Google Retail Blog

Welcome customers into your business on Google

2012-01-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

(Cross-posted on the Lat Long Blog and the Small Business Blog.)

When we initially announced the Business Photos pilot program, we wanted to give business owners an easy way to get customers in the door online using interactive, high-quality, 360-degree images of places on Google Maps and on Google Search results. With thousands of businesses under our belt — from salons to gift shops — we’ve been hearing the same question again and again from both business owners and photographers alike: How can I participate?

Well, with the overwhelming success of the first pilot, we’ve decided to unveil a complementary initiative that will help us reach more interested business owners, more quickly: Trusted Photographers.

View Larger Map

Click and drag to view the inside of Spice Market, New York City.

It’s simple. Visit our new website and search for a Google Trusted Photographer in your area. Either email or call a photographer in your area to schedule a time and agree on a price that you will pay the photographer for a photoshoot of your business. This self-serve model makes for easier scheduling and quicker turnaround, while also supporting the local photographers in your community. During the hour it should take for the shoot, you can collaborate with the photographer about how best to display and capture your business. When finished, the photographer will upload the images to Google, and shortly thereafter, you’ll see 360-degree panoramic views of your business on Google.com, Google Maps and on your Google Places listing.

See how Business Photos has helped Toy Joy of Austin, Texas.

Trusted Photographers are available in 14 U.S. cities, as well as in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and France. Don’t see a photographer in your area? Let us know, as that will help us determine where more Trusted Photographers are needed.

Posted by Gadi Royz, Product Manager, Google Maps

Love at first Search

2012-01-26T12:00:00.001-05:00

(cross-posted on the Inside AdWords Blog)

More and more people are falling in love with Valentine’s Day. According to a recent survey by ORC International, Valentine’s Day is now the number two gift giving holiday, right behind Christmas, with 88% of Americans saying they plan on giving a present to their loved ones. This should be great news for businesses, but marketers still have trouble making a love connection with consumers based on charts that look more like dated EKG readings than real-time insights into the heart of the consumer.

Since getting the affections of one person is hard enough, below are some timely insights from Google’s “database of intentions” to keep you ahead of the game as you create your Valentine’s Day campaigns.

Search is where the heart is
Already we’re seeing Google searches related to Valentine’s Day increase 35% compared to last year. Not only are more people searching, they’re searching earlier - last year people began looking for Valentine’s Day ideas on January 9th. This year the upward trend began two days earlier, on January 7th.

Across categories, jewelry is seeing a 42% increase in mobile and desktop queries compared to January of last year; gifts jumped 27%, and flowers saw an 18% spike.

Girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice
The results from this graph show women look for gift ideas earlier and more often than their male significant others. Maybe men are more last minute about buying gifts than women, but it doesn’t mean they’re cheap about it! In 2011 the average man spent $158 for Valentine’s Day, about $80 more than women.

Looking for a change of heart?
Valentine’s Day is less than three weeks away, which means that this is this is the great opportunity for marketers to influence people with their products since consumers are still searching for ideas. If you look at the word cloud below (spoiler alert!), a good chunk of people are searching for “diy valentines gifts” and “valentines day baskets,” which means there will be quite a few people unwrapping homemade gifts or pre-made gift baskets this year. The biggest cluster of phrases, “valentines day border,” “valentines day drinks,” and “valentines day meals,” signal that people are also planning on celebrating in style. Now would be a good time to promote recipes and decoration ideas in your campaigns.

For more useful trends and tips for your campaign, download and review the 2012 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions Deck on Think Insights. Hopefully it helps you steal away some hearts!

Posted by Christina Park, Product Marketing Manager, Think with Google

What We Learned from CES

2012-01-25T12:54:00.001-05:00

Well, it’s been just over a week since we wrapped up another exciting CES with some very innovative new product displays. From the world’s thinnest tablet (and a concept tablet...and a waterproof tablet!), to a range of smart tvs, to a surge in ultrabook designs, and of course who could leave out the sleek new smartphones, this year’s show had many talked about products.

But what will have consumers buzzing the remainder of the year, as many of these products gear up for their official releases? While it’s tough to predict that, we did want to take a quick look at what happened after CES last year, to glean insights into some trends we can look for this year.

Insight #1: CES week search volume could be a good indicator of launch week popularity

Insight #2: CES 2012’s Top 5 Products had 50% more Google Searches than CES 2011’s Top 5
ASUS Transformer Prime looks like a potential big winner based on Google search volume, and its volume was even greater than two of last year’s hottest products, the HTC Thunderbolt and Motorola Atrix.

Insight #3: Samsung made a much bigger splash this year with 3 of top 5 mobile searches, while in 2011, HTC had 2 of the top 5 products. Top products are determined based on query volume.

Insight #4: Among top launches, the Nokia Lumia was the most frequent 2012 product searched in a single session on Google.com and heavily searched on YouTube. The ASUS Eee Pad and Transformer Prime were cross-researched on Google.com most often with the Lumia. User activity on Youtube showed top term Nokia Lumia with 1.3 million video views for the Nokia LumiaTV ad.The ASUS Eee Pad had ~400K video views for review and there were about ~540K views for “Ipads2 vs ASUS”.Consumers are searching primarily for products and product reviews on Google.com & YouTube to learn more about new launches during CES.

Keep checking our Tech blog for other insights and trends over the course of the year. Here’s to a great 2012!

Posted by Nina Thatcher and Amy Liu, The Google Tech Team

Think fast in the first Think Quarterly of 2012

2012-01-11T14:05:00.001-05:00

(cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

In the amount of time it takes you to read this blog post, roughly 382 Android phones will be activated, 250,000+ words will be written on Blogger and 48 hours of video will be uploaded to YouTube. The world is moving faster than ever before, bringing us instant access and split-second connections to people and information.

Speed is important in technology, but equally essential in business. Consumer expectations are rising as we learn to take speed for granted; today’s email is tomorrow’s snail mail. In our hyper-real-time world, nanoseconds matter—which means we need to question old assumptions. How will we respond to consumer expectations as the demand for instant access to everything intensifies? How will we keep pace in a world that moves at web speed?

The new Speed issue of Think Quarterly explores these questions and more. Our SVP of Engineering Urs Hölzle shares our efforts to speed up the Internet, while Astro Teller, Director of New Products, dreams about the amazing inventions these improvements will unleash. Paul Gunning, CEO of Tribal DDB, talks about the rise of real-time marketing. And journalist Jeff Jarvis wonders if we’re really that fast after all.

We hope you enjoy the issue. Let us know what you think on +Think With Google. And if you’re at CES this week, drop by our Room to Think in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center and tell us your thoughts live. We’ll also host a Google+ Hangout there with Astro Teller, author of Speed of Dreams, on Thursday at 2pm PST.

Posted by Allison Mooney, Think Quarterly Editor

Where you’ll find Google and YouTube at CES 2012

2012-01-09T13:38:00.000-05:00

(Cross posted on the Official Google Blog and the YouTube Blog)

Every year in the tech world, thousands of us pack a bag with all of our gadgets and head to Las Vegas for the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It’s a tech lover’s paradise where you can check out new technologies and talk about the trends of the future with visionary members of the industry. If you’ll be joining us, here are a few places and dates where you can find Google and YouTube.

