If I were to tell you that internal search data shows growth in consumers searching for products “to avoid” and “worst,” it might make you a little uncomfortable. As a marketer, that reaction is only natural. But in your day-to-day life as a consumer, you know it makes sense. What you also need to know is that this provides an opportunity for your brand to influence the outcome.
Think about it. When we’re shopping, we often turn to friends or acquaintances we trust for a gut-check. We want to affirm our decisions. We want to steer clear of making the wrong choice. And more and more of us are using search to fill that need.
By now, it’s become clear that mobile is creating numerous shifts in people’s search behavior. Our most recent micro-moments research has highlighted a number of these changes. Today’s super-empowered consumers have become more impatient, more demanding, and more curious—and these shoppers are all hungry for advice.
A big part of that desired advice? What not to buy.
At Google, we’ve seen 1.5X more mobile searches ending with “to avoid” in the past two years.1 For example, consumers are looking for “cooking oil brands to avoid” or “refrigerators to avoid.” And just as there has been growth in mobile searches for “best,” we’ve also seen growth in mobile searches for “worst.”
