For the month of June, soccer-related searches increased by 280 percent in the US
compared to May, according to SLI Systems (SLI.NZ), an e-commerce
technology provider. Searches from Brazilian consumers showed a
similarly dramatic increase.

SLI Systems studied consumer search behavior between Mar. 2 and July 9, 2014. The
company conducted its study across eight international sporting goods
and apparel retailers with combined monthly revenue of approximately
$500M and analyzed more than 341 million consumer searches to track
interest in soccer-related products, using country-specific product
terminology from the U.S. and Brazil. The interests of U.S.-based
consumers were clear: there were more than 2.2 million soccer related
product searches from just these eight e-commerce sites alone.

“Everyone knows that soccer is a popular sport in South America. Working
with more than 800 e-commerce vendors globally, SLI has the means to
readily track which products they shop for online. We were curious to
learn how the World Cup has affected interest in soccer and soccer goods
in the U.S. and to compare that with Brazil,” commented Tim Callan,
CMO, SLI Systems.

“Soccer is played year-round in the U.S., but
recreational soccer gear tends to be purchased before fall and spring
seasons. We found a boost in online shopping behavior during June for
products ranging from soccer cleats, balls, shin guards, gloves and
other equipment, demonstrating the country’s increased interest in
actually playing the sport. It is clear that The World Cup U.S. fanfare
will continue long after Sunday’s final game.”

Additional findings from the study include:

  • June
    16th was the peak day for soccer-related shopping in the U.S., the day
    U.S. played Ghana. The peak day in Brazil was the 3rd of July, the day
    before it played Columbia.
  • In the U.S., the international teams with
    most consumer interest are Brazil, followed by Germany, Argentina, and
    the Netherlands.
  • In Brazil, the international team with the most
    consumer interest is overwhelmingly Argentina. The second most popular
    international team, the U.S., received less than 5 percent the shopping
    behavior of Argentina

Most popular search terms, in order, for the U.S.:

  • soccer
  • USA soccer
  • FIFA
  • Nike soccer
  • Most popular search terms, in order, for Brazil:
  • luvas de goleiro de futebol (soccer goalkeeper gloves)
  • bola de futebol (soccer ball)
  • camisas times de futebol (soccer team shirts)
  • FIFA