Shopping Blog

Engaged couples are going online for wedding inspirations more than ever. Searches for [wedding ideas] have increased by around 54% compared to last year. Although January and August are peak wedding search months, couples plan an average of 9-12 months ahead for their big day. Looking at current search trends can give a better insight into their needs for 2013.

Consumers are diverging from the traditional wedding plans. We see a bigger focus in the coming year on things you can do yourself, such as decorations or floral arrangements, and alternative cake and vacation options.

Do it Yourself Weddings
Increasingly, brides are adding personal flair to their wedding - and are turning to YouTube to find ideas and tips. Searches for do-it-yourself videos have exponentially increased. YouTube style vloggers with huge followings, such as RachLoves and MissKasandraBrooks, often give wedding tips to their fans. FleurdeForce, for example, recently started a separate channel BridedeForce to share the process of planning her big day. The channel has already attracted 60,000 subscribers. These vloggers are not just sharing their opinion - they’re influencing what their viewers purchase and planning for their big day as well.

Couples also turn to businesses for help. Bunches-Direct, a flower wholesaler, created a channel to help people craft their own wedding bouquet. One of their videos on DIY Wedding Corsages received over 100K views. Retailers have also used the video platform to display their products. Koyal Wholesale, a popular channel that features creative wedding merchandise, has over 3M video views.

Let them eat... cupcake?
We’ve seen a spike in searches for alternative wedding cakes. and wedding planners and brides alike are inviting luxury desserts such as cupcakes, cookies, and cake pops into the latest celebrations.


Honeymoons, babymoons, mini-moons, oh my!
Honeymoons do not only happen after the wedding day! More and more couples are considering taking that vacation they always dreamed of when the time is right. Hotels and & Resort Services companies such as Hilton are adapting their packages for flexible customers.

• A starter honeymoon: Since their surge began in 2011, mini honeymoon searches continue to increase in popularity
• Before the family grows: Searches for ‘babymoon’ increased 45% year over year, and increased by nearly 70% in the last two years
• More honeymoons, more often: Not only are folks searching for honeymoons more, they're taking more of them. Searches for ‘second honeymoon’ doubled over the past year

There are great opportunities for your business to find consumers looking for products and trips for their special occasion. Visit Think with Google to learn how you can leverage these trends for your marketing strategy this year.

Posted by Karen Poreh, The Google Team

It is wedding season again! Many brides-to-be are planning their big day. For anyone that has planned a wedding or been a part of a wedding party, you know how many details must be executed flawlessly. Some less fortunate bridesmaids have witnessed what can happen if any details fall apart. Good thing Google has created a way for brides-to-be to keep organized through google.com/weddings!

As a retailer, you connect with budding brides (and grooms) early in wedding planning process, and have the opportunity to keep brides from becoming bridezillas – starting with her gift registry.

How do you get the newly engaged couple to choose your store for their wedding registry needs when there are so many competitors? Here are some tips on how to stand out.

Build brand awareness
First and foremost, your brand must be a part of the engaged couple’s consideration set. Build brand recognition by advertising on generic wedding terms such as [wedding ideas] and [gift registry]. Get the word out that you have a competitive offering!

Promote national presence
Registry gift purchasers are often not local to the bride’s location. If you have a national footprint or have a large shipping capability, evangelize your favorable consumer reach.

Provide quality navigation
Time is money. If the couple can’t find what they need on your site easily, the money isn’t going into your pocket! Coordinate product-level landing pages with ad copy. Make their lives easier by providing reporting on gifts purchased and pending shipments.

Highlight favorable return policies
Let’s face it, we all have one eccentric aunt that found her way to the right store, but couldn’t remember to check the registry. Or a creative friend that wouldn’t dream of purchasing exactly what you picked out (they, of course, have a better idea). Whatever the case, no one likes to be stuck with items that they don’t want. If you have a great exchange or return policy, this is your target consumer.

Tout inventory selection at various price ranges
Wedding guests have varying wallet sizes. Dazzle wedding gift registry candidates with your large selection at multiple price ranges. Consider providing bundling suggestions on lower priced items for guests who would like to spend more on the bride, but can’t afford premium items on the list.

Be mobile
Unlike previous generations, more often than not, both partners have busy work schedules. They also can connect with their friends instantly when considering a purchase or service provider. Target both genders on the go and provide rich mobile experiences that are easy to navigate and incorporate a social component.

Offer incentives
Weddings can be quite costly, so brides-to-be are looking for any cost-cutting tips. Although gift purchasers are the target audience for conversion purposes, the bride and groom ultimately guide where the purchases will occur. Leverage their influence on wedding attendees by giving loyalty rewards, cash back programs a discount on remaining registry items.

Offer relevant advice
If you have any information that can make her big day run smoothly – tell her about it! Advertise against your own wedding content, but don’t forget to also be present next to valuable wedding content across the Google Display Network with Contextual Targeting.

Hopefully activating the aforementioned tips will not only make engaged couples everywhere say “I do” to your store, but will keep them loyal to your brand and live happily ever after… Forever!


Posted by Keri Overman, The Google Retail Team