For the first time, drones are among the top autofill responses on Google. That's judging from the number of times users have completed the phrase "I want to buy" with the word "drone."
Other responses, which form the top three, reveal the regular favorites such as "house," "car," and "stock." The word "gun," which once ranked fourth, has now been taken over by drone.
The analysis came from the ConvergEx Group, a New York-based brokerage which came up with a report on off-the-grid economic indicators. The compilation monitors tabs on Google Trends data on a quarterly basis.
While the result may sound amusing, it shouldn't really be that surprising to know, given the fact that drones have enjoyed a great amount of attention and publicity lately. For one, Google has announced that it is concocting a drone delivery scheme in the third quarter, which they dubbed Project Wing. NASA was also reportedly devising an air traffic control system designed exclusively for drones.
Nicholas Colas of ConvergEx uses autocomplete in order to understand better the public's buying and selling intentions. The latest round of tabulation has, in one way or another, brought some surprising results.
"Every quarter we take a break from all the standard economic indicators to look at a range of alternative data. The purpose here is to pose the question: Does the consensus view of the economy square with what real people do in their daily lives?" said Colas.
Colas added in his report how "real people" actually wanted to sell their kidney so they could buy a drone. The drone has become a highly recommended product lately, which caused buyers to deviate their attention from purchasing a gun.
"Drones are on people's minds," added Colas.
Another point of reference that would establish the buying public's preference on drones is increasing sales. French maker Parrot, one of the three biggest consumer drone-making companies in the world, said that this year's drone sales have increased by as much as three times over 2013. The record is led by the sale of its lower-tier Mini Drone, which sells at $100. The company expects that sales will triple again next year.
Colas explains that the trend could be attributed to the drones' expanding role for commercial use.
"A year ago people didn't even know drones were used by the military," said Colas. "To have a drone break into Google Trends and now be considered a consumer device is fascinating."