We’ll kick things off at 3:00pm PT on Tuesday, January 10 with chairman Eric Schmidt speaking at CNET Presents - The Next Big Thing in CE, in Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) North Hall N255-257. On the following day, January 11, we have a bunch of events across topics:

Google’s senior policy counsel Rick Whitt will participate in the Innovation Policy Summit Session: Spectrum for Wireless Broadband: Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together in LVCC North Hall N264 at 10:15am PT.
On the education front, Angela Lin, manager of YouTube EDU, will present on “High Tech U”—digital tools and services that are changing the traditional ivory tower—at 3:00pm PT in LVCC North Hall N256.
End the day at 5:00pm PT with CNET's Women In Tech panel, featuring Marissa Mayer, VP of product management, in LVCC South Hall, Upper Level Lobby - CNET Stage.

On Thursday, January 12 at 10:00am PT, YouTube will be keynoting the Entertainment Matters program in the Las Vegas Hilton Theatre. Robert Kyncl, VP of global content, will share his thoughts on the evolution of the entertainment industry, and he’ll later be joined by partners and friends for a panel discussion.

Don’t forget to check out Google TV around CES this year. Recently announced new partners LG, Marvell, MediaTek join Samsung, Sony and Vizio having new devices to play with at their booths. You can also find YouTube demos on TVs and devices around the LVCC show floor at LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba and other booths.

For first-timers, here’s a video overview of the show from the Official CES Channel:

Stay tuned for updates on our +YouTube page and on Twitter—pack your smartphones, tablets, laptops, netbooks, televisions, E-readers and of course, your battery chargers, and see you in Las Vegas!

Posted by Matt McLernon, Communications Manager, YouTube

Online Geo-Targeting Strategies for Retailers

2012-01-04T15:03:00.000-05:00

When it comes to online marketing, retailers often have significant opportunity to expand their presence. However, limited budgets and/or ROI goals restrict them from reaching many customers seeking the types of products and services they sell. Geo-targeting allows retailers to accomplish their goals without an overwhelming incremental investment. Here are four strategies:

1. Increase sales while maintaining ROI goals.
Identify campaigns with low impression share. Then pull an geo report (under the "Dimensions" tab in AdWords) for those campaigns to find local markets with high conversion rates. Develop separate campaigns targeting these markets and increase your CPC bids to ensure your ad is showing up in a top position.

2. Earn market share.
Identify local markets where competitors are attracting more customers, either in-store or online. Beyond your internal competitive intelligence here are other ways to identify these markets:

Use syndicated data like Hitwise or Compete to pull a report that compares each DMA's percent traffic contribution to your site and your competitor's site. Set up campaigns targeting those DMAs that contribute a larger percentage of total traffic to your competitor's site.

Use the "Regional Interest" map on Insights for Search to see which states or metros index high against search volume on your competitor's brand terms, yet index on search volume for your brand term. See the charts below as an example. You can see on the heat map that search volume for "Staples" is higher in New England and the Mid Atlantic while search volume for "Office Depot" is higher in the south and west coast. Office Depot could implement geo-targeted campaigns to a few New England markets while Staples might want to consider geo-targeting markets like Miami, Dallas, Austin, New Orleans and Las Vegas.

Regional Interest in the term "Staples" for the last 30 days (report pulled on 1/3/11)

Regional Interest in the term "Office Depot" for the last 30 days (report pulled on 1/3/11)

Once you have identified your markets, develop separate campaigns geo-targeting these markets and increase bids to push your ad into a top position. Ensure your ad is showing up against relevant non-brand terms and implement geo-targeted display campaigns to heighten awareness of your brand among local consumers. Success metrics for this strategy should be a change in share of sales or new customers, click & impression share and an increase in local searches on brand terms.

3. Increase in-store traffic.
Identify markets where you have a large store footprint and put a higher value on online influenced in-store conversions in those markets. For example, let's say a retailer has 2 stores in Nashville and 10 stores in Boston. When calculating ROI, on your online campaigns your Boston in-store multiplier should be higher than your Nashville multiplier. This should allow you to implement heavy-up campaigns targeted to Boston while maintaining ROI goals.

4. Promote new stores.
If you are expanding your store footprint into new markets, heavy up on geo-targeted search & display campaigns to promote your store opening. Remember to include all promotions, events and offers associated with the store opening in your copy.

Posted by Eva Barbier, The Google Retail Team

Google/Compete Study: Digital’s Influence Over the Wireline Service Shopper

2011-12-22T00:58:00.000-05:00

Between my husband and I, we have 14 devices that connect to some type of wireline service. And with a new batch of cool gadgets clamoring for our attention during the holiday season, that number is sure to grow. Not just for us, but for the millions of other consumers lining up to buy TVs, tablets, laptops and so on.

On Black Friday this year, nearly 40% of shoppers purchased electronics and TV purchasers increased by 30%. With all those new, shiny and sleek electronics flooding the market, many consumers are looking to upgrade their current wireline services.

So what good is the piece of hardware without the service provider to deliver the content? And, more importantly to the bottom line of cable TV, high-speed internet and home phone service providers, how are consumers finding the information to make those purchase decisions?

In Google’s new custom research study with Compete, we looked at the surprising and powerful role digital and mobile play in influencing wireline service shopper behavior.

Online presence and Search are the keys to the consumer’s wireline decision process.
The two most-used resources are: provider websites and search engines, in that order. And in terms of most-useful resources, search engines are leading the way, ranking higher than customer service reps and provider websites.

Recommendation: Almost half (49%) of online conversions were directly referred by paid ads, and 50% of all search queries happen on the day of conversion for online purchasers, so maintaining a constant digital presence is vital to reach these in-market consumers.

Customers are looking for the best price, and are willing to wait for it.
We found 20% YoY growth in “deal” queries for wired services. 40% of online purchasers cross-shopped and visited two or more provider websites prior to conversion. And 66% take longer than a week to research the best deal and make a purchase.

Recommendation: Include comparison and “deal” keywords in your mix and keep creative centered around your value proposition. And utilize remarketing to capture consumers who don’t immediately convert on your site.

Mobile researchers are on the rise.
One in 5 wireline service shoppers used a smartphone or a tablet to help them shop, and search is the most popular mobile resource. Not only is the mobile audience growing, but they are potentially a more valuable audience for wireline service providers as they are less price-sensitive and more interested in specific service features than non-mobile shoppers.

Recommendation: Mobile researchers are 20% more likely to purchase via a phone call, so advertisers should use click-to-call ads to make it easy for shoppers to connect with them. And ad creative should focus on features rather than price for this more-sophisticated audience.

Don’t sleep on “generic” queries.
An average of 18% of search queries made at every stage in the purchase cycle were non-brand queries. Even on the day of conversion, almost 1 in 5 search queries is not attached to a brand or service provider.

Recommendation: Advertisers should maintain a consistent presence on non-branded and generic terms to capture all in-market shoppers.

For more information, you can download the full study here.

Posted by Kristin Sutter, The Google Technology Team

Don't Turn The Lights Off On Your Customers

2011-12-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

Keeping the lights on is a simple phrase, with simple meaning- make sure you leave the lights on so your customers can find you, or find your products- online. When- the week between Christmas and New Years- a week that could easily get left behind, but who would pass on a customer that has intent to research or buy during a week with plenty of time for web surfing, video viewing, social networking and walking into stores armed with their new mobile device or tablet?

