Shopping Blog

For those of you that have not yet finished -- or started -- your Valentine’s Day shopping this year, fear not! You are not alone....In 2012, the top e-Commerce spending day last Valentine’s season was on the holiday itself - February 14th!

Similarly, if your business spikes around Valentine’s Day, be certain that you continue your advertising through Valentine’s Day as many shoppers will fall into the “last-minute” category.

Last year, both online and offline shoppers were prepared to spend more than they had in recent years past. According to the NRF, the average shopper spent $126 on Valentine’s Day. This is an excellent sign of consumer confidence, as we have not witnessed a number this high since 2008. Total sales for V-Day 2013 are estimated at $18.6M, up 5.97% vs. last year.

Many popular Valentine’s Day gift categories performed exceptionally well last season with the majority seeing double digit growth rates in traffic:

• Flowers: +12%
• Jewelry: +25%
• GIfts: +27%
• Watches: +30%
• Gift Baskets: +15%
• Intimate Apparel: +14%

Q4 2012 results are also good indicators of future performance. Specifically in the Jewelry category - we saw +50% increases in diamond and bridal/engagement jewelry last holiday season as well.

Yet, even greater query increases came via mobile devices last season:

• Jewelry: +152%
• Flowers: +129%
• Gifts: +139%
• Gourmet Foods: +137%
• Gift Baskets: +185%

Last minute tip #1:
Be certain that you have complete keyword coverage across all product categories and devices, especially non-branded terms. For reference, last season, 76% of the top 200 search terms in flowers and gift baskets categories were non-branded queries. Be present when your customers are searching for you!

If you have a more specific category that you’re analyzing query demand for, check out the Google Trends tool which can provide a view of consumer search traffic on Google.com. Below you’ll find an example for women’s dresses.



We see steady growth patterns from December into the Valentine’s Day season. The tool will provide you with daily updates for any terms you enter.

Last minute tip #2:
Leverage daily query data to understand how consumer demand aligns with your product assortment and adjust your bids, budgets and ad messaging accordingly.

With just days and hours remaining, consumers are short on time and often looking for quick ways to find and item and purchase it both in-store and on the go. This Valentine’s Day, consumer intention surveys revealed that 53.8% of shoppers estimate they’ll use their tablet devices to shop for gifts.

Last minute tip #3: 
Take advantage of simple solutions that can capture shoppers quickly as they are searching:

• As consumers use their mobile devices to shop, customize your ad text with mobile call to actions, and similarly provide click-to-call links for easy phone orders. If your website is mobile-optimized or includes an app feature, promote these within your ads or via ad extensions as well

• Add sitelinks to your mobile and desktop ads to allow the shopper to quickly find the item they were looking for - taking them deeper into the conversion funnel with just one click. You can also highlight promotional offers via sitelinks, as well as your most popular items for the Valentine’s Day season. In tests, ads that ran with sitelinks saw a 30% increase in CTR

• Visually entice shoppers as they search with Product Listing Ads. Give them a view of the product, price, and brand in just one click

As consumer trends continue to change in our multi-screen world, the most important area to focus on is in creating one unified face for the customer - no matter what device or channel they may be using. Developing an omnichannel brand presence online and offline will be key to this Valentine’s Day and beyond.

Lastly, be sure that you take advantage of all our amazing technology this Valentine’s Day, and call, send an email, a text, or have a video Hangout to tell those that you care about how much they mean to you!

Happy Valentine’s Day to All!

Posted by Terra Hess, Google Retail Team

(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

So long, February. Hello, March! As we trade in red hearts and roses for shamrocks and clovers, one thing becomes immediately clear: Valentine’s Day is past. So with Cupid’s holiday in the rear view… was it everything you hoped it would be? We sure hope so!

Query trends show that boyfriends/girlfriends and husbands/wives were much more thoughtful this year than last. In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, searches for flowers, gifts and greetings were up more than 30% over 2010. Following on the heels of a very successful holiday season, the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day were anticipated to be bigger online than ever before. And while the impact on search activity was certainly sizeable, what really stands out is the explosive query growth that occurred on the actual day, itself.

