As Online Queries for Luxury Rises, Off-White Searches Skyrocket

Newly released data shows that consumers are hungry for luxury brands. Online, at least. According to digital marketing platform provider SEMrush, online shoppers searched for luxury brands 1.7 times more than other brands.

And after analyzing online searches for the past two years, researchers at the firm found that the most searched brands and product were: Gucci belt; Gucci shoes, and Balenciaga shoes. Regarding the most rapid gain in online searches for luxury brands, the clear winner was Off-White, SEMrush said in its report.

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Jana Garanko, a spokeswoman for SEMrush, said, “Off-White was one of the breakthrough brands, starting in 2017, as searches for the items of this brand skyrocketed in comparison to the other brands.”

“Our data shows that the amount of online search queries for luxury brands has skyrocketed over the last two years,” Garanko told WWD. “Apparently, people are getting more interested in the premium clothes again as markets are oversaturated with affordable clothes items — often of dubious quality. Such spikes might as well mean that people are searching for luxury brands items online only in order to buy similar budget-friendly — or even fake — items later on.”

The data also showed sharp spikes in searches for luxury brands around the holiday shopping season.

With Off-White, online searches for the brand’s belts and shoes were about 100,000 and 50,000, respectively. By the fall of 2018, online searches soared to 300,000 for belts and 250,000 for Off-White shoes.

Off-White’s online soaring popularity mirrors the mainstream ascension of the brand and its chief executive officer and founder, Virgil Abloh. He launched the brand in 2013 and first showed the women’s collection at Paris Fashion Week in 2014. In 2018, Abloh was named the artistic director of Louis Vuitton men’s wear. He remains ceo of Off-White, which is based in Milan.

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