Just think of the poor folks that have to work on Monday, December 26th- they will be online, researching and shopping. And if they're not working that day- they're heading out to redeem those gift cards online or in-store (or returning that hideous sweater from Aunt Suzie). Last year, Sunday, December 26th was the fifth largest eCommerce shopping day and ShopperTrak estimates it could be the 3rd largest day this year, since it falls on a Monday. If you're a numbers person, here are some of the stats behind what we see as great motivation to keep your Desktop Search, Display or Video advertising running next week (and of course your mSearch, mDisplay and mVideo campaigns)

55% of consumers shopped post holiday in 2010. 5% of them will do the MAJORITY of their shopping after Christmas (read: self-gifting)

Monday, December 26th Retail traffic will surge by 60% since it's a public Holiday. (read: I have the day off and I'm going shopping)

$27.8B in total expected gift card spending this season- they'll be redeeming them the week after Christmas (and 72% of consumers spent more than the card's value in 2010)

Last year 13 days between December 26th and January 15th saw higher eCommerce sales than Black Friday (yes, you read that right)

Don't underestimate January- last year saw total retail sales growth from January on par with December's y/y growth rate

A final suggestion around the 'Leave the lights on' strategy -- shift end-of-year markdown dollars across categories to upfront paid search to avoid deeper discounts in the New Year. Geo-target your campaigns to help the stores or distribution centers with excess inventory pick it up at the end of the year. The number of paid search advertisers tends to decrease during this timeframe making the inventory sell-through that much more economical.

So enjoy your Holiday over the next few days, but don't forget to 'leave the lights on' for your customers the week between Christmas and New Years. If you don't, someone else might...!

Posted by Jay Bowden, The Google Retail Team

Gain additional sales by taking a new approach to Remarketing

2011-12-19T10:38:00.000-05:00

Shopping cart abandonment is one of the most pervasive concerns among online retailers, and with good reason. Studies show that 75% of your site visitors will likely leave without making a purchase, and 85% of the top 1,000 online retailers are doing nothing to combat this growing issue (Listrak 2011).

If you are investing in channels to drive traffic to your site this holiday season, take advantage of the opportunity to add value to your campaigns and maximize ROI by using your existing AdWords Conversion Tracking pixel to remarket to past converters.

Remarketing using Conversion Tracking (RMCT) adds an innovative and personal layer to your remarketing investments by targeting loyal customers who have already purchased from you. This creative approach to Remarketing has twice the win rate of conventional Remarketing (Google internal research), and is a great way to multiply conversions among loyal customers during the crucial post-holiday period.

By tracking conversions and collecting cookies associated with visitors who have completed a purchase, RMCT targets customers have done their research and chose you. Use RMCT to remind them why they did by separating converters from non-converters. With these two separate lists, you’re able to assign different values to them, and target them with specific copy and image ads. Reach the past converters with “loyalist” coupons, accessory and gift ideas to complement their most recent purchase, or even bulk and last minute discounts.

There are two ways to enable RMCT:

1. Easiest and most simple approach: Create a “Converters” Remarketing List based off the AWCT code (no additional pixel needed). This is a quick and easy solution for upselling or cross-selling to existing customers without having to implement additional pixels, but it is more limited in scope.

Select the conversion code in the section Control Panel > New Audience > Existing Tag > Select your conversion tag

The system will activate your conversion code into a Remarketing mode and will collect AdWords conversions and cookie IDs of people who hit your conversion page (regardless the traffic source they came from: AW, Search, Direct traffic, Referrals, etc.)

2. “You’re Halfway There” approach (a little more advanced): Deploy a basic but high ROI Remarketing ‘Shopping Cart Abandonment’ strategy (one additional pixel needed, placed on the cart page) and collect converters in one click. With this method, the existing conversion tracking tag can double-duty as a Remarketing tag and be used to exclude converters without any additional pixeling (see above). You can also choose to expand to tag Homepage & Product pages if your pixel implementation bandwidth permits. If AdWords Conversion Tracking is enabled in your account, use the same code to create a list of users that are reaching your conversion page.

Select your Conversion Code in the List Creation Panel > “Select from existing tags”

By adding the pixel to your thank you for ordering site, a list of all converters will appear in your Audience Tab--use this list to directly target only those people

Start taking advantage of RMCT now and challenge competitors to win more loyal customers and conversions with this innovative approach to Online marketing this holiday season

Nearly 57% of shoppers plan to do most of their holiday shopping after Cyber Monday this year (Google/OTX Holiday 2011 Study), so make sure you stay top of mind, challenge competitors, and increase conversions for the rest of the holiday season by taking a novel strategic approach to online marketing by implementing Remarketing with Conversion Tracking (RMCT).

Please visit this site for more information on Remarketing, and this site for FAQ.

Posted by Benna Wise & Andrea Cohan, The Google Technology Team

Be in the Pockets of this Year's Last-Minute Shoppers

2011-12-14T12:29:00.000-05:00

With the free shipping cutoff looming, shoppers are turning to the streets to find last-minute gifts in stores. You can make your brand stand out after the shipping cutoff by taking advantage of the consumer’s companion this holiday season -- smartphones.

Mobile queries have spiked the week before Christmas (see chart below) for the past two years. In the retail category, “Black Friday” related mobile queries were over 200% higher in 2011 than last year, and Google Mobile Ads project that 44% of this season’s searches for last-minute gifts and store-locators will be done on mobile phones.1 So ensure your mobile site experience is on par with your desktop site as 40% of users will turn to a competitor if not.2

Prepare for this influx of foot-and-mobile-traffic by doing the following:

Make it easy to find your store. 95% of mobile users will be looking for location-specific information, and 61% will go into stores after finding a store’s address.3 Promote findable and easily clickable links on your site to drive users to your store. If you’re an AdWords advertiser, take advantage of Location Extensions. When a user searches on Google or within Google Maps, your location will be displayed if your ad is the most relevant answer. Find more information at the Adwords Help Center.

Display your phone number. 59% of smartphone users call a store after searching.3 Smartphone users are ready to act, and if you don’t have a mobile-optimized site, or you know your users are more likely to convert over the phone, show your phone number in an easy-to-click format with Click-to-Call ads.

Promote other mobile-specific actions. In addition to viewing maps, calling stores, and purchasing, smartphones also encourage actions such as signing up for reminders, downloading applications, and looking for deals and offers. During this year’s Black Friday weekend, Google trends showed that searches for [mobile coupons] were up 90% in volume over last year. If you’re using ads to increase awareness, consider implementing Ad Sitelinks to help customers navigate to pages that promote important actions on your site.

Let shoppers share your deals. Beyond the 70% of mobile users who compare prices before purchasing, 90% of mobile users are social mavens, too.4 Don’t ignore this behavior as your customers can be trusted brand advocates. For example, they are 50% more likely to create content that will influence their peers’ shopping decisions.5 Try sharing your deals through various social platforms, such as incorporating Google’s +1 button on your site. Read about integrating a +1 button here.

Connect your devices. Finally, focus on the shopper, not just the device. Your customers use multiple devices to inform purchases -- desktop, tablets, and smartphones. Provide a cohesive shopping experience across all devices so your customers can find you easily at any time.

Happy Holidays, and Happy Shopping!