Now, could we assume that our loved ones were really just super thoughtful this year? Perhaps. But it’s more likely that the search surge was due to circumstance, not love sickness. The key difference this year: Valentine’s Day fell on a Monday instead of a Sunday. So, while some couples may’ve spent last year’s holiday joined at the hip, many spent this year’s V-Day glued to their work computers. And what better way to postpone the Monday morning monotony than with animated e-cards and love poems?

Although it may seem a little less romantic, loved ones (and e-tailers) stood to benefit from the Monday holiday. Searches for cards and greetings were up nearly 200% over last year.
















 



Source: Google Internal Data

Similarly, searches for flowers and gifts were up 230% and 130%, respectively. And while some of the boyfriends/husbands out there made sure to plan ahead, the procrastinators flocked to search engines in spades. Queries for “same day flower delivery” spiked significantly on February 14th. And with same-day delivery more plausible this year, online florists rose to the occasion to make the most of Valentine’s Day eCommerce sales.




















Amidst the flurry of candy, cards, and bouquets – both real and virtual, we hope Valentine’s Day Monday was good to you. And if not, well, there’s always next year…


Posted by Becky Chilowicz, The Google Retail Team

Ah, alas! February 14th: That special day of the year when love is in the air, Cupid is on the loose and men around the country are searching to find their romantic side - Valentine’s Day. Well gentlemen, the big night has finally arrived and whether you’ve been preparing for months or just noticed that big heart around the 14th on your girlfriend’s calendar (hint!), planning the perfect Valentine’s Day is right at your fingertips – literally!





That tiny cell phone in your hand is the gateway to the world and to your little lady’s heart. Mobile devices have changed the way we live, work, and play. Over 122M people in the US are now smartphone users who have access to information instantly & everywhere.*

For the sake of our Valentine’s example, let’s call our little lovebirds Shannon and Matt. Matt has been quite the busy bee lately, traveling around the country for work. So when Valentine’s Day arrives he panics. However, thanks to his smartphone, within 15 minutes Matt is able to find the number of a local florist along with a 10% discount ad, research reviews on the best Italian restaurants in the city, make reservations, and map directions to the location from Shannon’s house. This last-minute effort has turned into a picture perfect night for the couple and for the mobile advertisers – the ultimate love triangle!

Mobile searches tend to peak on weekends when people are on-the-go and away from their computers. Advertisers with mobile specific targeting have an even greater advantage this Valentine’s Day as it occurs on a Monday, so they’ll have the benefit of capturing optimal weekend traffic.

Valentine’s Day shopping typically begins three weeks prior to the holiday. However, flower & gift online traffic shares continue to rise due to last-minute shoppers – so advertisers, be sure to keep your campaigns running through February 14th!

Whether you’re cuddling over a candlelight dinner (made from a recipe found on your mobile phone, of course!), popping the question - or maybe just a bottle of champagne - this Valentine’s Day is bound to be a success with your lady and your mobile phone nearby.

*comScore 2010 US Digital Year in Review Report


Posted by Terra Teague, The Google Retail Team

Although many men and women live by the Boy Scout motto of “be prepared” when it comes to Valentine’s Day gift giving, some have adopted a different philosophy… wait until the last minute.

This Friday, millions of procrastinators will be buying gifts for their loved ones online to arrive in time for Valentine’s Day on Monday. For some retailers in the "Flowers, Gifts, and Greetings" categories, Friday is their second biggest sales day of the year (#1 is days leading up to Mother's Day). This means that potential last minute search assets for retailers will be highly generic terms such as “flowers” and “valentine’s gifts“. The top searches in the last seven days for the Flowers and Gift categories are listed below.



























Merchants looking to drive efficient sales volume tomorrow think and value at a geo-level. Monitor the search penetration against the conversion rates for particular cities and offer localized deals to consumers. For example, over the last seven days, Insights for Search indexed the highest search volume for flowers in Boston, with Philadelphia and San Diego following closely behind.














