Earlier this week, one of our clients, suit and formal menswear retailer Moss Bros, noticed a considerable uplift in waistcoat sales through all digital channels. Perhaps not surprising in peak wedding season, but was there something else behind the sudden increase?
We had a feeling that it couldn’t just be coincidence following England’s win over Colombia, so we headed straight to Google Trends to do some digging.
At first it was evident that there was a spike in search interest following the match:
Waistcoat Google Trends data
But when overlaid against a more specific query – namely Gareth Southgate and his infamous waistcoats – it was clear there was a direct correlation, and a real opportunity for Moss Bros to capitalise on the trend.
With man of the moment, Gareth Southgate, claiming his fair share of headlines – such as this one from The Guardian below – and his unlikely status as a fashion icon presenting a clear opportunity for retailers, Moss Bros needed to be quick to react and get ahead of the competition.
So how did Croud and Moss Bros capitalise? By building out our waistcoat paid search campaigns, we were able to quickly jump on the trend and boost sales for Moss Bros. We did this by boosting bids across generic terms related to waistcoat queries, as well as increasing bid modifiers for audiences. Plus we ensured maximum visibility for our Shopping campaigns, and as a result, waistcoat sales are going through the roof!
Client Strategy Manager Caroline Buckingham said, “In a fast-moving and highly competitive space like retail, it’s vital to stay up to the minute on the latest trends and developments – and this example from Moss Bros demonstrates the huge benefits of doing so. By being quick to react and implement best practice across the board, leveraging the power of our network of 1,700+ digital experts known as Croudies, we’ve been able to tap into an unexpected trend and boost sales for Moss Bros.”
It’s coming home!
Google Trends data for ‘waistcoat’ versus ‘it’s coming home’