Posted by Julie Jin, The Google Mobile Ads Team

1. Google Internal Data, “Last Minute Shopping Analysis,” 2011
2. Compuware, "What Users Want from Mobile," 2011
3. Google "The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users," 2011
4. Lightspeed Research, 2010; Google "The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users," 2011
5. ROI Research, 2011, “S-Net: The Impact of Social Media”

Google/Compete Study: How Digital Influences the Toy Shopping Process

2011-12-12T12:24:00.001-05:00

‘Tis the season for toy shopping. Fijit Friends, Leap Pads, Monster High Dolls, and of course, Lego, Barbie, and American Girl Dolls are top of the list this year.

We’ve already seen toy queries increase 38% in 2011 versus 2010. And we all know that November and December are key times for toy shoppers (see query trends here). As the online channel becomes increasingly influential, many toy retailers and manufacturers are asking how to best reach these shoppers.

We’re excited to announce that Google and Compete recently completed a custom study on the Toy industry, investigating how digital and mobile influences toy purchase decisions. Here are 4 key insights and recommendations on how marketers can reach toy shoppers this season!

Digital is core to the toy buying process: Digital resources are used more throughout the toy purchase cycle than traditional sources. 43% of shoppers use video sharing sites, 39% visit manufacturer websites, and 39% rely on paid search for information on the latest and greatest toys. And, shoppers turn to digital after seeing a tv commercial or store circular; most shoppers research online within one week of offline ad exposure.

Recommendation: Make digital a core element of your marketing mix, and align your online campaigns with your offline media plan.

Category terms are crucial for reaching toy shoppers in Q4: Many toy shoppers are undecided. In fact, almost 30% of shoppers search only on non-branded, category terms. These terms play a huge role in assisting conversions. When considering online conversions. 30% were assisted by category terms.

Recommendation: Guarantee coverage on these terms to reach those undecided shoppers this holiday season. Ensure that category terms are included in your keyword mix

Toy shoppers research and cross shop: Toy shoppers begin researching two weeks prior to purchase and those that convert search more (on average, 8.2 queries). Toy consumers also tend to shop around: 40% visit more than four sites.

Recommendation: Re-market to customers who don’t immediately convert on your site.

Retailers dominate in the research and purchase process: Consumers turn to retailers the most when shopping! 50% of consumers start with a retailer term when shopping for toys, and of those, 84% end with a retailer term.

Recommendation: Toy Manufacturers should partner with retailer to ensure they are the brand that wins, especially during the pivotal holiday season.

Be on the lookout for our complete toy study and presentation to be delivered shortly. In the meantime, Happy Toy Shopping!

Posted by Amy Lovin, The Google Retail Team

Deck the Halls!

2011-12-07T10:26:00.000-05:00

Head past the busy parking lot of the Christmas Place store in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in July and you’ll be reminded that there are people who are busy thinking about holiday decorating throughout all seasons of the year. However, Google searches indicate that for most, the official kick-off for holiday decorating is the weekend after Thanksgiving. No time is wasted before we swap our pumpkins for candy canes and clear our cornucopia arrangements to make room for garland centerpieces.

And while many of us will brave the annual trip up to the attic to retrieve boxes of our time-honored holiday decorations, there always seems to be room on the mantel for an additional snowman trinket and space on the tree for a new ornament. What are consumers looking for when it comes to updating holiday décor this year? Google searches reveal several trends for decking the halls in the 2011 holiday season:

Perhaps following in the footsteps of Charlie Brown's tree choice, consumers are increasingly heading online this year to find real Christmas trees

Grab the glitter, the glue guns, the ribbon, and construction paper - homemade ornaments are a breakout search this holiday as consumers look to add a personal touch to holiday decor
And speaking of personal touch, personalized stocking searches are among top rising terms related to stockings this year

Clark Griswold should take note: With energy-saving efficiency and durability, LED lights are rising to the top of holiday light-related searches. (And speaking of lights, we can’t help but wonder if there will be a rival to the Halloween Party Rock Anthem light show this holiday season)

Since unseasonably warm weather this year makes it seem unlikely that most the US will see the real thing anytime soon, search volume is larger than ever for fake snow

And finally, there are many searchers (myself included) who are starting with the most basic search for holiday decorating ideas and hoping to find inspiration for completing this year’s holiday decorating theme

With the vast range of searches related to holiday decorating, retailers have ample opportunity to attract consumers to their sites and offer products and ideas for holiday trimmings that will help make this season extra special.

What holiday decorating trends are delighting you this season?

Posted by Kristin Patterson, The Google Retail Team

Google/Compete Study: How Digital Influences the Footwear Shopping Process

2011-12-05T13:29:00.001-05:00

Approximately 19% of footwear purchases occurred online in October and online footwear purchases are up 14% year over year, the 23rd month of consecutive double digit growth! (Mastercard) The online channel is increasingly influencing footwear shopper decisions leaving many footwear brands and retailers asking, "How do I best reach these shoppers online?".

We’re excited to announce that Google and Compete recently completed a custom study on the footwear industry, investigating how digital and mobile influences footwear purchase decisions. Here are 6 key insights and recommendations on how marketers can better reach these shoppers:

Digital is core to the footwear purchase process: 37% of people who have researched footwear online solely rely on online resources when shopping for footwear. This means that they did not use other sources like TV, Magazines or even advice from family & friends while researching/shopping for shoes.

Recommendation: Ensure digital is core to your media mix and that your digital campaigns align with your offline campaigns or you'll miss reaching a large portion of footwear shoppers.

Footwear buyers cross-shop online before purchasing: Prior to purchasing online, footwear buyers visit an average of 2-4 competitive sites and 45% wait to purchase 2 weeks or more after starting their research.

Recommendation: Re-market to customers who don’t immediately convert on your site and adjust your attribution windows to capture those that are starting their research 2 weeks prior to conversion.

Shoe shoppers use search throughout the shopping process: 43% of shoe shoppers use search throughout the purchase process and 39% of online footwear sales from searchers came from clicks on search ads.

Recommendation: Implement paid search coverage throughout buying process, optimizing ad text to drive immediate sales.

Footwear shoppers search in thousands of different ways: Footwear shoppers conducted 25K+ unique query paths using category, manufacturer and retailer queries. However, we found that 18% of all query paths only contained category terms (ie shoes, boots), meaning these shoppers never searched on manufacturer or retailer terms. If footwear retailers and brands aren’t appearing in search results on category queries, they are missing nearly 1 in 5 footwear shoppers! Footwear Category terms also drive online purchases. In the study, they represented almost 20% of online purchase assists and 15% of last click purchases.

Recommendation: Invest in footwear category terms to acquire undecided customers. Manufacturers and retailers should partner and dedicate co-op funds to assist in achieving a high position in paid search results. These ads should push manufacturer brand sales at retail via ad text messaging and landing page. It's a great strategy because both manufacturer and brand will increase awareness among undecided customers while splitting the cost of the CPC!

Searchers are more likely to purchase offline than non-searchers: 43% of searchers said they ended up making a purchase in-store while only 36% of non-searchers purchased in store.

Recommendation: Measure search influenced in-store sales and incorporate into your ROI metrics

Mobile allows pureplays & manufacturer online stores to compete in-store: 24% of respondents who used their mobile device to shop for footwear, used it in the store. While shopping in-store on mobile devices, price comparison and coupon searching were the two primary uses for mobile devices.

Recommendation: Ensure your site is optimized for mobile phones and use mobile ads to influence customers across channels.

