Web searches for kitchens were down 5.1%, in the last 12 months, but a record number of searches were carried out on mobile devices.

The Search Volume Report, compiled by kitchen, bedroom and bathroom marketing agency Flo Marketing, is based is on qualified searches which are hyper-relevant to kitchen retailers.

These include, for example, ‘kitchen showrooms St Albans’, ‘fitted kitchens Harrogate’, ‘kitchens Bristol’, ‘kitchen retailers Kent’, ‘Luxury Kitchens’.

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It also revealed these searches are at their highest in Q1, with a total of just over 1.6million seaches carried out across the UK.

But it also found the number of searches carried out by consumers during Q1 2019 was down around 3.8% compared to Q1 2018.

However, there was a 7% year-on-year increase in total searches performed during March 2019.

Searches for ‘big name’ brands remained high, increasing by around 5% in 2018 compared to 2017.

Flo Marketing reports growth in big name brand searches have mainly been driven by the marketing activity implemented by the likes of Wren Kitchens, Magnet and Howdens as well as B&Q and Ikea.

Director of Flo Marketing Oli Parry said powerful conclusions can be drawn from the report: “Ensuring that your paid-search marketing strategy is dynamic is key to optimising how many of these searches you can funnel to your website.

“Searches are high in January, February and in March, and assigning increased budget to your paid-search in these times is paramount to capitalising on a surge in consumer intent”.

“Independent retailers should be concerned at the competition of larger brands in the marketplace but also understand that there is more hope than there has ever been to flourish.

“It’s just a case of embracing the changes in how people buy kitchens in 2019 and increasing the quantity and quality of your marketing online.”

One of the report’s biggest findings was the rate in which users are browsing websites on mobile devices.

Mobile searches overtook desktop and tablet searches (combined) for the first time in March 2019 and, according to Flo Marketing, searches by mobile have increased 22% compared to two years’ ago.

During Q1 in 2017 and Q1 in 2018, approximately 36% and 41% of searches were carried out by a mobile device, respectively.

During Q1 2019, 50% of all searches were carried out using a mobile device.

Oli Parry continued: “An often-overlooked but key point is the difference between websites that are ‘mobile-responsive’ and websites that are ‘mobile-optimised’.

“A mobile-responsive website ‘fits’ to the device on which it is being viewed, automatically reformatting a site across all devices, regardless of screen size.

“A mobile-optimised site is a much more advanced. A separate version of a website is designed specifically for mobile devices (i.e. not for computers) which gives the site an upper hand when it comes to converting browsers into enquiries.

“Perhaps the biggest change we see is that people are now starting their buying journey online, rather than heading straight to the showroom.

“This means that if your website isn’t up to scratch, prospects will choose your competitors quicker than ever.”

Head of Conran Design Group Dominic Zammat offers his advice on how to engage with consumers online.