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Second Annual Super Bowl E-commerce Study Uncovers Fan Loyalty for 2015

Posted by Eileen ElameCommerce, Site Search

superbowl 2015With Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, many are asking which team is most popular. The Seahawks and Patriots are not only competing for the championship, but also for most die-hard fans. Do Seahawks fans really put Patriots fans to shame? Did ‘DeflateGate’ have any impact on fan loyalties? SLI Systems was eager to set the record straight and find out “Where The Fans Are” with a state-by-state look at Patriots’ and Seahawks’ popularity.

To determine the states’ loyalties, SLI studied more than 300,000 Super Bowl product-related searches taking place between January 1 and January 25, 2015 across 32 U.S. sporting goods and apparel retailers. While many devoted fans might be tempted to root against teams that take them out of championship, SLI uncovered that fans actually remain loyal to their region’s respective Conference (with a few exceptions). SLI’s “Where the Fans Are” map shows where all 50 states’ loyalties lie.

Not surprising, Seahawks-branded products were most sought by fans in northwestern states; and, with the exception of Alabama, Iowa and Wisconsin, fans in states on the eastern half of the U.S. favored Patriots-branded products.

What was noteworthy was that fans in Wisconsin (home of the Green Bay Packers, which lost to the Seahawks in the NFC championship) searched more for Seahawks than Patriots items. And, fans in Indiana (home of the Colts, which lost to the Patriots in the AFC championship) most sought Patriots items. Online shopping behavior shows that AFC/NFC Conference loyalty is stronger than getting revenge on past losses – and in turn, fans across the country searched for merchandise for the teams and players they know best. It seems that for Super Bowl XLIX, team loyalty takes a backseat to simple team familiarity.

For an interesting comparison, take a look at the map and infographic from last year’s SLI Super Bowl E-commerce Study. When the Seahawks faced off against Denver in 2014, Wisconsin also stood out among other midwest states in their online shopping preference for Seahawks gear. And most New England fans that are searching for Patriots items this year were searching for Seahawks items last year.

Whichever team you’re rooting for, I hope you enjoy the Big Game!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Infographic: Retail Site Searches Show Super Bowl Fan Favorites

Posted by Dawn MortenseneCommerce, Site Search

The popularity of yesterday’s Super Bowl related blog spurred us to create an infographic! The findings are based on recent online shoppers’ searches on e-commerce sites powered by SLI Systems.

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Denver or Seattle? Online Shopping Behavior Shows Fan Popularity for Super Bowl 2014

Posted by Dawn MortenseneCommerce, Site Search2 comments

Football fans around the world are gearing up for the biggest day of the season. On Super Bowl Sunday a record-breaking 111 million viewers are expected to be glued to their sets to see whether the Broncos or the Seahawks can carry the day.

But which team will they be rooting for? We can answer that question by looking at online searching behavior among shoppers seeking NFL logo wear for purchase.

During the week following the NFC and AFC Championship games, nearly 160,000 searches for the Denver Broncos or Seattle Seahawks were made on e-commerce sites powered by SLI Systems. Looking at which team’s products were searched most often turned up some interesting findings.

State-by-State Team Preferences: The map below shows fan preference by U.S. state, blue states searching most for Seahawks gear and orange states searching most for Broncos gear.

Broncos Seahawks map final 29Jan14

Most states in the west searched more for Seahawks, as is expected for a Washington team. But it’s interesting to see how many states in the Midwest and on (or near) the East Coast searched more for Seahawks gear than for Broncos gear. Most central states preferred Broncos fan gear.

Quarterback Preferences: On the same e-commerce sites, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning jerseys and fan items were searched for more than twice as often as Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson jerseys and fan items. True, Manning has been on a winning Super Bowl team in the past. But could the drastic difference suggest more fan support for the Broncos?

Type of Product Preferences: As far as which types of fan gear were searched for the most, you can see in the graphs below that jerseys are the top-searched Super Bowl team product. Hats and shirts are the next most popular items. More Seahawks fans want jerseys than anything else, whereas Broncos fans like a variety of fan apparel.

Seahawks 2

Broncos Gear 2

 

Overall Team Preference: So who do we want to win overall? Out of the more than 160,000 online retail searches we reviewed, the Seahawks led search activity by the slim margin of 2.6%.

Peak Shopping Days: Looking at our search data, it was also interesting to see that online retail site searches for the Broncos or Seahawks were 3-4 times higher within the first three days after the NFC and AFC championship games than on days four and five after the championships. This suggests that online retailers should be ready to sell the winning teams’ gear immediately after the Super Bowl teams are decided – a good point for e-commerce companies to note in preparing for Super Bowl XLIX next year.

Whichever team wins, at least half the country’s fans – and all online retailers who have been selling fan gear – should be happy with Sunday’s result.