For more information on our footwear shopper study, download the full presentations here:

Posted by Eva Barbier, The Google Retail Team

Trends from the biggest shopping days of the year

2011-12-02T12:31:00.001-05:00

(Cross-posted on the Google Commerce Blog)

With the biggest shopping weekend of the year behind us here in the U.S., we decided to take a step back, crunch the numbers and look at how people shopped during the extravaganza that spans Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Using Insights for Search and data from Google’s annual consumer intentions shopping study, conducted with our research partner OTX, we identified two stand-out trends this year. One, shoppers are searching more for deals online than ever before and they’re heavily relying on their mobile device as an on-the-go, personal shopping assistant. Here’s what we learned from the data:

It’s all about saving money and time
The search trends clearly showed consumers are more aware of and interested in special deals available over the holiday shopping weekend. Searches for [black friday deals] were up by 30% from last year, and searches for [cyber monday sales] and [cyber monday coupons] grew 15% year over year. Further, on Black Friday, half of the top 20 rising searches on Google involved retailers or deals.

Closing out the long weekend, [cyber monday deals 2011] made the top five growing search term on Cyber Monday. In addition, searches for [black midnight] jumped by over 30% over last year, indicating shoppers were planning to hit the stores when retailers opened their doors at 12am on Black Friday.

Most interesting to us was the growth in queries indicating that shoppers were using the web to plan out their trips to the store. Searches for [black friday store map] were conducted more than twice as often this year as in 2010, and searches for [black friday store hours] were up over 40% for the same time period.

Mobile matters
More and more shoppers are reaching for their phones to compare prices, look for store locations and inventory and find deals. In fact, searches for [mobile coupons] were up 90% over last year’s volume and mobile search volume for retail-related searches on Black Friday this year was up 200% over Black Friday last year.

According to our study, 55% of participants said they will use their smartphone’s location features on some or most shopping trips, while 47% will use a smartphone to compare prices and 42% will use their phone to search for the nearest store.

They might not fit in your pocket, but tablets are a rising device for getting some serious shopping done: 47% of study participants said they use their tablets to search for coupons or rebates and 44% use them to make purchases.

What’s hot this holiday season
It’s always fun to take a look at the most popular product searches just after Thanksgiving and try to predict what this year’s Tickle Me Elmo will be.

While netbooks emerged as a popular product last holiday season, this year’s data shows tablets overtaking netbooks in search popularity.

Also, the most popular product searched for on Google Product Search over the long weekend was the Leapfrog LeapPad Explorer. Other top products in their categories include:

Kitchen Appliance: Keurig Special Edition B60 coffee maker
Board game: Angry Birds Knock on Wood game
Video game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Doll: Lalaloopsy Silly Hair doll - Jewel Sparkles
Digital camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i digital SLR Camera

Finally, our survey found that 43% of consumers embraced the craziness of the Black Friday weekend and as of Cyber Monday, had finished the majority of their holiday shopping. But don’t panic if you’re part of the 57% majority. If last year’s trends hold true for 2011, we’ll see a big spike in shopping traffic in mid-December, when procrastinators like myself rush to get their shopping done.

Posted by Sameer Samat, VP of Product Management, Google

Consumers on tablet devices: having fun, shopping and engaging with ads

2011-11-30T14:38:00.000-05:00

(cross-posted on the Google Mobile Ads Blog)

Tablets have quickly emerged as a distinct third digital screen in consumers lives that fill the gap between desktops and smartphones. But there are still many open questions about exactly how consumers are using them. We explored tablet search trends earlier this year, but wanted to dig deeper and answer key questions such as: What are the contrasts between tablet use, laptop use, and smartphone use and how are consumers engaging across these devices? What are the most common activities (playing games, searching, reading, etc.) that tablets are used for? What ads are most relevant and useful based on how people are using the devices?

Tablets are for fun, entertainment, relaxation, while laptops are for work
One of our studies, a diary study that had people record every occasion that they used their tablet over a two-week period, found that most consumers use their tablets for fun, entertainment and relaxation while they use their desktop computer or laptop for work. Tablet devices are personal - 91% of the time that people spend on their tablet devices is for personal rather than work related activities. When a consumer gets a tablet, we’ve found that they quickly migrate many of their entertainment activities from laptops and smartphones to this new device.

Tablet owners are building the device into their daily routine. Our research found that the most frequent tablet activities are checking email, playing games and social networking. We also found that people are doing more activities in shorter bursts on weekdays (e.g. social networking, email) while engaging in longer usage sessions on weekends (e.g. watching videos/TV/movies).

Tablets are multi-tasking devices with at least 42% of activities occurring while doing another task or engaging with another entertainment medium. Of all the activities that people do on tablets, checking email, playing games, social networking and searching are the ones most frequently done in front of the TV. Many consumers also used their tablets to check email while eating, and listen to music while cooking.

The activities shown in the above chart were self-reported by respondents.

Tablets primarily stay home, few travel
But unlike smartphones that go everywhere and laptops that travel between work and home, few consumers take their tablets with them when they leave the house. However, consumers do take their tablets on vacation or work trips where they use them as a laptop replacement and a small number take them on their commute. Interestingly, our recent research found that tablets are for the most part a one-person device, although there are consumers who share their tablet with other family or household members.

Tablets are, however, mobile within the home, with the highest usage taking place on the couch, from the bed and in the kitchen.

The activities and locations shown in the above chart were self-reported by respondents.

Consumers are shopping on tablets
Many consumers do a lot of window shopping on their tablet and our data shows that they are making more and more purchases on their tablet devices. Indeed, tablets figure to be a significant new way for people to be shopping this holiday season. While shopping they are engaging with familiar brands through social media sites, deals discounts, and navigating directly to trusted shopping sites.

We also found that people are using their tablets for activities that they are also doing in the real world, such as searching for something in their local area, shopping (browsing and purchasing), and managing finances.

For many people, websites and apps designed for smartphones just don’t cut it on tablets. Instead consumers are taking advantage of the bigger screen and prefer using fully featured apps and the full desktop sites on their tablet.

We found that some of those activities also extend to additional devices (e.g. smartphone, laptop, etc.). These activities included shopping (both browsing and purchasing), searching for information, managing finances, checking the calendar and checking email.

Consumers don’t view ads differently on tablets, but they do expect more interactivity
Consumers are engaging with useful, relevant and rich ads that take advantage of the touchscreen interface on tablets. Some consumers expect more interactivity from ads on tablets than they do from ads on their desktop computer.

We believe that tablet ownership will continue to rapidly grow in 2012 and that tablet usage may change over time, particularly as smaller devices come on the market. We plan on continuing to conduct research to understand consumers’ uses of their tablet devices and are excited to share these research insights with you.

Posted by: Jenny Gove and John Webb, User Experience Research, Mobile Ads

Five tips for stress-free holiday shopping

2011-11-28T22:55:00.000-05:00

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog and The Google Commerce Blog)

Today, on Cyber Monday—the biggest online shopping day of the year—digi-savvy shoppers will take to the web to get ahead on their holiday shopping. You’ve managed to avoid the Black Friday crowds, but are your online shopping skills up to snuff? Just in the nick of time, here are five tips on how to use Google tools to save time and money this holiday shopping season.

Tip #1. Avoid the lines and parking nightmares—shop from your couch with Google Catalogs
Today we’re announcing a version of Google Catalogs for Android tablets, available for free in Android Market. Now shoppers can browse Google Catalogs on both iOS and Android tablets. With over 125 of your favorite brands and 400 issues across a myriad of categories, Google Catalogs puts all your favorite print catalogs right at your fingertips. You’ll find pages of gift and decorating ideas and get a head start on your holiday shopping list.

