This holiday season, Apple's iPod seems to be the most popular item, at least among those searching the Web for gifts.
According to comScore Networks Inc., a company that tracks consumer activity on the Web, consumers conducted some 6.6 million searches on the term iPod last month. Coming in second in what comScore labels "toy" searches: Xbox 360, the Microsoft gaming console, with 5 million searches. A close third: Harry Potter, with 4.8 million hits. Rounding out the top six toy searches are Star Wars [2.5 million], Barbie [2.1 million], and PlayStation [1.9 million].
"The intense amount of search activity observed to-date demonstrates how popular these items are with consumers," comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni said in a statement accompanying the report. "It's also clear that search has become a mainstream way for consumers to research products, irrespective of whether their ultimate purchase will occur online or at a retail store."
In that report, comScore estimates that consumer spending on non-travel, retail goods at American Websites will reach $19.6 billion for the holiday season, a 24% jump from 2004.
