Search data is usually left with marketing – but Peter Hall, director of Manchester-based digital marketing agency Perpetual10, says it belongs in the buying meeting too, “because it shows what customers are trying to find before those needs appear in sales” …
When searches occur for a specific phrase such as ‘two-seater green Chesterfield sofa’, buyers get an early signal to review the range before next season’s orders are fixed.
In many furniture businesses, however, that information never leaves the marketing dashboard – so buyers continue working from sales history and supplier presentations, missing potential unmet demand as buyer behaviour changes.
This doesn’t mean search data should dictate buying decisions, but it does give buyers a reason to question whether the current plan reflects what customers are asking for.
Your sales report starts too late
Completed orders tell buyers what sold. They don’t reveal what people wanted but couldn’t find.
Imagine that compact corner sofa sales remain steady. Meanwhile, visitors repeatedly search for ‘corner sofa under 200cm’, see no suitable products and leave. Nothing reaches the basket, so the sales report records no loss.
The site search log does, however. And this data is locked in a report marketing owns, but don’t think to provide to the buying team.
Really, marketing should provide a report of no-result searches and compare this with the ranges on the site. Patterns around missing measurements or covers reveal demand that completed orders miss.
If customers keep searching for something the range doesn’t offer, buyers can act before next season’s orders are placed. They can show suppliers the exact terms and ask whether a new option is realistic, or check whether a suitable product already exists but is difficult to find online.
The distinction is simple. Sales data shows what the current range allowed people to buy. Search data shows what they tried to buy.
Read the words around ‘sofa’
Broad terms estimate demand, but the useful detail sits around ‘sofa’. ‘Corner sofa’ names a category. ‘Left-hand corner sofa with washable covers under 220cm’ describes orientation, care and size. Add ‘in stock’, and availability becomes part of the request.
Similar words don’t always describe the same need. ‘Compact’ may refer to the overall look, while ‘shallow’ points to seat depth. ‘Under 180cm’ sets a firm width. Grouping all three together could hide a real gap in the range.
Other phrases are interchangeable. ‘Couch’ and ‘sofa’ don’t require separate products. Marketing must separate alternative wording from a genuinely different requirement before passing the insight to buyers.
Record what shoppers aren’t finding
Buyers need a clear record of what customers repeatedly search for, and whether the current range meets that demand.
Several tools provide different parts of the picture: Google Ads Keyword Planner shows related terms and estimated monthly demand, helping marketing test whether a showroom request reflects wider interest; Google Trends shows whether interest is growing or seasonal (it doesn’t provide exact search numbers, though); Search Console shows which searches already display the retailer on Google – high impressions may reveal demand the business isn’t capturing; and website search logs and Google Analytics record what visitors type into the retailer’s search box – repeated searches with no suitable result reveal what customers expect but cannot find.
Showroom staff add language that tools may miss. I’d ask them to record repeated requests they cannot satisfy, using the customer’s own words. ‘Dog-proof sofa’, for example, gives marketing a useful starting point.
Marketing can then check how often related terms appear and compare them with the current range. Before calling something a product gap, the team must establish whether a suitable sofa already exists under different wording.
Buyers then receive the customer need, the direction of search interest and any suitable option already in the range.
Test the signal before changing the range
Search terms should begin an investigation, not trigger a large order. If ‘washable cover sofa’ keeps appearing, check whether suitable models already exist but are difficult to find. Group them clearly online and watch whether interest continues. If the gap is genuine, buyers have stronger evidence for discussing a small trial with a supplier.
Timing determines if demand belongs in next season’s range. Compare website searches over several months with the Keyword Planner and Google Trends. A one-week spike may disappear quickly when looking at long-term data. Prioritise data which shows steady growth or a returning seasonal pattern.
Question if demand will last long enough to match sourcing and production lead times. Sustained interest supports a range decision. A brief spike is better used to guide current marketing or merchandising.
Use data without surrendering judgement
People search out of curiosity as well as purchase intent. They look at colours they admire but won’t live with, and styles outside their budget. That’s why each term still needs to be judged against lasting demand and commercial reality.
Used well, search evidence doesn’t weaken a buyer’s judgement. It provides a quicker, less filtered view of what customers want.
Next season’s range will still depend on design instinct, supplier knowledge and production limits. But when shoppers repeatedly describe a sofa the business doesn’t offer, their words belong in the range review. Hearing them only after sales fall is one season too late.
