for the brand increased by 44% on the same day.
Phuong Nguyen, Director, eBay Advertising UK, commented: “As the nation is gripped by events on court in SW19, nimble marketers have scope to tap into real time trends driven by the fashion choices on display in the stands. But speed alone is not enough; marketers need observed behavioural insights to target precisely.”
Spectator spike
Wimbledon’s “Wags” may be the main fashion attraction of the tournament, but there are plenty of opportunities to for brands to capitalise on the sartorial choices of other high profile spectators.
When the Duchess of Cambridge attended Wimbledon on 6th July last year in a green dress, interest in its designer – Jonathan Saunders – jumped by almost half (46%) on eBay.co.uk.
Similarly, on the day that Victoria Beckham watched the 2013 Wimbledon final in a dark lingerie-inspired dress, searches for “black slip dress” were up by 59% on the site.
Halo effect
In the midst of the fashion frenzy, traditional tennis brands also see an uplift in interest during Wimbledon.
For the past two years, searches for tennis stalwarts “Fred Perry” and “Lacoste” have peaked during the middle weekend of the tournament, while there were more than five searches per minute for “polo shirt” as Murray and Djokovic battled it out for the title in 2013.
Pauline Robson, Director MediaCom Real World insight, added: “The way that consumers shop is changing, and advertisers need to keep pace. For example, the Wimbledon tournament is a natural time for shoppers to “dual screen,” as they watch matches on their TV or laptop and simultaneously use mobile devices to shop for things that inspire them.”
“To do this, however, brands need to understand their audience as individuals, not as catch-all demographic groups.”
