How Love Island is helping big brands make more sales!
A few weeks ago we wrote a blog that selling clothes and accessories on eBay and Amazon although competitive was yielding the most profits for big brands as these are some of the best selling categories right now. If you REALLY want to make a profit by selling clothing, jewellery or other fancy accessories, start watching the newest season of Love Island and learn what to sell, and take an interest in the ad breaks!
To quote internetretailing.net
“During the first episode of last year’s series, searches for “yellow playsuit” on ebay.co.uk shot up by 276%, compared to just two hours before, after host Caroline Flack sported a remarkably bright one in the opening scenes.”
We know this may sound a bit odd, but trust us when we say there is correlation between increase in sales on eBay when Love Island is being aired. eBay Advertising revealed
how the show inspires consumers to shop for seen-on-TV products, looks and lifestyles – both in real-time and throughout the series. “Popular TV shows such as Love Island can wield huge influence over shopping habits”, said Mike Klinkhammer, director of advertising sales EU at eBay, which released a series of insights revealing the extent of the show’s huge popularity.
Ebay’s Clothing, Shoes and Accessories category experienced a big surge of interest in line with the show last year, while there was also a significant number of beauty searches. The marketplace said searches for “fake tan” surged by 91% during 2018’s premiere compared to the hour before.
“These insights reveal the scale and scope of opportunities for brands – and not only those in the fashion, beauty and fitness categories – to pinpoint audiences likely to be interested in their products and target them with the right messages when they’re most inspired. Armed with rich insights into consumer behavior and contextual data to find audiences in the shopping mindset, brands have the potential to achieve impressive results and boost their bottom line”, said Mike Klinkhammer.
eBay representatives believe that advertisers should keep an eye on the TV screen as Love Island marks a potentially lucrative summer for brands. In other words, fans will want to look like the contestants. Let’s take Amy’s golden jumpsuit worn at the show’s premiere last Monday. The sparkling number from I Saw It First is currently half price at £35 – but fans of the look will have to be quick as it’s already selling out in some sizes. Another contestant, Amber, wore a naked dress for the dramatic re-coupling she experienced during the show’s episode. The frock from I Saw It First (the show’s exclusive fashion partner) can be thrown over any swimwear or bralette for an extra fashionable layer, and at only £10, it’s an absolute steal. For those looking to stand out a little more, the dress is also available in a neon green.
These may seem like distant ideas, but Pauline Robson, managing partner at MediaCom, added: “Brands have a really exciting opportunity to engage with avid viewers who are inspired by the Love Island stars, setting and lifestyle, and it’s not just on-screen sponsors that can get a slice of the prize. Brands can engage with the same audiences online at a fraction of the cost.
“If marketers are savvy and have their finger on the pulse of the Love Island nation, they can capitalize on the second-screening phenomenon and deliver relevant advertising to viewers online in real-time as the drama unfolds. But, to really make it work, brands need to understand how their audiences behave and to work with partners that have relevant content, context, and targeting opportunities”, said Robson.
In fact, the Clothes, Shoes and Accessories category as a whole experienced a big surge of interest in line with the show, with searches in the category increasing by over a quarter (26%) during the same timeframe. This highlights the opportunity for brands to capitalize on “second screening” – watching the show on TV while simultaneously browsing and shopping online.
But viewers can’t always shop while they watch, especially when there’s high drama on screen – and eBay’s data suggests that some viewers wait until an episode has finished to browse the items they’ve just seen. Searches for “pink denim jacket” and “pink denim shorts” peaked in the hour after the show on 23rd July 2018, just after Love Island’s sweetheart Dani Dyer wore her pink double denim combo during the fraught lie detector test – demonstrating that there is spend to be won even after the credits roll.
With viewers inspired by all aspects of the stars’ styles, there are also ample opportunities for beauty brands to engage with viewers. eBay saw searches for “fake tan” almost double – surging by 91% – during 2018’s premiere, compared to the hour before, as consumers envied the Islanders’ instant Majorcan summer glow. Meanwhile, viewers were clearly dazzled by Love Island winner Jack Fincham’s pearly whites, with searches for “teeth whitening” leaping by 68% during that same episode. Indeed, the entire Health and Beauty category experienced an 18% uplift in searches on ebay.co.uk during the first episode, compared to a couple of hours before.
Love Island’s influence doesn’t stop at fashion and beauty. eBay profit can be easily obtained inspired by apparently effortless six packs and occasional shots of gym workouts at the villa, as eBay’s insights reveal that many shoppers are motivated to bulk up their own fitness regimes. Searches for “pull-up bar” doubled – up 100% – during the first week of last year’s show, compared to a week before, and searches for “dumbbell” and “yoga mat” increased by 8% and 19% respectively during the final episode, compared to the previous hour.
