This gifting season, many shoppers are turning to Search to look for gifts made in the UK and unique gift experiences, with both queries up over 5000%. Consumers are also inquiring about a wide variety of personalised gift ideas, with personalised dog gifts, nursery rhyme books and recipe books among the trending searches on this topic. These are areas where small business owners truly come into their own with their ability to provide bespoke and sentimental presents.

This week (mid-December) is when we often see the peak in searches for Christmas gifts. This time of year is when both online and in-store shoppers begin to make their final purchasing decisions as they gear up for the biggest shopping season of the year. It’s also the time of year that many people turn to Google Search for suggestions of experiences such as Christmas markets to help them get into the festive spirit. Christmas markets in Lincoln, Bath, Winchester, Edinburgh and York stand out as some of the top searches this December.

Alice Mansergh, Managing Director of Google Customer Solutions, UK & Ireland:, “Christmas is a special time of year, with many consumers taking care to seek out the perfect gifts for their loved ones. During difficult times, it’s noteworthy that people are seeking to support British businesses, with searches for UK made gifts up 5000% this December. There is a desire for uniqueness and personalisation too – from personalised nursery rhyme books to personalised dog gifts, both up >400% this month. For small businesses, whatever your business model, it’s a reminder that there are consumers searching for you online. At Google we’re proud to help British businesses get online and thrive.

“Taking your business online doesn’t always require a big investment of time and money. Here are some simple things that small businesses across the country can do to increase their online visibility for free, without the need to build a website.
Update your offerings – use a free Google Business Profile to let customers that may be concerned about delivery times know if you offer alternatives such as in-store collection.
Make sure your opening hours on your online profile are up to date – especially if you’re offering late night Christmas shopping.
Showcase your brand – by adding photos, offers and events to your profile. Business owners can also let customers know that their business is LGBTQ+-friendly.
Understand what your customers are looking for with Google trends

Learn more with our quick bite sized Skills to Go training, our more detailed online courses or watch one of our webinars”

Google’s Skills to Go series, which can be easily completed whilst wrapping presents or decorating the Christmas tree, aims to help make digital skills training more accessible to people who are short on time but eager to learn skills which can help them to grow their businesses.

The courses feature Holly Tucker MBE, founder of notonthehighstreet and passionate supporter of small businesses. During the videos, Holly answers some of the nation’s top questions on careers and launching new businesses. The training content is available to help time-strapped people across the country to gain skills throughout their busy days at a time that suits them.