Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
The sharpest increases were seen in products offering immediate relief from the heat. Searches for portable air conditioners rose nearly fourfold, while interest in air coolers and fans tripled. Searches for ceiling fans increased 2.5 times.
The traditional air-conditioning category also recorded an increase of nearly twofold, as did searches for air-conditioner cleaning products.
Interest in swimming pools almost doubled despite water shortages affecting several parts of Hungary, Árukereső said.
The data also indicate growing interest in longer-term energy solutions.
Searches for solar modules and solar systems increased nearly fivefold, while interest in solar inverters more than tripled.
Searches in the pumps and domestic water systems category rose by close to 25%.
The largest increase, however, was recorded for generators, with searches jumping nearly tenfold. Árukereső said this suggested that consumers were also looking to prepare for summer storms and power outages.
According to the company, the figures fit a broader pattern in which Hungarian consumers are looking both for immediate solutions to current problems and for longer-term ways to increase their energy independence.
“The heat and energy prices together have brought a completely new level of consumer awareness to the surface. Someone buying air conditioning is looking for immediate comfort. Someone thinking about solar panels wants to reduce their utility costs over the coming years,” said András Szták, managing director of Árukereső.hu.
“Árukereső’s data show that these two ways of thinking are now present simultaneously in Hungarian households, and this is fundamentally changing how people make decisions before a major purchase,” he added.
Árukereső also said price comparison was particularly important when buying cooling and energy-related products because they tend to involve higher-value, longer-term purchases.
The site’s price-chart function allows consumers to check whether a product is genuinely being offered at a favorable price or merely appears to be on sale. Its Trusted Shop program is intended to help buyers identify retailers with verified customer reviews.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