Don’t neglect in-store last minute purchasers who will be perusing the Internet for gift ideas, store locations, hours of operation, inventory selection and deals. Be prominently positioned with gift solutions both online and in-store to ease last minute purchase anxiety. Friday is only the beginning of the weekend warrior purchases prior to Valentine’s Day, so go ahead and let the procrastinators know it not too late to express their love.


Posted by Brett Goffin, The Google Retail Team

Percy Sledge sang first sang it in 1966, and Michael Bolton made it famous again in 1991, but it’s become clear that when a man loves a woman he waits until the last minute to search for a Valentine’s Day gift.

Looking at Google search data over the past month only three out of the top 100 ‘Valentine’s Day gift’ queries contain ‘gifts for her’ related searches. And out of all Valentine’s Day searches, 90% of queries skew towards gifts for men.











So ladies out there looking for the perfect present seeking ‘Valentine’s day gifts for him,’ ‘Valentine’s day ideas for men,’ and ‘what to get your boyfriend for Valentine’s day’, don’t fret, your guy still has two weeks to get searching and according to a recent NRF study, he will outspend you 2:1 ($158 v. $75).

Maybe Percy had it right all along when he sang those lyrics, “When a man loves a woman, Spend his very last dime…”


Posted by Kelly Smith, Google Retail Team

Either they know exactly what to buy, or men are completely unprepared for Valentine's Day this year. Women are frantically searching on terms like 'valentine's day gifts for men,' 'gifts for husband,' and 'gifts for boyfriends,' but men don't seem to be too worried. Ladies - take note, and tell your boyfriends and husbands to get moving! Better yet, tell them what you want, because time is running out and the men don't seem to mind!


Interestingly, searches are highest for 'gifts for boyfriend,' with 'gifts for girlfriend' a very distant second, both trending well above gifts for husbands and wives. Is this because dating couples need ideas for a new boyfriend or girlfriend, or do married couples know exactly what to give each other? In either instance, keep in mind that women are 'out searching' men in their quest for the perfect gift, especially if they are still dating. For future holidays, keep this in mind, and tailor your ads and sites to women looking for gift ideas.

If we take a look at rising searches related to Valentine's Day gifts, we see this theme continue, with four of the top ten searches relating to men's gifts.


In all fairness, with Valentine's Day Flowers topping the list, it appears that woman will be receiving flowers -- but if you're anything like me, you were hoping for something shiny. Hopefully men get the hint, and we'll see a more balanced list next year. Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Posted by Erin Piper, the Google Retail Team

In my earlier Valentine's Day post, I blogged about where and when Valentine's Day shoppers are looking. As we get closer to the day, we are seeing trends in users' searches that can help us think and make not only personal shopping decisions, but marketing or merchandising decisions as retailers. Typical Valentine's Day surveys provide insight into the categories of products consumers plan to purchase -- candy, flowers, clothing -- but if you are flying blindly into the gifts sphere as I often find myself, you might appreciate more guidance on what actual products to buy in each category. Or what actual products to stock and advertise.

Just as you can see specific image search queries and news search queries on Google Insights for Search, you can now also see specific Product Search queries when consumers are "searching for stuff to buy." Recent rising searches show that popular items include pandora jewelry, Timex I-Control watches, various e-book readers, and various smartphone models.



[1] Google Insights for Search, US product search in October & November 2009. 'Flowers, Gifts & Greetings' data based on US product search in January & February 2009.

Posted by Julia Tang, the Google Retail Team

The East Coast and much of Mid-West may have frigid temperatures this winter, but with Valentine's Day just a few weeks away, Google Insights for Search US trends reveal that 'Valentine's Day' searches for 2010 so far are much hotter in eastern states compared to the rest of the nation. If your retail business services any of the states below, consider creating or increasing your media focus on regional Valentine's Day ad campaigns to target shoppers in those areas where there's more interest:


By drilling down to a city level, we can see that those living in New York, Chicago, LA, or D.C., for example, may be better poised for Valentine's Day success as they have been researching more heavily than other cities:


On a national level, so far search intensity level is in line with trends seen in the previous years. However, as with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we have seen 'Valentine's Day' searches rising earlier than the year prior, indicating that consumers are shopping earlier online for this occasion.


Posted by Julia Tang, the Google Retail Team