According to research released by eBay Advertising, this weekend marks the start of a potentially lucrative month for home and garden brands as consumers take advantage of May's warmer weather and double Bank Holidays to move and improve their homes.
Almost eight million purchases were made in the home, furniture and DIY category on eBay.co.uk in May 2015, equating to three purchases every second and highlighting a huge market of buyers for brands to target. This followed April 30, which was listed in the UK Removals Industry News and Statistics as one of the busiest dates for the UK removals industry last year. And the opportunity for brands to tap into this home-moving audience is huge, even for those selling big-ticket items: shoppers made 26 searches per minute for 'sofa' in May 2015.
Insights from eBay Advertising show that, as the brighter evenings shine the light on dull and dirty homes, many shoppers are also sent scrambling to redecorate. Almost a million searches were made for 'paint' on eBay.co.uk in May 2015, highlighting the opportunity for smart brands to present shoppers with creative messages to help inspire their next purchase. And the extra weekend days turn the UK into a nation of handymen, with thirteen searches made for 'drill' every minute that month as shoppers looked to tackle DIY jobs head on.
The insights also reveal that the UK's men may be stepping up when it comes to housework: in May 2015, male shoppers made 62% more searches for 'hoover' or 'vacuum cleaner' and 88% more searches for 'washing machine' on eBay.co.uk than their female counterparts.
And when it finally becomes warm enough to enjoy the great outdoors, shoppers turn their attention to designing their dream gardens: a significant 1.4 million purchases were made in the Garden and Patio category on eBay.co.uk in May last year.
eBay's advertising director Rob Bassett said: "Whether shoppers are moving or improving their homes, this time of year presents brands with an audience that is ready to make big purchases and searching for inspiration in the Home and Garden category.
"But there is little value in relying solely on consumer stereotypes when allocating advertising spend. Understanding what and how they buy is crucial if brands want to win a share of the consumer wallet this month."