The opening game day of the World Cup saw a drop in traffic until kick off, with half time the peak time for conversion, according to new research.
Data from Peerius reveals that the pre-match build up caused shoppers to turn-off and it wasn’t until the match started that there was an increase in online traffic. Below are the match highlights:
Pre-match
While football fans were enjoying the build-up and getting ready for the opening game, shopping took a back seat as there was a gradual drop in online traffic from 5pm until kick-off. The match build up saw a drop in online traffic with 5pm starting the decline at -5.3 per cent below expected traffic and continuing this trend to 8pm at -12.7 per cent.
During the match
Kick off saw a gradual increase in shopping during the game, with a peak of 5 per cent increase in traffic as the final whistle blew. However, while shoppers browsed online during the match they were spending less as AOV gradually to -8 per cent.
Half time
Half time saw the UK switch their attention to shopping as there was a 10 per cent increase in traffic and 12 per cent increase in conversion during this period. However, fans did not switch their attention immediately back to the football when the match resumed as there was a 17 per cent increase in traffic at 10pm as shoppers stayed online into the second half.
Yusuf Rahman, senior ecommerce analyst, Peerius, a leading personalisation company, explains that: “The data is positive for retailers as fans are not switching off when the football is on. While the hours building up to the match saw a decrease in traffic as the excitement increased for the start of the World Cup. It is yet to be seen if this is an isolated incident due to it being the opening ceremony, or if this trend will continue throughout the tournament. Retailers have already started their summer sales to encourage spending as competition for clicks intensifies as they look for ways to engage with customers and drive sales in an increasingly challenging time.”
This data is calculated from Peerius’ client transactions, which includes leading retailers such as Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, French Connection, Office, Charles Tyrwhitt and BHS.
www.Peerius.com