Festive Frenzy: A Look at the Most Sought-After Holiday Gifts of the Last Few Years

by: @MDGadvertising B FESTIVE FRENZY A Look at the Most Sought-After Holiday Gipts of the Last Few Years Each holiday season, marketers push their wares as the hottest gifts. The last few years, tech gifts like tablets, e-readers, and game consoles have dominated the must-have lists. Frenzied holiday shoppers flock to stores and online retailers with hopes of getting their hands on each season's most popular item. But which of the last few years' must-have tech gifts were the most sought after? We found out which gifts generated the most interest Google, and which cities were seeking each gift the most. Note: Index represents Google U.S. search volume during the reported months. 2010 iPad Google Search Volume Index Per Week Apple Week Released in spring 2010, the Apple iPad had plenty of time to generate 10/3/2010 0.9 buzz before the holiday season, but that time might have detracted from its holiday searches. 10/10/2010 0.94 10/17/2010 0,94 Top Places Searching for the iPad in December 2010 10/24/2010 0.92 10/31/201O 0.98 1 Minneapolis, MN 11/7/2010 1.16 11/14/2010 1.22 5 San Francisco, CA 11/21/2010 1.9 3 Newark, NJ 11/28/2010 1.46 4 Pleasanton, CA 12/5/2010 1.44 2 Austin, TX 12/12/2010 1.46 12/19/2010 1.8 12/26/2010 2.16 2009 Nok Barnes & Noble Google Search Volume Index Per Week Week The Nook e-reader from Barnes & Noble was released at the height 10/4/2009 .36 of the holiday shopping season in 2009, right around Thanksgiving, causing a spike in search traffic for the device. 10/11/2009 .34 10/18/2009 4.32 Top Places Searching for the Nook in December 2009 10/25/2009 2.62 11/1/2009 2.16 5 Minneapolis, MN 11/8/2009 2.68 4 Boston, MA 11/15/2009 2.68 3 Denver, Co 11/22/2009 3.58 1 Newark, NJ 11/29/2009 3.76 12/6/2009 3.8 2 Raleigh, NC 12/13/2009 3.48 12/20/2009 3.8 12/27/2009 3.4 2008 Wii Google Search Volume Index Per Week Nintendo Week 4 Though it was released two years earlier, the Nintendo Wii was a 10/5/2008 0.64 popular item on holiday shopping lists in 2008, thanks to new add-ons like the Wii Balance Board and a larger library of games. 10/12/2008 0.64 10/19/2008 0.74 Top Places Searching for the Wii in December 2008 10/26/2008 0.76 11/2/2008 0.88 11/9/2008 1.08 1 Salt Lake City, UT 3 Cincinnati, OH 11/16/2008 1.26 11/23/2008 2.04 4 Indianapolis, IN 11/30/2008 1.78 5 Oklahoma City, OK 2 Louisville, KY 12/7/2008 1.78 12/14/2008 1.86 12/21/2008 2.72 12/28/2008 2.64 2007 iTouch Google Search Volume Index Per Week Apple Week The first generation of the iPod Touch was released in fall 2007, but it 10/7/2007 1.75 seemed a favorite for last-minute holiday shoppers during that year, as searches right before Christmas saw a huge spike. 10/14/2007 1.9 10/21/2007 1.85 Top Places Searching for the iTouch in December 2007 10/28/2007 2.1 11/4/2007 2.5 11/11/2007 2.7 4 New York, NY 11/18/2007 4.15 11/25/2007 3.3 1 Newark, NJ 12/2/2007 3.3 2 Pleasanton, CA 12/9/2007 3.2 5 Austin, TX 12/16/2007 3.6 3 Miami, FL 12/23/2007 8.4 12/30/2007 4.55 2006 PlayStation3 Google Search Volume Index Per Week Sony Week 4 The newest console from the Sony PlayStation line became available 10/1/2006 0.85 for retail on November 11, 2006, just in time for the holiday shopping season. But search interest waned following that date. 10/8/2006 1.3 10/15/2006 1.25 Top Places Searching for the PS3 in December 2006 10/22/2006 1.3 10/29/2006 1.95 11/5/2006 2.9 11/12/2006 6.95 11/19/2006 4 Irvine, CA 11/26/2006 1.9 Las Vegas, NV 3 Norfolk, VA 12/3/2006 1.5 12/10/2006 1.4 5 San Diego, CA 2 Miami, FL 12/17/2006 1.55 12/24/2006 1.65 2005 XboX 360 Microsoft Google Search Volume Index Per Week Week 4 Following the North American release of the Xbox 360 on 10/2/2005 0.95 November 16, 2005, searches for the console spiked. Though search volume remained high through the season, nothing 10/9/2005 1.1 compared to its debut week. 10/16/2005 10/23/2005 1.2 Top Places Searching for the XBOX 360 in December 2005 10/30/2005 1.35 11/6/2005 1.75 5 Rochester, NY 11/13/2005 2.8 11/20/2005 8.1 11/27/2005 3.7 4 Richardson, TX 12/4/2005 2.45 12/11/2005 2.25 2 Orlando, FL 3 San Antonio, TX 12/18/2005 2,5 1 Tampa, FL 12/25/2005 2.35 SOURCES: ESQUIRE, PORTFOLIO.COM, G0OGLE TRENDS mdgadvertising.com twitter: @MDGadvertising