The AMP Agency SEO team published our fourth Trends report back in early March. This report predicted what the top trends of Spring 2023 would be. Now that summer is here, we have data from February – May 2023 where we can confirm whether or not our forecasts were right. Should we start a new division at AMP Agency as full-time soothsayers?
For the Spring report, we explored 8 consumer topic categories:
- Fashion
- Beauty
- Food & Drink
- Activities
- Travel
- Gardening
- Mother’s Day
- Easter
- Holidays
We picked out a couple of topics from each category and updated the data charts with the spring month data from Google’s Keyword Planner. With the visualization set, we explored what happened and shared our thoughts on what drove the behavior change. See which ones we nailed and which ones we didn’t.
Fashion
Bubble Dress
The 80s are calling! Based on our research, bubble dresses seemed to be back in this Spring. We began to see some search interest increase in January and February of this year, which lead us to believe that search volume for “bubble dress” would reach a new all-time high this Spring. Were we correct?
Our prediction was spot on as we witnessed search volume for “bubble dress” reaching an all-time high of 9,900 searches in April. Can you believe it? Last year’s peak was at 6,600, so this Spring season outshined that number by a whopping 50%! Bubble dresses truly captured the hearts (and closets) of fashion enthusiasts everywhere this past spring season.
Parachute Pants
If you were browsing for fashion inspiration on TikTok or Instagram this past spring, chances are you noticed the undeniable popularity of parachute pants. The Y2K-inspired look that parachute pants play into has earned the seal of approval from celebrities like Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid, and Kylie Jenner as one of the season’s hottest trends.
The peak in popularity for parachute pants was evidently summer of 2022, but this spring is not far behind. This past March and April, this keyword reached 135,000 monthly searches, only 18% less than the highest peak in August 2022. Collectively, this spring season generated nearly half a million searches, solidifying the true populairty for these oversized, voluminous pants.
Beauty
Thin French Tip Nails
Like many 2000s trends making a glorious comeback in recent years, this simple yet elegrant nail art design has captured the hearts of all ages. From colorful French tip nails to classic whites, this nail design proved to be an absolute must-have during this past spring season.
Despite our predictions not reaching an all time high this spring season, the keyword “thin french tip nails” held a high search volume of 4,400 for a longer amount of time than ever before. In the months February through May, this query generated 16,800 collective searches, that 9% more than this same time frame last year.
Wolf Cut
From its emergence on our feeds around 2020 to its roaring popularity this past spring season, this shaggy, untamed hairstyle clearly made head turns. Celebrities like Jenna Ortega, Miley Cyrus, and many more have hopped on the wolf cut trend, spreading like wildfire on TikTok and other social platforms, especially for those longing for that nostalgic 90’s vibe.
This past spring season, we saw a 23.5% higher search volume for this “wolf cut” than ever before. With a peak of 673,000 monthly searches in Februrary and a collective sum of over two million searches in the spring months of Feb-May, the popularity for this trendy haircut is undeniable.
Food & Drink
Gochujang
Spice is the variety of life, as is the case with Gochujang, the sweet & spicy Korean chili paste. Food enthusiasts and home cooks have been captivated by its unique flavor profile, combining spiciness, sweetness, and umami notes. The growing popularity in Korean cuisine has contributed to this trend, and we predicted that search volume would continue to increase in the Spring season.
While we didn’t see gochujang as a search term reach new highs, we did see the same peak as December 2022 showing that the trend is continuing to grow. Looking ahead, it is evident that gochujang will continue to be a culinary trendsetter, delighting taste buds and inspiring creative dishes that embrace its bold and flavorful characteristics.
Mushroom Coffee
Mushroom Coffee has been trending over the last few years due to its unique composition, along with the health benefits. This has also been a big trending topic on TikTok, with over 37.5 million views on Mushroom Coffee related videos. Search volume for “mushroom coffee” really took off in the Fall/Winter of 2022, and we predicted that this trend would continue into the Spring of 2023.
While this trend continues to grow, we did not see search volume hit new highs this spring, reaching the same peak that we saw in December. However, the overall trend continues to be up, showing that consumers are still searching for a healthier alternative for their morning pick me up.
Activities
Cherry Blossom Festival
Cherry Blossoms mark the start of the spring season in our nation’s capital, and this year the crowds were out in full force. With beautiful sights, great food, art & culture, there is something for everyone of all ages to enjoy at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. Search volume has been steadily growing on the term “cherry blossom festival” over the last few years, and we predicted that this trend would continue into 2023.
We predicted that search volume would reach new highs this year and while that didn’t technically come true, we saw search volume hit the same peak as 2022, which was up 200% from 2021. The Washington Post reported that on the first Sunday of the festival, the DC metro saw its highest ridership in a single day since 2015.
Beau Is Afraid
Going into the Spring 2023 movie season, we had predicted that Beau Is Afraid would be the highest grossing movie domestically. This was based off a huge increase in search volume around the same time that the trailer dropped. Even though “beau is afraid” as a search term see over 2.2 million searches in April (a +500% increase from the previous high in January), it still wasn’t enough for this movie to beat out Super Mario Brothers at the box office.
This was another example where search volume does not necessarily account for word of mouth. It appears users were more interested in learning what the movie was about, or how disturbing it would be based on previous A24 films. The reviews for other films such as Super Mario Brothers were much better, contributing to the popularity. This movie may be one that finds its cult following long after release.
