Shopping Blog

Bikini season is just around the corner. With record low temperatures and massive snowstorms this year, people’s attention is focused on the warm weather ahead. Swimsuit searches have been on the rise since January, with interests being focused primarily on one-pieces and tankinis. It seems that she will not be wearing a teeny weeny bikini this year!



























Could there be an association with extreme cold temperatures and extra swimsuit coverage? Google Insights for Search shows that one piece swimsuit searches are at an all time high. A coincidence? Perhaps.















Retailers can take advantage of the rising demand for one-pieces and tankinis by evangelizing inventory and selection. Advertise unique styles and deals to capture interested consumers.


Posted by Keri Overman, The Google Retail Team

(Cross-posted on The Official Google Blog)

Since we introduced Boutiques.com last November, we’ve been busy developing new features that we proudly unveiled as New York Fashion Week hit the runways.

More of the boutiques you love
We’re welcoming hundreds of thousands of stunning new boutiques, including those from designers Helmut Lang, Michael Kors, Billy Reid and Thakoon.


Trend data to excite designers and fashion enthusiasts alike
Over the past few months, we’ve watched usage of Boutiques soar. Shoppers aren’t just creating their own customized boutiques, they’re enthusiastically taking our Stylyzer Quiz and sharing what they “love” and “hate” about products while browsing. As a result, we’ve gained a unique, aggregate view into the latest fashion trends—a reflection of what shoppers think and feel about the colors, silhouettes, patterns and prices of individual products from across the web.

Recently we unveiled Designer Analytics, a tool that enables our design partners to benefit from this collective knowledge—giving them insight into how their products are searched, shopped and loved. With easy-to-understand data visualizations, Designer Analytics shows what colors, shapes and patterns are most loved and hated broadly (in categories such as shoes, dresses and handbags) and even down to how specific items are performing. Designers can also see how their stats compare to brands like them. Designer Analytics is available when logged in, and looks like this:




We also launched a public version called Trend Analytics that gives curious fashionistas a view into the latest, site-wide fashion trends. Using aggregate data from both Boutiques.com and Google Search, it shows the hottest colors of the season, the most-loved products and the must-have trends.




New boutique features to help you express your style
We added some enhanced features for boutiques, including a photo gallery and video upload (celebrity, designers, blogger and featured boutiques only) to give more opportunities for people to express who they are and share their unique point of view.


Posted by Abigail Holtz, Product Manager

For most e-retailers, the 2010 holiday season was a welcome beam of sunshine after quite a few cloudy months. Our Holiday Shopping Recap showed more than 15% growth in online retail, a positive sign of both economic improvement and consumer confidence

Yet, the question remains: is the improvement here to stay? Is this forecast reliable?

Taking a look at three major categories - US Economic Growth, Consumer Spending, and E-Commerce Penetration - the signs are positive.

On January 14th, the Wall Street Journal reported that major bank economists had raised their 2011 U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) outlook from 3% to 3.3%. This adjustment echoed Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s forecast the day prior that recovery was on pace and GDP growth would likely pace between 3% and 4% for the year.

To compliment optimism about macro-economic growth, other industry sources are indicating that the holiday sales spike was the first step in a return of consumer spending habits. The American Express Spending & Saving Tracker data for January indicates that more than 54% of adult American consumers plan to spend the same or more than they did in 2010. The report cited improved consumer saving & financial flexibility as a a major catalyst for a rise in purchases, with “health & fitness” and “clothing” as two of the top three projected spending categories.

Finally, e-commerce sales are poised for accelerated post-2010 growth as a major part of the economic improvement expected for 2011. A JP Morgan study released earlier this month calls for double-digit growth - see below - in the e-commerce market from 2010 to 2013. In addition, consumers continue to buy online with more frequency, with nearly 90% of the population using the web at some point to purchase.

 

































As the 2011 economic forecast calls for optimism, it will be increasingly important for retailers and e-commerce businesses to continue to meet consumer needs online. For December, comScore indicated that aggregate search volume across the major U.S. search engines was up more than 12% from the year prior.

All of the indicators are aligned, pointing to a far better atmosphere than what most retailers have experienced for many months. With a brighter forecast on the horizon, it’s time to enjoy the “weather” and make your presence known to the world around.


Posted by Jon Sadow, Google Retail Team