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From watching Spongebob clips with the little ones to learning how to survive their challenging teen years, the many stages of motherhood can feel like they whizz by in the blink of an eye. So in celebration of Mother’s Day this year, we decided to explore and pay tribute to some of those special moments in a mother’s journey from new mom to grandmom - and how YouTube hopes to support her along the way.

In addition, to learn more about how modern moms use our platform to learn, share and discover, we partnered with TNS to survey 1,500 women, aged 18-54, all of whom have children under the age of 18 and watch videos online.

The results show that whether it’s to research the next family vacation, get in a quick workout before the kids wake up, or learn how to set up the new printer for her small business, today’s mom is using online video to learn and grow.


But it’s not just advice and how-tos that moms seek. They also turn to YouTube to wind down. In our survey, 74% of moms said they use YouTube for “me time,” watching for entertainment and relaxation purposes. But that “me time” can quickly turn to “we time.” Of the moms surveyed, 87% said they watch videos not just alone - but with their children alongside, too.
For countless reasons and throughout her journey, moms turn to YouTube in their moments of need: when they need a video to watch with the kids, when they need an answer to a question, or when they just need a laugh. And we’re so glad we can be there for them.

Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at YouTube.

                  

Posted by Netta Gross, Consumer Insights, YouTube B2B Marketing
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The days of handmade coupon books for Mother’s Day (think, “this coupon is good for 1 breakfast in bed”) are dwindling as consumers are using online retailer coupons to spoil mom this year.

FTD promoted a floral deal through LivingSocial, and Amazon.com is selling Kindles with a bonus gift card to the site. Online photo companies are offering discounts on cards and photo books, and other retailers across the web are following suit with deals of their own. Even vacation destinations are in on the action with special weekend getaways for mom.

Over the past several years, consumer interest in Mother’s Day coupons and deals has steadily increased every May.















And consumers have learned that discounts on great gifts await them when they search online -- 21.5% of online shoppers plan to purchase their Mother’s Day gifts online this year*

There’s still time to reach those last-minute Mother’s Day shoppers when they’re online hunting for the latest deals for mom, as not everyone has gifts wrapped and ready to go. Last year, for example, ecommerce apparel sales were up 14% the week before Mother’s Day vs. the same week in 2009. ** Help mom celebrate in style with your special Mother’s Day offers.

*BIGresearch®, Consumer Intentions & Actions® Survey, April 2011
**MasterCard SpendingPulse

Posted by Jennifer Glare, The Google Retail Team
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Consumers are smarter than ever and utilize Google to hunt for sales and promotions, especially around holidays. Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or President’s Day (both of which were wildly successful this year) shoppers are now trained to search for deals around these dates.

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and looking at historical search volume, queries for ‘St. Patrick’s Day sale’ terms were up 92% from ’09 to ’10, and three weeks out from the big day, advertisers are already advertising on holiday sale terms.
















We can only anticipate that queries for deals, coupon codes and sales will continue the upward climb this year. And what about other upcoming celebrations to plan for?

Earth Day, which will be celebrated on April 22nd this year, also had a large year over year increase from ’09 to ’10, with Earth Day sale and promotion searches jumping 49%, while Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and Father’s Day deal terms also soared.




















Source: Google Internal Data


In order to build quality score and maintain low CPCs, get in the auction early! If you are running a promotion around St. Patrick’s Day, go ahead and imagine Clint Eastwood asking, ‘Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya?’


Posted by Kelly Smith, The Google Retail Team
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The trend toward consumer spend rising during recent holidays appears to be continuing for Mother's Day 2010. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the average individual will spend $126.90 on Mother’s Day gifts, compared to $123.89 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $14.6 billion, making Mother's Day second only to the winter holiday gift-giving season.

So what do mothers across the country have to look forward to? According to Google Insights for Search, rising search terms in the flowers, jewelry, and apparel categories include: 1-800-Flowers, Mother's rings, and Reebok EasyTones.

Keep an eye on hot products in these key categories as searches for a "gift for mom" continue to rise over the next few weeks.


Posted by Eric Lopez, the Google Retail Team
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As with Mother's Day shopping trends, consumers are getting a head start on the quest for the perfect gift for dad. Taking a look at indexed search volume, we find that searches for "father's day gifts" began to increase in early February.

Though both moms and dads are getting some early search love this gift-giving season, it appears that fathers may win in the end - at their peak, searches for "gifts for dad" outpaced "gifts for mom" by a whopping 12% in 2009.


Will dads continue their reign this year? It's too soon to tell but in the interim expect searches to increase steadily as we head quickly towards Mother's Day and Father's Day 2010.

Posted by Eric Lopez, the Google Retail Team
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Coming off of a successful Valentine's Day and the highest monthly sales gains since November 2007, retailers (and moms) across the nation may have more good news to look forward to.

Mother's Day, still more than a month and a half away, already has consumers seeking out the perfect gift for mom. Taking a look at US search volume for "mother's day gifts" we find that searches began to increase in late January as consumers shop earlier for key holidays.


And who do you think loves their mother's the most? Turns out that New Yorkers, Virginians, and Californians are already spreading the love, beginning their Mother's Day searches earlier than others.



Keep an eye on these insights as we quickly head towards Sunday, May 9, 2010. For those of you who are bunking the early shopping trend - that's also know as Mother's Day.

Posted by Eric Lopez, the Google Retail Team
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