What Do People Want For Christmas 2017? 4 Tech Brands’ Top Products

The holidays are right around the corner and the Brandwatch React team decided to see what people are asking for, and buying, in the lead up to Christmas.

We looked at tweets containing language that indicated an intent to purchase, like “about to buy” or “thinking of purchasing,” surrounding some of the most popular tech brands.

Bose: What do people want for Christmas?

We conducted a wide search for purchase-related language around Bose on Twitter, and found that headphones were dominating the conversation.

Noise cancelling and wireless headphones were particularly prominent, with lots of people seeking recommendations around them.

I feel like Im gonna convince myself to buy Bose bluetooth headphones.

— Rachel (@aremarrs) November 7, 2017

I just bought myself Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones #WeOutHere #LOL #BEYONCE

— Molly (@MollyxPotter) November 24, 2017

Moving on to Microsoft

We created a similar query for Microsoft and used our Quick Search tool to search within mentions to find out what the most talked about products were. We omitted Microsoft Office products as we wanted to focus on their physical product line.

Not surprisingly, most people talking about Microsoft products are looking for Xboxes this holiday season.

We saw a peak in mentions with the release of the Xbox X on 7 November, followed by the second largest spike on Black Friday, a prime gift-purchasing time for those looking for a great deal.

We also took a look at mentions of Microsoft’s Surface range.

12 noon ET was the peak time that people were tweeting about buying a Surface product – we assume because they’re popular amongst working professionals who may be looking to gift the laptop with a sandwich in hand.

Despite the lunchtime love, the Surface is no rival for the Xbox on Twitter.

An Apple a day

Then we went to look at Apple and the iPhone X to see what the conversation looked like in the lead up to Christmas. Do people want one?

Well, turns out yes – over 9,000 people had phrases like “I want” or “about to get” in their mentions of the iPhone X with women tweeting the phrase more than men.

 

Just bought the iPhone X and it won't even be here until December 26th. Merry Christmas to me. ?

— Kaitlyn Davis (@itskaitlyndavis) November 1, 2017

My best friends boyfriend just bought an iPhone X for her Christmas, I’ve never been so happy yet so jealous??❤️ #AppleObsessed

— Carla (@carlabrawley_) November 24, 2017

The iPhone X has taken the bulk of the share of voice this time of year against the other popular Apple products like the iPhone 8 and MacBooks.

The iPad got the fewest mentions of the products we searched.

Switching it up for Christmas

Lastly, we looked at Nintendo to see what their conversation would revolve around.

Not surprisingly, it was the Nintendo Switch that was getting the most attention. We found around 5,000 purchase related tweets surrounding the console.

According to a number of tweeters we found, it’s a gift for people of all ages – not just kids!

I bought my son a Nintendo Switch for Christmas. He did not ask for one. Draw your own conclusions.

— Dayn Perry (@daynperry) November 26, 2017

Me: Liam, what do you want to get Mom for Christmas?
Liam: Oh that's easy. A Nintendo Switch. We can share it.#shrewdasasnake#innocentasadove

— Chris Chase (@thatchrischase) November 25, 2017

It’s certainly something Nintendo has reflected in their promotional strategy.

How can brands use this information?

Firstly, it’s important that brands and retailers keep an eye on what products their fans are going crazy for during the holidays to ensure they have enough supply in each of their stores.

Breaking intent to purchase conversation down by location using Brandwatch Analytics is one way retailers could start to build up a picture of what is proving popular in a particular place.

Secondly, it’s important to use social data to try to get ahead of potential problems.

Using BuzzSumo, brands can analyze the most common questions asked about their products, meaning they can address them in future promotions.

Here’s an example of questions asked about the Nintendo Switch’s charging capabilities this year from the BuzzSumo Question Analyzer.

Social data also offers feedback on how lesser known products are doing compared to the bigger ones.

If a brand had intended on doing a big promotional push for their lesser known devices ahead of Christmas but noticed they were struggling to gain traction among conversation about the larger ones they may want to re-assess their strategy.

While it might be tempting to relax a little in the lead up to the holidays, if this is the busiest season for your brand then listening to your potential customers now is more important than ever.