This week I noticed the term ‘bape shoes’ in a search term report. Since I was not familiar with this brand, I decided to investigate. BAPE, or A Bathing Ape, is a Japanese footwear and apparel brand that has developed an urban following in the US, partly thanks to its strategy of producing limited quantities of its merchandise. Scarcity drives demand it seems, especially when hip-hop music stars like Pharrell Williams are seen wearing BAPE. Thus shoppers turn to search to find out where to buy BAPE – the volume of searches for ‘bape’ and ‘bathing ape’ have increased by 780& and 430% respectively in the past 6 months (week ending 7/12/06 vs. week ending 2/11/06).

Just which BAPE products are the most sought after? Search Term Suggestion shows us that BAPE shoes and BAPE hoodies are the most popular items. Given that production quantities are limited and that BAPE shoes come in such a multitude of colors, I can imagine that it would be difficult to find the color you want in the size you want, thus driving repeat searches.

Retailers and trendspotters should not take the growing popularity of this brand lightly – recently there was a robbery of 11 BAPE jackets from a private sale in parking garage in Walnut Creek, CA that had been advertised on Craigslist. The theives drove off in a Lexus with their booty.