Browse Pottery Barn’s Christmas 2011 catalog on Google Catalogs - now available for Android tablets.

Tip #2. Let Google Product Search do your research for you
With so many brands, models and features to choose from, sometimes finding the perfect gift—especially when it comes to electronics and gadgets—can be overwhelming. Google Product Search gives you detailed product information, reviews and price comparisons for all the gifts on your list.

We recently launched a new comparison feature for electronics that lets you quickly see how a particular product stacks up against other similar models and brands. For example, on the Nikon D3100 product page, you can now see—at a glance—feature comparisons between the D3100 and other Nikon models as well as cameras from other brands. Read more about other recent Product Search updates on the Google Commerce blog.

A quick comparison shows the differences in resolution and other camera features.

Tip #3. Bring Google Shopper along as your mobile shopping assistant
Have you ever found yourself standing in a store, trying to decide between, say, two blenders, and wishing you could consult an expert? Google Shopper can help. Wherever you are, this free mobile app for Android and iPhone lets you scan a barcode or search by voice or text to get detailed product information, read reviews and compare prices online and at local stores. You can also use Google Shopper to see if a product is in stock nearby.

Research, share and find products near you with Google Shopper.

Tip #4. Take advantage of holiday savings with Google Offers
Before you hit main street for a shopping extravaganza, check out Google Offers for great deals and save 50% or more on local places to eat, shop and play. Google Offers has teamed up with a number of great retailers this holiday season, making it easy to save while you shop. You can also find and buy great deals from Google Offers with the free Android app.

Tip #5. Simplify your online and offline shopping experience with Google Wallet
Save time and money by shopping with Google Wallet — a smart, virtual wallet that stores your payment cards, offers and more on your phone and online. When you shop with merchants that accept Google Wallet online just use your Google Wallet username and password to complete your purchase—there’s no need to pull out your credit card or enter your shipping address with every transaction. If you’re at the register at stores like American Eagle, Macy’s, Gap, Inc or any of our other merchant partners, take a minute to try the Google Wallet app, available on Nexus S 4G for Sprint, to tap, pay and save.

I hope these tips and Google tools help to make your shopping experience a little easier (and fun!) this Cyber Monday, and throughout the holiday season.

Posted by Stephanie Tilenius, Vice President of Commerce

Last Minute Tips from Google: Preparing for the “Big 5-Day Black Friday/Cyber Monday Super-Shopping Weekend”

2011-11-22T18:42:00.000-05:00

It’s here! It’s bigger than ever! It’s starting earlier! And as Pete Townshend once said “It’s going mobile”!

What was once a single day event has grown into a 5-day kickoff weekend, running Thanksgiving Thursday through Cyber Monday. The Holiday Shopping Season has arrived. Here are some last-minute tips from Google on what to expect and how to maximize sales this week:

Your Customer Is Armed With More Tech Tools Than Ever: There’s no shortage of resources for today’s consumer: PC searches at home, tablet shopping at night, smartphones queries on-the-go, QR code scans, online new product video views, social recommendations, Twitter feeds, product reviews from bloggers. And that’s only the beginning! This year customers have access to information whenever, wherever, and however they want it. They’re going to visit your stores and websites loaded with information and looking for a reason to close the deal. Be flexible, honest and responsive to their needs, as they’re armed and ready to buy.

Cover All Three Screens This Holiday: Consumers are now shopping across three interactive screens--PC, tablet, smartphone--and they're connected 24/7. Mobile queries now represent over 20% of all shopping searches on Google. While your customers still use PCs as the cornerstone of their online shopping journey, tablets (“couch companions”) and Smartphones (“constant companions”) play an increasingly important role at home and in stores. Create a seamless experience for customers as they cross over these varying platforms on their way to finding you.

Embrace Your Customer’s In-Store Mobile Shopping Companion: What was once viewed by many as an ‘annoyance’ must now be embraced. Your customers love their cellphones, and they’re going to use them in your store to compare products, look for promotions, read online reviews, check for more product selections, and yes (gasp) compare prices with your competitors. No getting around it. No avoiding it. So if you’re competing on price, prepare to be asked to match online prices. 4 in 10 smartphone users say they have walked away from an in-store purchase based on information accessed from their phone.

Mobile = Local: Over a third of all mobile queries have local intent: “find a store,” “gifts near me,” “restaurants in my zip code,” etc. Mobile consumers are on-the-go and ready to buy--in your store. Make sure you’re serving ads to drive them TO you, whether it’s an in-store promotion or driving directions. Remember “mobile” is more than mCommerce (although that should be huge this weekend too), especially on Smartphones. Maximize your campaigns to drive sales across both your mCommerce site and into your store.

Rising terms like “Black Midnight” means Thanksgiving Thursday is now Day One of the 5-Day Weekend Shopping Experience: Expect a lot of online shopping and research to start on Thanksgiving Thursday, as consumers look to take advantage of early online-only specials and research what in-store sales for the next day. Search queries for terms like ‘Thanksgiving Online Deals,’ ‘Thanksgiving Black Friday’ and ‘Black Midnight’ have more than doubled in the past seven days. You may want your search and display campaigns to start on Thursday to take advantage of these early, eager shoppers.

Make Sure Your Brand is Top-of-Mind: 70% of holiday shoppers say they are not tied to a particular retailer; 61% are not tied to a particular brand. Have a presence in video shopping sites, gift buying sites, sports sites, holiday sections in lifestyle sites, famliy-oriented sites--wherever your customer spends time online this weekend. Get your brand in front of them.

Consumers Are Looking for “Deals and Steals” More Than Last Year: To find the best deals, folks are taking advantage of all online has to offer. Here’s a sample of some search insights we’re seeing this year:

Search interest in ‘black friday’ is up 35% year over year, and search interest has increased 12-times from Halloween.

Coupons are hot: search interest in ‘black friday coupons’ is up 46% year over year, and search interest in ‘buy one get one free’ is up 30% year over year. Search interest for both ‘printable coupons’ and ‘black friday coupons’ has jumped over 900% from Halloween.

Don’t forget about mobile: ‘black friday' mobile searches are 175% higher now than they were a year ago. Based on historical growth rates, Google projects that 15% of total ‘black Friday’ searches will be from mobile devices this year.

Technology is accelerating and changing the holiday shopping experience. Your customers are able to access information about you and your products--and purchase them--anyway, anyhow, and anywhere they choose. Let us know how we can help you be ready for them.

Here’s wishing you and your family a healthy, happy, and bountiful Thanksgiving weekend.

Posted by Dan Schock, The Google Retail Team

Verizon Wireless measures the online-to-store connection

2011-11-21T14:53:00.000-05:00

With the flurry of new phone models launching, the mobile phone market is heating up again this Holiday shopping season.

This means more choices for people interested in purchasing a smartphone -- and a challenge for retailers, wireless carriers and hardware manufacturers alike. To succeed, companies need to understand how shoppers are most likely to research and make their purchases this year, online and in stores, and the connection between the two channels.

As a digital marketing leader with over 2,200 store locations in the US, Verizon Wireless recognizes the importance of understanding this connection well. Additionally, as Google searches on non-brand terms like “smartphone”, “new phone” and “mobile phone” have increased 10% year over year, the company has noted the growing opportunity to reach customers researching general terms online before purchasing in store.

