The COVID-19 pandemic pushed millions of holiday shoppers online in 2020 and even 2021, and many retailers shifted large portions of their business online to meet that demand, but has this growth persisted as in-person activities have returned? New consumer web search data from keyword research and online ranking data software company Semrush is taking a closer look at consumer interest in the holiday online ahead of the big weekend.

Online search volume for Black Friday peaked in 2019, according to Semrush, but ecommerce spending for Black Friday hit its all-time high of $9 billion in 2020. Last year’s online consumer spending came in just shy of that total at $8.9 billion, but the A massive spike in “buy online” searches from the pandemic’s early days has now dropped to below pre-2020 levels, though consumer interest in online searches for Black Friday deals is being renewed by recession and inflation-leery consumers. In total, global searches for “Black Friday deals” are up 246.6 percent from last year, according to Semrush data, and with shoppers intending to spend an average of $613 on holiday gifts this year, according to think tank The Conference Board, down from $648 last year, searches for discounts are expected to continue as consumers stretch their dollars.

Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and Kohl’s are the most searched retailers when it comes to Black Friday deals, and the top products being searched for at the time of this writing for Black Friday are the Nintendo Switch, followed by the Apple Watch and Apple Airpods. Nike, Zara, and Lululemon are the most searched product brands in conjunction with “Black Friday” online.

Other interesting takeaways from Semrush’s research includes the following points:

• “TikTok shopping trends” searches spiked by 800 percent month-over-month in September, making it clear the social media app is having a big impact on consumers.
• Texas, California, Florida, New York and Illinois had the highest search volume for Black Friday deals.
• US Google searches for “best Black Friday gift card deals” increased 200 percent in 2022 year-over-year.
• The second most searched Black Friday term is “Black Friday Walmart.”
• Electronics are top of mind and searches for consumers across the board. On Amazon, searches for “iPhone 13 Pro Max case” top the charts for 2022 so far, followed by “Apple watch band.” The most searched product on Amazon in September 2022 was the “Apple iPhone 11, 64GB, Purple – Unlocked.”
• Aside from technology, Amazon is also seeing surging search volume for “HeyNuts leggings” and “women’s fall sweaters 2022,” both up more than 1,000 percent from August to September of this year.

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Adelaide “Addie” Elliott is an associate editor focusing on retail and product coverage for Gifts & Decorative Accessories. Previously, she served as an associate and web editor for both Furniture Today, Designers Today and Casual Living. Before being promoted in May 2019 to web editor, Adelaide worked as Furniture Today’s intern editor for a year. Get in touch with her on Twitter at @AElliott_Writes or by email at aelliott@giftsanddec.com.