Nintendo Wii and iPod top EU Christmas gadget

The Nintendo Wii and Apple’s iPod were the most popular gadgets searched for by EU consumers during the first three weeks of November, new research indicates.

According to figures produced by comScore, across the UK, Germany and France, the Nintendo Wii was the most popular device, attracting an average of 4.9 million weekly search inquiries during the early stages of the Christmas shopping season.

Not far behind, the iPod saw an average of 3.5 million searches conducted each week on its behalf.

Meanwhile, also proving a hit with online consumers were the Nintendo DS Lite, the Sony Playstation PSP and the Apple iPhone, which rounded up the top five.

The figures were based on a survey of the online search frequency of 20 models of gadgets, including games consoles, portable music players and mobile phones.

In the UK specifically, consumers were said to average 3.7 million searches each week for the Nintendo Wii.

Indeed, such is the popularity of the games console that Nintendo Wiis with games bundles are reportedly selling on internet auction site eBay for in excess of £1,000.

Commenting on the figures, Bob Ivins, comScore executive vice president of European markets, stated: “We know that music players, game consoles and mobile phones are very popular with consumers this year.

“The interesting aspect of this study is identifying which products are generating the most consumer searches [as this] can provide retailers and manufacturers with important insight into the underlying consumer demand for each specific product.”