In an effort to drill down into the offline -- or in-store -- impact of online advertising on non-brand wireless searches like the ones mentioned above, Verizon worked with Applied Predictive Technologies (APT) and Google to measure the in-store impact of search advertising on non-brand terms over the course of four weeks. The results were impressive:

Five new phone activations in Verizon owned-and-operated stores for every phone activation online
366% return on non-brand search advertising spend

Understanding the incremental value of digital advertising in delivering store sales will help marketers to fully harness the expanding drive-to-store opportunities across desktop, mobile and tablet. As you prepare for the 2011 holiday season, are you capitalizing on search opportunities to get shoppers into your stores?

Posted by Matthieu Mcauliffe, The Google Channel Ads Team

More ways to reach your audience with YouTube mobile ads

2011-11-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

(Cross-posted on the Inside Adwords Blog)

There’s no debate that the world is going mobile. Mobile web searches have grown five times over the past two years. YouTube mobile now gets more than 400 million views a day, representing 13 percent of our total daily views.

For advertisers, this opens up more opportunities to reach customers. And in some cases, it can amplify existing campaigns. In a recent study conducted with Nielsen research, we found that promotions perform better together when displayed across multiple screens. In fact, brand recall jumps dramatically to 74 percent for people who saw ads across TV, PC, smartphone and tablets, up from 50 percent for those who just saw ads on TV.

Here are a few ways you can extend your mobile reach with YouTube:

YouTube’s Promoted Video ads on mobile
Do you use Promoted Video ads to reach viewers searching for relevant products and potential customers browsing videos on YouTube.com? You can also use Promoted Videos to reach viewers on the go. Promoted Videos are featured at the top of the video search results on m.youtube.com, YouTube’s mobile platform.

Advertisers pay only when the viewer chooses to watch the video, and all mobile and desktop view counts are summarized into one complete view count on your channel page. Mobile Promoted Video ads are auction-based campaigns that can be managed in your Google AdWords account. All Google AdWords campaigns are opted into “all devices” by default, but creating separate mobile campaigns help optimize your mobile campaigns and performance of your brand channel.

A Promoted Video ad on m.youtube.com includes an ad thumbnail, title and channel name; similar to the organic video results.

Promoted Video ads have recently joined YouTube’s family of TrueView ad formats. Soon, your Promoted Video ads will become TrueView in-search ads and TrueView in-display ads. TrueView in-search ads show up in display ad units against search results on YouTube, whereas TrueView in-display ads show up in display ad units against suggested videos on YouTube and across website content on the Google Display Network. These TrueView video ads can be setup and managed in any Google AdWords for video account and purchased on a cost-per-view basis.

YouTube mobile in-stream ads
YouTube mobile in-stream ads are 15-second pre-roll ads that appear before the video begins to play. Similar to your desktop experience, mobile in-stream ads may show before videos produced by YouTube partners. In addition to the Android YouTube app, in-stream ads are also available to viewers accessing m.youtube.com from their iPhone.

You can optimize your mobile in-stream ads to reach specific audiences, locations and content. In-stream ads are priced on CPM and can be arranged via ad reservation through your Google sales representative.

Animal Planet used mobile in-stream ads to promote the new season of River Monsters.

YouTube mobile roadblocks
YouTube Mobile roadblocks give brands 100% share of voice on the YouTube home, browse and search pages on m.youtube.com. According to recent Nielsen data, these roadblocks add 17 percent incremental impressions for advertisers.

adidas used mobile roadblocks to complement their homepage masthead ad. Using multiple mobile tactics in addition to roadblocks, channel views jumped 26x over the span of their “adidas is all in” brand campaign.

Mobile brand channels extend your online presence
Many advertisers use banners, background images and gadgets to customize their YouTube brand channels. Extend your brand presence to mobile users by creating a customized mobile brand channel. Accessed through m.youtube.com, mobile channels offer the same high level of customization, including the use of gadgets. You can drive traffic to your YouTube mobile brand channel by running ads on the AdMob network or on m.youtube.com.

YouTube’s AdBlitz brand channel features custom-designed elements which engage our growing mobile audience.

For more information about YouTube mobile ads, connect with your Google sales representative or visit www.youtube.com/advertise/mobile.html.

Posted by Nicky Crane, Product Manager

Get more from AdWords this season with improved Product Ads

2011-11-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

(cross-posted on the Inside Adwords Blog)

The busiest shopping days of the holiday season are just around the corner! As you're thinking about ways to get more results from AdWords this season, consider investing in Product Listing Ads, which allow shoppers to see the exact products you offer before they even reach your site, leading to more clicks, higher quality leads, and higher ROI for your search ads. In fact, users are twice as likely to click on Product Listing Ads than on text ads in the same location for shopping queries.

Here are a couple of recent enhancements we’ve made to Product Listing Ads to make them even more effective this season:

More featured products - Product Listing Ads (in the top ad location) can now show up to 5 products at a time, giving users more shopping choices and allowing more advertisers to promote their inventories in all countries with Product Listing Ads.

More traffic - Since launching Product Listing Ads in AdWords to all US advertisers, we’ve seen significant growth with an overall 600% increase in traffic to retailers from Product Listing Ads compared to last year. With the holiday season approaching, we expect even more users shopping and searching for products on Google.

How can you take advantage of this opportunity?

Optimize bids and plan for budgets for holiday season - Bid competitively and appropriately for your expected holiday sales. Also, ensure that your budgets aren’t limiting your ability to capture the growing holiday traffic.
Feature all of your products - Use the "All Products" product target to ensure you are running Product Listing Ads on all of your inventory.
Review Merchant Center data quality errors and suggestions - Check the Data Quality tab in Merchant Center to ensure you are providing us with enough information to help us match your products to more and better customer queries.
Use promotional messages to highlight special promotions - Messages such as “Free Shipping,” coupon codes, or “Extended Warranty Special” can help your ad stand out.

Looking for more ways to get the most out of Product Listing Ads? Visit the AdWords Help Center.

Posted by Andrew Truong, Product Marketing Manager, Product Ads

This Week: Google+ Webinar and Help Desk Hangouts!

2011-11-14T15:29:00.000-05:00

As you may already know, last Monday we announced Google+ Pages for businesses, a collection of tools and products to help clients get closer to customers. We’re offering two awesome opportunities for you to learn more about getting your business on Google+:

Wednesday: Learn with Google Webinar: Getting Your Business on Google+
Wednesday November 16, 2pm ET. Register here.
Join our live webinar hosted by Google+ experts to learn more about how you can bring your company and customers closer together using Google+. Key topics that'll be covered include:

Setting up a Google+ Page for your business
Best practices and early use cases for using Google+
Promoting your Google+ Page
Improving the performance of your ads with +1 annotations

Thursday: Help Desk Hangouts
Thursday November 17, 12pm - 3pm ET. Visit our Google+ Your Business page.
Still have questions? Talk face-to-face with a Google+ expert using our group video chat product, Hangouts. Learn technical tips, content strategies, and potential use cases for your business.

Check out how Zen Bikes uses Google Plus in this awesome video!

Posted by David Weisman, The Google+ Team

Holiday 2011: Hot Gifts in Footwear & Accessories

2011-11-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

At the end of October we revealed the top apparel trends by looking into our “crystal ball”, Google Insights for Search. Today we will be focusing on footwear and accessories, the perfect holiday outfit bonus.

