Think With Google: Mobile Searches For ‘Where To Buy’ Have Grown 85 Percent Since 2015

The smartphone is consumers’ ‘everywhere expert’ this holiday season — and they’re asking more questions via text and voice.

Mobile searches for “where to buy” have grown more than 85 percent over the last two years, according to new research from Think With Google — and these searches skyrocket over the December holidays as consumers seek to shop efficiently during the busy season.

Mobile devices have been shoppers’ on-the-go assistants for years. But search trends in 2017 indicate that its now their expert, too: Searches for “best” have surged in every category, and shoppers will likely make more of them over the holidays as they search for terms like “best gifts for mom” or “best Christmas cookies.”

And as familiarity with intelligent assistants grows, they’re increasingly making these queries by voice as well as by text.

This means that this holiday season, marketers need to be able to provide the answers that people want when they make on-the-go searches via text and voice — meaning that the data people most often search for (hours, address, and more) needs to be listed accurately and ready for consumption by “traditional” search engines and intelligent assistants alike. The growing search terms like “best” and “where to buy” should be considered as well: Given that for every online purchase resulting from a search Google sees multi-channel retailers receive an additional 400 in-store visits, this “new frontier” for SEO matters immensely for brick-and-mortars in particular.

And, of course, marketers can’t forget the ultimate driver to purchase at this busy shopping time: convenience.

“Another thing we’re seeing is, holiday shoppers are growing more impatient,” writes Google’s Emily Eberhard. “Sure, they’re willing to invest their time researching gift ideas and where to buy them. But when they’ve made their decision and are ready to purchase, they want shopping assistance that is fast and frictionless — whether it’s online or in-store.”