# Metaverse and Fashion: An Analysis of Consumer Online Interest
###### Abstract  
Recent studies have demonstrated the value that the Internet and web applications bring to businesses. Among other tools are those that enable the analysis and monitoring of searches, such as Google Trends, which is currently used by the fashion industry to guide experiential practices in a context of augmented reality and/or virtual reality, and even to predict purchasing behaviours through the metaverse. Data from this tool provide insight into fashion consumer search patterns. Understanding and managing this digital tool is an essential factor in rethinking businesses' marketing strategies. The aim of this study is to analyse online user search behaviour by analysing and monitoring the terms \"metaverse\" and \"fashion\" on Google Trends. A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional method was employed. The results show that there is growing consumer interest in both concepts on the Internet, despite the lack of homogeneity in the behaviour of the five Google search tools.  
Google Trends; metaverse; fashion; marketing; SEO +
Footnote †: journal: _Future Internet_  
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and can, among other procedures, analyse social behaviours or possible seasonality. Other applications such as Ubersuggest, Keywordini, Google Keyword Tool, and Follow the Hashtag also provide information on Internet search trends [5].  
In this study, we ask whether Google Trends could be useful for companies in the fashion sector to guide their digital marketing practices and even predict consumer behaviour using keywords such as \"metaverse\" and \"fashion\". The metaverse is a place where predominantly young fashion consumers lead lives online, with avatars that can move, talk, and be customised to be seen anywhere [6; 7].  
This study contributes to scientific progress by being one of the first studies to monitor the absolute values of keyword searches, thus constituting a valuable asset for the analysis of consumer search behaviour [8].  
Our findings also provide a guideline for the development of efficient and effective digital marketing. Based on the results, we provide recommendations for companies in the fashion sector on how to improve the use of keywords to obtain better SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) positioning. Companies in turn can benefit from a deeper understanding of user behaviour on online search engines in exceptional periods such as that resulting from the emergence of the metaverse, which represents a fundamental change in the way consumers, brands and businesses will carry out transactions and interact in a seamlessly interconnected space of virtual realities [9].  
Despite these previous studies linking Internet search activity and consumption, it is important to realize that consumer behaviour is always complex. This leads us to ask several research questions:  
* Where are the users who most frequently use the terms \"metaverse\" and \"fashion\" in their Internet searches located?
* What other words are associated with the terms \"metaverse\" and \"fashion\" in Internet searches?
* Are there significant differences in search keywords between the different Google corporate communication platforms?  
While the idea of the metaverse has been explored for decades in science fiction and videogames, only in recent years has it gained greater attention and popularity in the fashion industry [10]. In 2022, several fashion brands used the metaverse in their digital marketing campaigns. Therefore, we chose this period as the subject of our fieldwork. It is expected that in the coming years, the technology and infrastructure necessary for the creation of metaverses will continue to advance, and it will be of interest to analyse them in greater depth.