It looks like holiday 2011 is (again) going to be the year of the boot. Across the board, Google searches for [boots] are way up over the same time last year. And when general search volume is consistently high, as it is with a large product category like boots, a strong uptick in searches spells big holiday demand.

Digging into Rising Searches, some top picks are [combat boots] (for girls and guys), [riding boots], and [lace-up boots]. We plugged in these gainers along with a couple top terms to see relative popularity. Searches for [cowboy boots] are headed off the charts already, and searches for [polo boots], last year’s breakout, are also ramping quickly.

Once you’ve scored a pair of boots to give away (or to keep, if you’ve been nice), you’ll need accessories to complete the look. Whether the gifts you’ll be giving are suited for cocktail parties or the snowball fights, rounding off your shopping haul with some well-chosen accessories can help stretch your holiday budget and give you a reputation as a great gift giver.

Searches for [scarves], [beanies] and [earmuffs] are headed up, but “gloves” look like a must-have every year. Shop now while inventory is strong and before the masses start looking.

We hope we have inspired you to dress to impress with our “Insights” this Holiday season.

Happy shopping!

Posted by Benson Dastrup, The Google Retail Team

Think Insights with Google is out of beta and packing a data punch

2011-11-09T14:13:00.000-05:00

(cross-posted from the Official Google Blog)

Quick pop quiz:

Based on search history, consumer demand for pretzels peaks in what month of the year?
How much (in $) does search add to the world’s GDP?
In 2011, what percent of people dreamed and brainstormed about their next vacation?
What percent of the daily queries on Google.com have never been seen before?

These are just a few questions that can be answered* on the new Think Insights with Google, our information and resource hub for marketers. The site is fresh out of beta and sporting a playful new look, helpful tools, more studies, the latest trends and exciting videos. We invite you to visit the site, take a look around and see what’s new.

If you only have a few minutes to spare, try playing with our new Real Time Insights Finder tool. With just a few clicks you can spot emerging trends and gain valuable consumer insights, all in real time. For example, the most popular video in common among males 25-34 in Italy and the U.S. is the Official Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game trailer.

Although we’ve made a lot of enhancements to Think Insights based on initial user feedback, we’re always trying to iterate and improve. So please don’t be shy! Join the conversation by adding the Think with Google page on Google+ to one of your circles, or stay tuned for updates by subscribing to our newsletter.

Think Insights is forward-thinking and rooted in data. We hope you’ll use it as a one-stop shop for consumer trends, marketing insights and industry research.

*Answers to pop quiz (they can all be found on Think Insights in less than 60 seconds):

December, Real Time Insights Finder Tool
$540 billion directly to global GDP, The Impact of Internet Technologies: Search Study, Jul 2011
50%, 5 Stages of Travel Interactive Infographic
16%, Search Fact & Stat

Posted by Laura McClung, Ads Marketing

Do You Hear What I Hear...? Trick-or-Tree: Christmas is Coming

2011-11-09T09:30:00.007-05:00

If Halloween didn’t scare you enough this year, the fact that holiday shopping has already begun is sure to be a hair-raiser. Over half of polled shoppers fresh off of their sugar highs have taken to the Internet to search for [Christmas gifts] this season.*

Additionally, according to Compete’s Holiday Insights™ survey, early gift seekers prefer the online channel and tend to spend more generously.* There are still days to reach early shoppers, as 50% of Holiday purchasing will start by Black Friday.**

Top and rising searches on Google indicate that these industrious shoppers are strategizing shopping plans around [black friday] and upcoming sales.

What are proactive shoppers searching to buy?
Traditional gifts like clothing and tech gadgets are always appreciated, but this year’s predicted new breakout category is jewelry, with 57% of shoppers planning a jewelry purchase.** We see a particular interest in [watches] this month relative to the gems and jewelry category.

How are these gifters shopping?
It is no surprise that consumers are “going mobile” this year. NRF’s 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey states, “53% of those who own a smartphone will use their device to research products, redeem coupons, use apps to assist in their purchase, and purchase holiday gifts and items”. Tablets will also have a strong presence this year according to Shop.org’s eHoliday 2011 pre-holiday survey, with 46% of consumers planning to purchase gifts on this device.

Social and deal-centric sites will play an increasing role in Holiday shopping this year. The largest jump will be attributed to social networking at a 8% increase over last year.**

Let’s not underestimate the strong influence various traditional consumer considerations continue to impact shopping choices. Free shipping continues to be a highly compelling selling tool, affecting 32% of surveyed participants’ purchase decisions.***

Graphic by Infographics***

What can I do to target early shoppers?
Retailers that focus on building mobile & tablet friendly presence aligned with existing purchase channels will facilitate the shopping experience and likelihood of a conversion. Additionally, ensure consumer consideration by generating awareness across review site and interest categories. Finally, capture hand-raisers with enticing holiday messaging across both mobile and desktop search campaigns.

The Google Retail Team sends our best this Holiday Season! All we want for Christmas is for your cash register bells to ring loud into the New Year.

Posted by Julie Krueger, The Google Retail Team Big-Box Industry Director

*Compete, Holiday Insights™Survey
**Google/OTX Holiday Intentions Survey
***Infograhic, “How Much Money Will Consumers Spend This Holiday Season?”

Google Catalogs: More brands, more categories, more fun

2011-11-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

(cross-posted from the Google Commerce Blog)

Since our launch in August, we’ve been hard at work to bring more great content to Google Catalogs. Today we're excited to announce that we’ve doubled our collection of catalogs to include more than 100 brands and 300 individual issues from the catalogs you love, like Williams-Sonoma, Sephora and Nordstrom.

Thanks to our ever-growing list of partners, we’ve expanded the app to include six new catalog categories for you to shop. Love gadgets or the great outdoors? Looking for that perfect holiday treat to send to a friend? Well, look no further than our newly launched catalogs and categories:

Gourmet: Dean & Deluca, Mrs. Fields, Wolferman’s, Harry & David, The Swiss Colony, La Tienda, Lobster Gram, Cushman’s, GiftTree, King Arthur Flour and Fairytale Brownies
Intimates & Loungewear: Bare Necessities, Fredericks of Hollywood, Spanx and Hanes
Athletic & Sports: Nike, Athleta, Gaiam, Champion and Tennis Express
Outdoor Adventure: REI, Moosejaw, Patagonia, Merrell, Eddie Bauer Outdoor, Sierra Trading Post and L.L. Bean Outdoor Gear
Gadgets: Sharper Image, ThinkGeek and SkyMall
Toys: One Step Ahead, Right Start, The Land of Nod, Sears and Kmart

Google Catalogs lets you create a collage of your favorite items from across many catalogs. You can even share your collages with friends and family - a visual way to show them what’s on your list this holiday season!

We’ve also added a number of great brands to our existing categories, including: Barneys, Tory Burch and Trina Turk (Fashion & Apparel); BeautyBar (Beauty); Blu Dot, FLOR, and Ballard Designs (Home); Hanna Andersson, CWDkids, and Serena & Lily (Kids); and Garnet Hill, Uncommon Goods, and Wine Enthusiast (Gifts).

In the mood to kick off your holiday shopping? Visit the App Store to download the free Google Catalogs app for iPad.

Posted by Abigail Holtz, Business Product Manager, Google Catalogs Team