2010 Holiday Shopping Research & Tips

With Black Friday almost upon us and holiday shopping heating up, Relevante Marketing thought it'd be wise to present some research findings found on eMarketer from a study conducted by Google.

The mix of online/offline buyer behavior is interesting and needs to be addressed for a successful holiday season.

3 Quick Tips for Holiday Selling Success

1. Consider moving your Store Locator feature to your home page and in the header of your website.
2. If possible, show whether or not an item is available in store.
3. Remove unnecessary steps from your online checkout process.

Pay-Per-Click Tips: Use Negative Keywords

What are negative keywords and how are they used?

Negative keywords are words that are used to exclude your ad from showing if that word is included in a search query. They can be applied to a specific ad group, or an entire campaign. Adding a negative keyword to your ad group or campaign means that your ads won't show for search queries containing that term.

An Example

Let's say one of the product lines you sell is Men's Nike running shoes online through an ecommerce store. You offer shipping throughout the United States.

You have an ad group with targeted ads and landing pages related to the Nike shoes you sell. Great work! Next you come up with the following keyword list:

• Running shoes
• Nike running shoes

With this keyword list, using broad match types and no negative keywords, your ad will also appear for:

• Discount Running Shoes
• New Balance Running Shoes
• Reebook Running Shoes
• Adidas Running Shoes
• Running Shoes Sale
• Worst Nike Running Shoes
• Nike Running Shoes review
• Womens Nike Running Shoes
• Nike Trail Running Shoes
• Used Nike Running Shoes
• Nike Running Shoe Sale
• Nike Running Shoes on Sale
• Cheap Nike Running Shoes
• and many other keyword queeries that are less than ideal

The Takeaway

By adding keywords like: "Used, Cheap, Womens, Women, Trail, Worst, Discount, Review, Adidas, Reebok and New Balance" to this ad group's negative keyword list, you can achieve better targeting for the specific products you sell. This will increase conversion rates and lower your costs per click.

Learn more about Negative Keywords

VIDEO: Is Social Media a Fad?

This video contains thought-provoking statistics and infographics.

Does your company have a social media strategy?