National home improvement retailer Wickes has been named the UK’s most prominent bathroom brand for 2023 in a new report.
Conducted by Salience Search marketing, the annual report analysed 11 performance indicators including year-on-year visibility, search volume trends, and brand awareness, to reveal the brands dominating the bathroom industry in 2023.
According to the report Wickes topped the polls with over 300,000 social media followers, 2,240,000 brand searches per month and an owned social score of 518. B&Q came in at number two, with 201,000 brand searches, over 700,000 social media followers and an owned social score of 1,162. Travis Perkins was ranked third, Victorian Plumbing fourth and Porcelanosa at fifth.
The report also assessed what it described as ‘organic visibility’ of the bathroom sector as a whole. Findings showed that there has been an increase of 16% in overall organic growth within the industry which suggests that, despite the cost-of-living crisis, consumers are still interested in home improvements.
In terms of brand visibility, B&Q came out top in the report with the biggest year-on-year growth in visibility of 36%, followed by Wickes which saw a 22% jump compared to June 2022.
The report also analysed trends by looking at which products are topping internet searches. Findings from the report showed that ‘toilet roll holder wall mounted’ saw the biggest increase in searches with a 98% In contrast, searches for ‘walk-in shower ideas’ saw the biggest decrease with a 46% drop.
Commenting on the results of the report Brett Janes, MD, Salience Search Marketing said: “While it has been a positive year for the industry, with a 16% increase in organic growth and a sizeable volume of searches and visibility.
“Demand for certain products has dipped, with bathroom tiling among those facing a hit as it sees a 13% drop in searches. This suggests consumers may be looking for alternatives.
Understanding that trends are ever-changing and building a strong online presence across multiple channels becomes crucial in driving sales and capitalising expanding market demand.
The news comes just a week after Wickes reported an improvement on its second quarter sales, with like-for-like sales growth of 3%.
