From search keywords to market intelligence
Jinfo Blog

28th January 2008

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After Google and Yahoo, Baidu.com is the No. 3 search engine in the world http://searchengineland.com/071010-192830.php. According to CNNIC’s http://www.cnnic.cn/en/index/index.htm latest report, Baidu’s share in Chinese search market has reached 74.5% and is the No. 1 in China. Interestingly, besides its search and community services, Baidu has established a new unit called Data Research Center http://data.baidu.com which provides market intelligence across many industries based on the search streams that come through baidu.com. The reports present latest industry profiles and identify consumer trends based on analyzing the search keywords and searcher behaviour. Currently the market segments that Baidu has published reports for include: Personal Computer, Home Electronics, Cosmetic, Beverage, Finance, Online Games, and Autos. Having the freshest original search data continuously available for analysis is a huge competitive advantage for Baidu in offering market insight. The latest reports were released in December 2007 and based on data of the previous month. Most reports offer sector overview, competitive landscape, consumer preferences and regional strengths, etc. For example, two thirds of the users who used the search engine in November 2007 had looked for information about laptop computers, indicating a strong demand and the growing trend of consumer preference for laptops to desktop computers. For the online games market, keyword searches indicated that over 30% of Chinese Internet users are interested in online games, a group also showing strong interest in online sport items. The various ranking charts on the site provide quick snapshots of the dynamic and competitive sector developments in the gigantic domestic markets in China. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is a super hot topic in China, Baidu’s research also shines its light into what’s going on concerning all the hot spots towards the Games: What information is most looked for, who are the most favorite stars, what is expected for China Mobile and Tsingtao Beer and other businesses, etc. On the chart of the most searched keywords, ranked number 1 was tickets for the Olympic Games. Interest in the five lucky dolls http://sports.qq.com/a/20051111/000499.htm is also enormous, reflecting a very characteristic popular culture element in China.

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