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Holiday hintsThe holidays are just around the corner, and consumers are getting a head start on gift gathering. With U.S. ecommerce holiday spending hitting $33 billion in 2006, up 21 percent from 2005, it's clear that consumers are using the web as a valuable holiday shopping resource1. In fact, 67 percent of shoppers say they're most likely to look online for consumer electronics2. And during last year's holiday season, consumer electronics sales grew by 39 percent over the previous year's holiday season3. Take advantage of these trends and make sure your registers are ringing like holiday bells with the following tips. Get an early startFor most online consumers, holiday shopping isn't just a December affair − 38 percent of users start shopping in October, 22 percent join the search in early November, and another 19 percent start around Thanksgiving4. While consumers are making their shopping lists, get them thinking about your items as the perfect gifts. To do this, create compelling ad text targeted toward the early birds to let them know your holiday inventory is in stock and ready for purchase.
Make a dealAccording to a recent survey, more than half of customers go online in search of discounts and savings5. To maximize holiday revenue, be sure to highlight great deals and discounts available on your site. Customize your ad text with special seasonal offers to pique shoppers' interest and get them to click through to your site. For example, free shipping, discounted express shipping, gifts with purchase, and discounts for returning customers can all be great incentives for shoppers to check out your site's offerings. Smooth landingsResearch shows that 51 percent of customers say they enjoy the time-saving and convenient experience of shopping online6. You can boost online sales by ensuring that your website is simple to navigate and your products are easy to find. When users click on your ad, direct them to the most relevant landing page so they don't have to dig through your website to find what they're looking for. If you have a large product inventory on your site, try Google Custom Search Business Edition, which places a Google search box on your website to help shoppers find the products they want, helping you sell more. Be cart smart72 percent of shoppers say they'd make more online purchases if they had easier and more secure payment alternatives7. Since lengthy, complex, and unreliable checkout processes can frustrate online shoppers, make sure your shopping cart is easy to locate and use. Consider using Google Checkout, an online shopping checkout process that enables customers to buy from you quickly and securely with a single username and password. You can process all of your Checkout sales for free until 2008. Put on a good showKeep a close eye on your campaign budgets this time of year so you don't miss out on all the cheer. Increased holiday traffic may cause you to use up your budget more quickly than usual, and once your daily budget limit is reached, your ads will typically stop showing for that day. Keep track of your campaign costs to ensure you're allocating enough budget for your ads to show consistently throughout the day − make sure shoppers see what you have to offer no matter what hour they're picking out presents. To learn how to adjust your campaign daily budget, visit the AdWords Help Center.
1 Jupiter Research, January 2007 | ||||
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