Travel
Cheap Vacation Packages
While demand for travel has been increasing post-pandemic, economic factors have led many Americans to seek out lower budget vacation options. Search volume for cheap vacation packages has seen consistent growth since 2020, and we expected it to keep growing to reflect the desire to get away.
Although the same search interest as last spring was matched, searches for cheap vacation packages did not surpass last year’s query volume. Sitting at 33,100 searches as the peak monthly search volume, searches for cheap vacation packages were again very popular but our prediction did not completely come true.
Spring Camping
Camping in general has become much more alluring in the past several years, allowing for travel out of the city without experiencing crowded airports, accommodations, or public transit. Since 2020, searches for spring camping began to grow significantly, quickly surpassing even 2019 levels. We predicted the trend would continue and spring camping would be even more popular than before.
Once again, although searches did match the previous year, our prediction was not fully realized and searches for spring camping were not higher than 2022. While this search interest level may stay sustained, it seems like those camping spots will be any harder to stake out than before.
Gardening
Companion Planting Chart
Companion planting is a gardening technique that utilizes specific properties of plants to support each other in a single garden plot. By tapping into symbiosis of plants growing near each other, gardens can become more productive and have built in natural protections. Gardening searches became very popular particularly during the pandemic, and companion planting has had some of its own viral moments on social media. We predicted companion planting searches would keep growing throughout the spring.
Our predictions came true – companion planting searches experienced a 22% increase between its May peaks in 2022 and 2023. As home gardening becomes more normalized and effective methods continue to be shared on social media, we think the concept of companion planting has put down its roots and is here to stay.
Hydroponic Grow Tower
Hydroponic gardening is a method of gardening that allows plants to be grown without soil, making it possible to grow plants vertically and without significant space. Popularity for hydroponic growing has increased over the past several years, becoming especially popular with people who wanted to garden without access to a yard. Removing dirt and space considerations made gardening inside apartments suddenly much more alluring. We saw an unprecedented spike for hydroponic grow tower searches in winter of 2023, and considering its previous peaks in the spring, we predicted spring of 2023 would show an even higher interest.
While searches for hydroponic grow towers did not surpass the extreme spike that occurred in January of 2023, spring searches were still 83% higher than they were the previous spring. With the rise of gardening but little change in access to large open spaces, we think hydroponic gardening will likely sustain its popularity. It sounds like an easy win to us – the hardest part of caring for the plants (watering them!) is already taken care of.
Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day Crafts
As the spring season rolled in, people were all about getting creative and personal to make mom feel extra special. According to Pinterest Trends, the 25-34 age group was totally hooked on finding “easy” and “adorable” Mother’s Day crafts to fill up their Pinterest boards. From unique paper mache flowers to sweet handmade cards, this spring was all about rallying the little ones for a crafty surprise that would make all mothers go “aww.”
And guess what? Our predictions were right! The search volume for “mother’s day crafts” hit an all-time high in the past five years, with a peak of 22,200 monthly searches in the month of May. It’s clear that personalized gifts were all the rage this year, capturing everyone’s attention; Who needs store-bought when you can whip up something from the heart? This spring, it was all about making mom feel loved with a little DIY magic.
Mother Daughter Spa Day
Who needs traditional gifts when you can dive into a world of relaxation and rejuvenation with your loved ones? This year, it was all about treating mom to an experience she’d never forget. So, if you were wondering how to make Mother’s Day truly special, the answer was loud and clear: a mother-daughter spa day was the way to go!
This 2023 spring season proved that people were ready to surprise Mom with an extra-special bonding time. Queries like “mom and daughter spa day”, “mother-daughter spa day near me”, and related keywords usually see a spike in search volume during the fall and winter months but they really took center stage this past spring, igniting over 4,200 monthly searches in May alone and a collective 13,200 searches from February to May as families geared up for Mother’s Day. Can you believe it? That’s nearly 3,000 more searches for related queries than in any previous May and nearly 90% higher search volume than every previous spring season!
Easter
Easter Tree
The Easter Tree tradition continued to bring joy and symbolize new beginnings for families worldwide. It served as a reminder of the beauty and vibrancy of the Spring season, with people embracing the tradition of decorating their homes with Easter eggs and Spring-themed items.
While the turnout didn’t reach the level we expected, interest for the keyword “Easter Tree” remained strong with nearly 35,000 monthly searches in the month of March alone. This showed consistent popularity and engagement with this beloved tradition, with only around 28% less search volume compared to its highest ever peak in March 2021 and around 10,000 fewer searches between the months of February to March 2023 than this same time last year.
NYC Easter Parade
The 2023 NYC Easter Parade exceeded all our expectations, drawing a crowd like never before. Men, women, and pets of all ages united to showcase their creativity on New York City’s famous Fifth Avenue. The energy was contagious as participants proudly paraded their most stunning and imaginative hats during this year’s Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival.
But that’s not all – our predictions for search volume were spot on! The keywords “NYC Easter Parade” and “Easter Parade New York” ignited a wave of curiosity, prompting people to turn to the internet for more details. In April alone, there were over 25,000 searches, while from February to May, a grand total of 29,260 searches were recorded. These numbers marked the highest peak since 2019, leaving no doubt that the 2023 NYC Easter Parade was truly a bonnet-full of fun!
Conclusion:
Who knew the Mother’s Day crafts were going to be super popular in 2023? Oh yeah, that’s right – Us. We think you should use search query data in all of your campaign planning and brand strategy. If you don’t know how, let us help you. These reports are put together to showcase our abilities. We’d like to work with you on your next initiative. Learn more about all of our SEO Services and drop us a line.
