The term “layaway” seems so 1970′s. Yet if you look at search terms sending traffic to the Hitwise Shopping and Classifieds category, you’ll see this retro term resurfacing as consumers struggle to find ways of navigating purchases this holiday season.
Here’s a chart of searches on “Layaway” over the last three years.

And who is getting traffic on the term? The top sites downstream from a “layaway” search include; elayaway.com, lay-away.com and Kmart.com. As we continue to experience tumultuous economic conditions, its important to remember, as search marketers, that offline conditions can and do influence our online search behaviors. Winners in this tighter market will be those that can adapt to these changes.
If you happen to be in Chicago (Forecast 6 degrees Fahrenheit so dress warm) on Tuesday for Search Engine Strategies, stop by my Keynote conversation with Kevin Ryan where we’ll be discussing my new book Click and more insight into what our search behaviors reveal about economic sentiment.