WorldWatchReport 2008 Highlights Internet Search Patterns For Luxury Watches

The WorldWatchReport 2008, a study conducted by the IC-Agency, has revealed undiminished interest from consumers for luxury watches, as well as several other points of interest.  Among the elements revealed by the annual report---which analyzes search engine queries for 12 watch brands in five leading watch export markets---is the continually growing role the Internet plays in luxury watch pre-purchase research, and a general decline in counterfeit product interest. The evaluated watch brands are Breitling, Bulgari, Cartier, Chopard, Ebel, Girard-Perregaux, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Omega, Patek Philippe, Rolex, and TAG Heuer.

Four of the five countries examined in the WorldWatchReport 2008 are European: France, Germany, Italy, and United Kingdom.  According to the study, searches for Omega watches registered a bold spike in Italy (+15%), and a larger drop in the UK (-20%).  Meanwhile, Ebel watches proved to be highly sought in Germany, with an increase of 17 percent--indeed, more than 3 out of every five searches for Ebel originate in Germany.  Longines search interest went up in France and Germany by 8 and 6 percent respectively, offsetting a 14% decrease in Italy.  And, while the Omega Seamaster watch surpassed the Rolex Datejust in search volume for the first time, Rolex had eight of its models in the top 20 searched watches, against Omega's three.

In the United States, Rolex watches maintained their comfortable search lead in the category of "Mens/Sport", claiming nearly one out of each two searches performed.  Overall, however, Rolex lost 4 percent, according to the study.  TAG Heuer dropped three percent, while search volume for Omega went up by a factor of five percent.  The WorldWatchReport 2008 also indicates that Internet searches for counterfeit goods have decreased, particularly in the United States.  Within Europe, a decline in counterfeit searches was also evident, with the exception of Italy, which saw an increase of 20 percent.

"For brands, the real challenge is to understand the behavior of consumers who are now more connected than ever -- not only through computers, but also through mobile devices such as the iPhone", notes David Dadigh, Associate Partner at the IC-Agency. "Bringing clients to an official site is no longer enough.  A comforting user experience must be created to entice purchases from over-informed consumers."