Impending energy shortage: Switzerland seeks solar panels and candles
The energy shortage is leaving its mark on Galaxus' search window: Five of the ten most-searched terms in August and September have to do with the fear of a blackout. Meanwhile, those who can't stand the flood of news have disappeared into the basement with Lego boxes and a Playstation under their arm.
Europe is groaning under the energy shortage. Prices are skyrocketing, consumption is supposed to come down. The media coverage and conversations at the dinner table have left their mark on the Galaxus search window: In German-speaking Switzerland, the ten most frequent entries in August include five that reflect the concerns of the population: Powerbanks, gas stoves, candles, and solar panels are on the second to fifth search ranks. And in tenth place comes the Ecoflow brand, whose power stations and solar panels are currently in hot demand. Galaxus noted this in a recent media release.
And in September, too, Galaxus customers typed thousands of queries for power banks, solar panels and energy-saving kettles into the search window: the product types mentioned ranked fourth, sixth and seventh in the observation period from September 1 to 21.
People across the border are also preparing for the cold months: In August, powerbanks, Ecoflow and candles were sought after in French-speaking Switzerland just as often as in German-speaking Switzerland. And in September, solar panels joined the top 10.
Lego for light shy
The top spot in the Galaxus search ranking this summer was occupied by the term "lego". Apparently, because of the heat and the flood of news, many Lego fans have been busy with their building sets at home. For some years now, Lego has also been appealing increasingly to adults; the most popular sets currently include a painting by Vincent van Gogh, a replica of the Saturn V rocket, and a bonsai.
Also in demand in recent days were the notoriously out-of-stock Playstation 5 game consoles from Sony, the iPhones from Apple - and Coffee B. The Migros coffee innovation not only generated a lot of search queries, but also brisk sales: while the coffee machines are still available, the compostable spheres are completely sold out. According to Galaxus, supplies are in sight for October.
