Three times more searches for laptops, as small, powerful models sweep the board.

Visits to laptops in August confirm that small, powerful laptops are the back to school favourite, with 3 times more visits than netbooks, reveals Twenga, the new generation shopping search engine.

The two most-searched for models this August were the Dell Inspiron N5010, and the Acer Aspire 5732Z. Top screen sizes are 13” or 15”, as opposed to smaller 8”-12” netbook screen sizes. Back-to-school shoppers are after well-performing laptops of around 4GB RAM, with sizable hard-drives from 260GB to 500GB for storage. The most popular colours are purple, white, pink, orange and brown, as parents and students snap up hot deals for the new term.

Visitors to Twenga can compare over 14,000 laptops from 460 online shops.

* Statistics based on visits to www.twenga.co.uk for the month of August 2010

Online searches for fireplaces jump 170% in a month

When choosing a fireplace in preparation for winter, Brits want real flames, top quality materials, and are willing to pay more for reduced CO2 or renewable fuels, reveals Twenga, the new generation shopping search engine.

• - Real flames over electric – The top fuel choices are gas, ethanol and wood, with no demand for electric alternatives, showing that a realistic look is vital.
• - Top quality materials – The most searched for materials are granite, stone and marble, demonstrating a preference for stylish, classic, long-lasting materials.
• - Reduced emissions – The rise of ethanol fires confirms an effort to reduce CO2 emissions. Coal and oil fires are now totally out of fashion.

The season is in full swing, with visits to fireplaces up 170% in the past month. Twenga compares over 9,200 fireplace products from 349 online shops.

Visits from 23^rd July to 22^nd August 2010, compared with same period a month before

Nail Care up 159% and UV Manicure Lamps increased by 204%

Whatever the weather, with flip flops or wellingtons, British women are looking for flawless nails: nail care searches increased by 159% during the past 30 days on Twenga, the shopping search engine. Women are asking for salon results at home as visits for UV manicure lamps surged by 204%.

Here are this season nail trends:

• - The emphasis is put on keeping fingernails healthy and strong. The most searched for nail polishes have to protect from the sun, whiten, energise, or have matte or shiny effects.
• - With top 5 favorite colours being purple, coral, pink, brown and red, fashion is to dazzle thanks to vivid tones.
• - Brits are looking for hot deals online since the most popular brands on Twenga are luxury names such as Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Revlon and L’Oreal.

More than 24,800 nail polishes from 328 online shops are available on Twenga.

Visits from 15^th July to 14^th August 2010, compared with same period a month before

Average 2010 basket of kit rises to £195, but hot deals online for just £94

UK consumers are shopping for back to school kit already, as rising prices make comparing the best deals essential, reveals Twenga, the next generation search engine. Visits to www.twenga.co.uk for calculators are up 850%, academic diaries are up 455% and school bags are up 307%, with a month to go before term starts.

Twenga research* shows that the average basket of school supplies costs £195 this year, 30% more than in 2009. But the average bargain basket is over £100 cheaper, at £94. Consumers can make huge savings by comparing online for the best deal.

Visits from 2^nd July to 1^st August 2010, compared with same period a month before

*Twenga’s school supplies research

On 21^st June, Twenga released its annual school supplies price study. It showed that a standard basket of school supplies costs £195 in 2010, compared to £153 in 2009, a dramatic rise of 30% during a time of shrinking household budgets.

The study was based on a basket of 16 standard supplies such as pencils, pens, erasers, notebooks, etc. It analysed the price of 181,446 back to school products for pupils in the UK, France and Germany and it shows:

• - a regular price of £195 – this is an average price, technically the median price – which rose by 28% since 2009.
• - a bargain price of £94 – this is the price of the bottom 25% of products, technically the first quartile figure – which rose by 29% from the 2009 price.

The marked difference between the average price and the bargain price shows that UK consumers should search carefully for the best deal before next term.

British prices are far higher than on the continent: in Germany the regular price is £130 and in France it costs just £99.

Classic toys stable, while visits to baby gyms up 116%, and baby play mats up 297%

This year’s baby toy trend is for physical toys that improve co-ordination and wellbeing, over traditional toys and those boosting brain power, reveals Twenga, the new generation search engine. In just one month, visits to baby play mats rocketed 297%, baby walkers rose 129%, and baby gyms were up 116%. While the big classics such as baby mobiles and rattles remain popular, searches are growing much more slowly for these during the usual summer baby toy surge. Rattles were up only 98% and baby mobiles just 87%.

Visits from 27^th June to 26^th July 2010, compared with same period a month before

The perfect baby shower gift

For baby gyms, the most searched for material is wood, with Winnie the Pooh the favourite theme for 2010. The most popular brands for play mats and baby gyms are Fisher Price, Galt, Mamas and Papas, Tiny Love and Taf Toys.