Idea Probe - Is it too late to get into Mantel Clocks?
Market segment:
First developed several centuries ago, mantel clocks always held a prized location in homes. Whether sitting on a shelf or mantel, there was always a certain elegance to owning one. Even in today's market where everyone is walking around with a watch or mobile phone, a traditional mantel clock located in a special spot in our homes reminds us of the old time pieces that were so prevalent in years gone by. Mantel clocks come in many designs and materials. There is a wide spectrum of styles, sizes, colors and features.
In the market today, crafters have easy access to the actual time pieces that would be used within their hand made clocks. There are many online suppliers that can provide crafters with clock movements, inserts, hands, dials and plans. So, the focus becomes one of crafting the clock case.
Let's take a look at what the mantel clock marketplace looks like.
Analysis:
- The idea here is that by knowing what people are searching for (keyword) on the internet, this gives us a glimpse into their potential purchase intention. By using various keyword analysis tools, not only do we get statistics about the specific keyword people have entered, but we also get a wealth of information with respect to other related search terms for that target keyword. This gives us an invaluable look into a market and the demand for a product and it's sought after features.
- Source: Google keyword database (English, Worldwide), Amazon (USA)
- The analysis provided below is based on actual keywords that people have entered into a search.
Initial keyword used:
- The seed keyword used for this analysis was: mantel clock.
- The analysis was performed on: March 6, 2018
- One requirement for our analysis was for Google to only supply keyword searches that included the word "mantel"
- The Google keyword analysis accepts a keyword from which it provides a breakdown of similar searches as entered by Google search users
- Our analysis showed above average searches for this seed keyword from October to February.
Let's start by looking at the actual top 30 Google keywords searched and their monthly search volumes:
| Keyword | Search Volume |
| mantel clock | 3600 |
| antique mantel clocks | 2979 |
| howard miller mantel clock | 1900 |
| modern mantel clocks | 1320 |
| seth thomas mantel clock | 1300 |
| mantel clocks for sale | 880 |
| mantelpiece clocks | 720 |
| silver mantel clock | 709 |
| vintage mantel clocks | 670 |
| contemporary mantel clocks | 587 |
| mantel clocks uk | 554 |
| chiming mantel clocks | 476 |
| wooden mantel clocks | 391 |
| gold mantel clock | 390 |
| chrome mantel clock | 390 |
| small mantel clocks | 321 |
| old mantel clocks | 320 |
| black mantel clock | 260 |
| retro mantel clock | 260 |
| napoleon mantel clock | 260 |
| antique mantel clocks for sale | 256 |
| white mantel clock | 210 |
| mantel clocks antique | 210 |
| mantel clocks that chime | 210 |
| pendulum mantel clock | 172 |
| mantel clocks with chimes | 171 |
| wind up mantel clock | 170 |
| skeleton mantel clock | 170 |
| large mantel clocks | 170 |
| Monthly searches for above keywords: | 20026 |
| Total monthly searches | 22418 |
Here are the top 10 web sites for the top keyword searched:
According to "Search Engine Watch", the likely traffic to the Google top ranking site is about 33% of the total monthly searches for a specific keyword. This means that Google users will typically select the first Google search result 33% of the time. This is therefore where a large number of potential customers will start during their initial product shopping.
Top 10 web sites:
| 1 | http://www.theclockdepot.com/mantel_clocks.html |
| 2 | https://www.wayfair.com/Mantel-and-Tabletop-Clocks-C417054.html |
| 3 | https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/category/home-decor/clocks/mantel-tabletop-clocks/12153/ |
| 4 | http://www.howardmiller.com/clocks-mantel |
| 5 | https://www.amazon.com/mantel-clocks/b?ie=UTF8&node=3259035011 |
| 6 | https://www.amazon.com/Cambria-Mantel-Clock-Westminster-Chime/dp/B005IDEJN8 |
| 7 | https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/mantel-clocks |
| 8 | http://bigbenclocks.com/products/Mantel-Clocks |
| 9 | https://clockshops.com/product-category/clocks/mantel-clocks/ |
| 10 | https://www.etsy.com/market/mantel_clock |
Sample page of the highest ranking web site for our seed keyword:
Since this is the highest ranking web site for our seed keyword, looking at the products they offer will give you a good idea about what is currently offered commercially.
