At eCommerce Nurse, we’re always keeping our eyes on the top Amazon search terms. We're eager to see what’s in demand on the platform and what customers really really want. For 2021, you can learn from the latest keyword trends we’ve spotted using our clever tools and strategy research.
For August, we’re back on American soil for a keyword round-up on Amazon.com. Read on for a broader understanding of what’s happening on Amazon.com this month, and gain insights to optimise your content for seasonal patterns, growth, and to spot potential niches.
Here’s the August 2021 edition keyword roundup.
Back to school
Parents are eagerly filling up the 'pencil pouch' with a range of 'school supplies' as most of the country's kids head back to school in August and early September. Everyone is in need of 'backpacks,' 'backpacks for girls,' 'backpacks for school' and ‘jansport backpack’ to transport their 'water bottles,' 'laptop,' 'pencil case,' 'pens,' and 'pencil pouch.' Parents are planning ahead for lunchtime, too, with a number of tasty terms in the top 200, including: 'lunch box,' 'water bottle,' 'bento box,' 'lunch bag,' even an 'apple' (likely the electronics brand, not the fruit) for the teacher on the first day of school.
Teachers be warned, kids might be sneaking in a few 'fidgets,' a 'squishmallow,' 'fidget toys,' 'pop its' or 'fidget pack' into their desks or bags. This trend endures and the category is only growing.
Back to college
Parents are also waving off their grown-up babies off to college and decorating the dorm to impress new roommates, with 'room decor,' 'led lights,' 'mini fridge,' 'shoe rack,' 'fan,' 'led lights for bedroom,' 'planner,' 'rug,' and 'desk lamp,' featuring heavily this month. Students are also prioritising something sweet to give a boost for first-semester studies, with 'candy' and 'coffee' showing up. For those endless trips to the dorm bathrooms, customers are looking for a 'shower caddy,' 'bathroom organizer,' 'toothpaste' and 'lanyard.' Be sure to remember an 'alarm clock' (just outside the top 200 terms) to get to class on time and start the year off right!
Some popular LED strip lights on Amazon.com in August 2021.
Tech still rules
Tech items still feature heavily in the top 100 terms, with people taking their calls and music on the go on ‘earbuds,’ ‘bluetooth headphones,’ ‘Anker AirPods,’ and ‘headphones.' Customers are also making sure they have plenty of off-grid power with 'power bank' and 'portable charger' appearing as popular terms.
Back to school time might mean new technology in students' pockets, and customers are eager to protect their 'iPhone' investments with coverage. We saw a few terms for cases, such as the 'iPhone 12 pro max case,' 'iPhone 12 case,' and 'iPhone 11 case,' showing up as popular this month.
Pandemic rebound
The pandemic seemed to be calming down for a while. But if Amazon search is another indicator, it's definitely not over with. Many customers are searching for face masks, and many sellers are simply out of stock. Some customers are getting specific with 'n95 mask' and 'black disposable face masks,' but most are generic searches for items such as 'disposable face masks,' 'face mask,' and 'masks.' Parents are also not looking to risk sick kids, with terms such as 'kids face masks' and 'kids disposable mask' ranking highly. With items in shortage, some customers are also trying to shop local, with 'n95 masks for virus protection made in usa.' Other pandemic favourites have made a comeback too, with staples such as, 'hand sanitizer,' 'paper towels' and 'toilet paper' rising in popularity lately.
Businesses and offices are opening up, but a lot of workers are continually working from home, with 'desk,' 'office chair,' 'lightning cable,' 'computer desk,' 'mouse pad' and 'monitor' gracing the top terms. These terms may have also experienced growth as a result of back-to-school shopping.
Pandemic pets
This month marks the first time we’ve seen so many pet-related terms in the top 100, with those lockdown pet adoptees being looked after with 'dog toys,' 'dog bed,' 'dog food,' 'dog treats,' 'cat tree' and 'cat toys.' We support this trend, bring on the cat trees!
A screenshot of top-selling cat trees on Amazon.com in August 2021.
Late summer shopping spree
Shoppers are still being optimistic about summer with 'womens dresses,' 'dresses,' and 'womens tops' in the top terms. It's still plenty hot in places, and we hope you get some decent use out of your 'summer dress for women' and 'sandals women' before the autumn chill hits. With the change in seasons, we also saw signs of a pending baby boom with ‘maternity dress’ and ‘baby essentials’ crawling into the top terms.
Trick or treat?
Nothing like a favorite holiday to distract us all from pandemic pandemonium. Pumpkin spice has already hit and Americans seem to start planning earlier and earlier for Halloween. Don't get spooked, but 'halloween decorations,' 'horror movies,' 'fall decor' and 'halloween decor' are already trending. Time to up your game and get planning if you’re going to keep up with the neighbourhood.
Stay tuned for more fun keyword round-ups from our team. And if you need account assistance or an Amazon consultant (whether you are selling maternity items or crayons), please contact us for questions.
[Data used 8-14 August 2021]