* click the image to visit the page:
Micro-niche opportunities:
What you should keep in mind
- Realistically, it will not be easy to compete against the top ranking web sites if you plan to open your own internet store to sell this particular product. These top sites are recognized by the major search engines as being leaders in their field and a climb to the top of the ranks can be quite difficult and expensive.
- A visit to these top sites can provide you with a wealth of information regarding product price ranges, product features and customer ratings and feedback. Having access to this information is critical in understanding the market and determining if there is a niche that is right for you. Read our article on "Product Planning - Gathering Product Intelligence" for additional information on collecting competitor information.
- If, on the other hand, you want to sell your products in other venues such as at craft shows or craft websites (such as Etsy), you have an incredible opportunity to dominate these spaces if your product focuses on features that people are seeking in and outside of those particular venues. Here, not only can you tap into the product knowledge you've acquired online and in our article, but you can also carve out a micro-niche of products for people searching for unique features.
- Make sure that if you ever decide to build and sell a particular product with some of the features shown below, that your marketing and sales descriptions include the target words. This will ensure that prospective online buyers in those venues will find your products more easily.
Let's dig in!
Analyzing the individual words used in popular keyword searches:
Of the most popular Google keyword search phrases found for our seed keyword, we then performed a word analysis of these to determine the frequency and therefore the potential importance of the various words used in each keyword phrase. This is what we found:
- Rank: Popularity of a word or "search term" used with our seed keyword
- Word: Word used (Search term)
- Entries: Number of keyword phrases that included that word
- % Use: Percent of the top keyword phrases that included that word
| Rank | Word | Entries | % Use | Rank | Word | Entries | % Use | |
| 1 | mantel | 51 | 89.50% | 23 | howard | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 2 | clocks | 39 | 68.40% | 24 | chimes | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 3 | clock | 18 | 31.60% | 25 | miller | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 4 | sale | 6 | 10.50% | 26 | chrome | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 5 | mantelpiece | 5 | 8.80% | 27 | german | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 6 | antique | 5 | 8.80% | 28 | unique | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 7 | modern | 3 | 5.30% | 29 | silver | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 8 | fireplace | 2 | 3.50% | 30 | thomas | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 9 | vintage | 2 | 3.50% | 31 | wooden | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 10 | chiming | 2 | 3.50% | 32 | black | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 11 | glass | 2 | 3.50% | 33 | retro | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 12 | chime | 2 | 3.50% | 34 | small | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 13 | buy | 2 | 3.50% | 35 | brass | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 14 | contemporary | 1 | 1.80% | 36 | large | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 15 | traditional | 1 | 1.80% | 37 | white | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 16 | decorative | 1 | 1.80% | 38 | seth | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 17 | skeleton | 1 | 1.80% | 39 | wind | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 18 | pendulum | 1 | 1.80% | 40 | cool | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 19 | napoleon | 1 | 1.80% | 41 | gold | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 20 | designer | 1 | 1.80% | 42 | oak | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 21 | mantels | 1 | 1.80% | 43 | red | 1 | 1.80% | |
| 22 | musical | 1 | 1.80% | 44 | uk | 1 | 1.80% |
What's next?
Based on the total number of monthly searches for "mantel clocks", we see that there is a moderate level of monthly searches for that product. The micro-niche opportunities exist but will require some creativity.
Here are a couple of examples of how you can use this information to generate ideas for your next project:
- contemporary, designer, modern, cool - interest in non-traditional design. Many opportunities to build and design mantel clocks to match today's modern decor
- unique - with the increased interest in recycling, how about designing a mantel clock that integrates old mobile phones with custom chimes?
- unusual sizes - seems prospects have been searching for both small and large mantel clocks. Today, it's not difficult to find inexpensive over-sized wall clocks. This could be a great starting point for re-purposing those clock movements into large mantel clock designs.
Do not ignore features that might have a low number of entries from the table above. These could possibly be gold nuggets to make your products unique and desirable. We are also not suggesting that your product design includes all the features. Not everybody wants a Swiss army knife. It is best that you consider designing variations of the product and sit back to see what sells the best. Market testing can go a long way in identifying your particular and successful niche.
And finally, for further inspiration, examine a word analysis for our seed keyword in search phrases on Amazon (USA):
| Word | Entries | % Use | Word | Entries | % Use | |||
| 1 | mantel | 86 | 100.0% | 40 | vintage | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 2 | clock | 83 | 96.5% | 41 | antique | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 3 | pendulum | 6 | 7.0% | 42 | ticking | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 4 | chimes | 5 | 5.8% | 43 | numeral | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 5 | chime | 5 | 5.8% | 44 | lighted | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 6 | clocks | 3 | 3.5% | 45 | cherry | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 7 | mechanical | 2 | 2.3% | 46 | camera | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 8 | operated | 2 | 2.3% | 47 | burton | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 9 | chiming | 2 | 2.3% | 48 | silver | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | battery | 2 | 2.3% | 49 | repair | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | howard | 2 | 2.3% | 50 | bronze | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 12 | miller | 2 | 2.3% | 51 | nickel | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 13 | bulova | 2 | 2.3% | 52 | rustic | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 14 | large | 2 | 2.3% | 53 | modern | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 15 | white | 2 | 2.3% | 54 | silent | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 16 | seiko | 2 | 2.3% | 55 | wound | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 17 | parts | 2 | 2.3% | 56 | plans | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 18 | blue | 2 | 2.3% | 57 | prime | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 19 | safe | 2 | 2.3% | 58 | reese | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 20 | set | 2 | 2.3% | 59 | cream | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 21 | key | 2 | 2.3% | 60 | sieko | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 22 | contemporary | 1 | 1.2% | 61 | retro | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 23 | westminster | 1 | 1.2% | 62 | black | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 24 | replacement | 1 | 1.2% | 63 | metal | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 25 | distressed | 1 | 1.2% | 64 | hands | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 26 | candelabra | 1 | 1.2% | 65 | brass | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 27 | victorian | 1 | 1.2% | 66 | tall | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 28 | steampunk | 1 | 1.2% | 67 | face | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 29 | nautical | 1 | 1.2% | 68 | wind | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 30 | movement | 1 | 1.2% | 69 | grey | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 31 | workings | 1 | 1.2% | 70 | gold | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 32 | country | 1 | 1.2% | 71 | rods | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 33 | classic | 1 | 1.2% | 72 | kit | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 34 | numbers | 1 | 1.2% | 73 | oak | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 35 | century | 1 | 1.2% | 74 | gun | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 36 | mission | 1 | 1.2% | 75 | mid | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 37 | digital | 1 | 1.2% | 76 | bob | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 38 | crystal | 1 | 1.2% | 77 | oil | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 39 | musical | 1 | 1.2% |
Conclusion:
Overall monthly search volume for "Mantel clock" is modest. It seems to offer some opportunities for the wood crafter providing you further research the market micro-niche you have selected. So, take your time and review the word analysis tables from Google and Amazon to determine if you can include or focus on some of the ideas presented.
Enjoy these opportunities!
Additional information:
In our article "Product Planning - Gathering Product Intelligence", find out how you can gain more competitive information about this niche and how you can potentially differentiate your craft from what is on the market today. Our accompanying article "Pricing - The Human Psyche", find out how you can position your product in the market and price it accordingly.