Transcript
Page 1: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Back to School Search insights to

instruct back-to-

school sales

Page 2: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Back-to-school is a leading retail season

Back-to-school is the 2nd largest retail season, following the Winter Holiday season.

Back-to-school &

back-to-college combined

estimated spend in 2013.

A 14% decrease from the

$84 Billion spent in 2012.

$72.5

Billion

Source: National Retail Federation 2013 Back-to-School Survey

Page 3: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Nearly 75% of people begin shopping 3+ weeks before school starts.

23.9%

49.0%

21.8%

2.8% 2.6%

0%

20%

40%

60%

2+ months

prior

3 weeks to 1

month prior

1-2 weeks

prior

Week school

starts

After school

starts

When people will begin shopping

for back-to-school

Source: National Retail Federation 2013 Back-to-School Survey

Many consumers will begin shopping early and comparison shop, spreading out their budgets over time as they seek the best bargains and value.

Page 4: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Many plan to continue shopping back-to-school sales even after the first school bells have rung.

Source: Yahoo Back to School Shopping Intentions Survey, September 2013

58%

73%

73%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Teens (shopping for self)

Parents with kids <18

Adults (shopping for self)

People who will shop back-to-school sales after school begins:

Page 5: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Marketers go back to school early, too

When marketers plan to start their back-to-school marketing activities:

May

July

27%

34%

Source: Experian.com, 2014

Page 6: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Source: National Retail Federation 2012 Back-to-School Survey

Both school and college spending trends closely align.

Page 7: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

$689

$907

$635

$837

Back-to-School Back-to-College

Back-to-school average spend

2012

2013

-8%

-8%

Both back-to-school and back-to-college spend dipped 8% from 2012.

Source: National Retail Federation 2013 Back-to-School Survey

Page 8: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

84%

66%

60%

32%

23%

22%

17%

13%

1%

Price discounts

Coupons

Free shipping

Rebates

Loyalty programs

Gift sets or complementary items

Flexible payment plans

Groupon/LivingSocial deals

Other

Types looked for: 83% of back-to-school shoppers

were actively looking for

deals and promotions.

57% of back-to-school shoppers

planned to use online

coupons and promotions

more than they did

last year.

Source: Yahoo Back to School Shopping Intentions Survey, September 2013

Page 9: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

1Source: Yahoo Back to School Shopping Intentions Survey, September 2013

40% of the back-to-school shoppers are Dads!

[VALUE]

Mom

[VALUE]

Dad

Who is back-to-school shopping?

Page 10: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

And an honorable mention to the 30% who noted toys are most important.

Source: Yahoo Back to School Shopping Intentions Survey, September 2013

Page 11: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Back-to-school/back-to-college media and entertainment items shoppers purchased or plan to purchase:

Source: Yahoo Back to School Shopping Intentions Survey, September 2013

Page 12: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Over 1/3 of both school and college shoppers will also shop online.

Source: National Retail Federation 2013 Back-to-School Survey

67.1% 61.7%

51.5%

37.3% 25.9%

Discount store Department store Clothing store Online Electronic store

Top places – back-to-school

48.3% 42.7%

39.3% 37.1% 33.3% 30.8%

Discount store Department store College bookstore Online Office supply store Clothing store

Top places – back-to-college

Page 13: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Note: *on AdWords and Yahoo! Bing Network Source: adGooroo blog, August 6, 2013

Textbooks, school supplies, and sporting equipment are top ranked.

Ad spending

(thousands)

Impressions

(millions)

1. Textbooks $829.9 18.9

2. School supplies $153.6 17.3

3. School uniforms $106.3 8.5

4. Used textbooks $101.1 3.4

5. Soccer cleats $59.1 5.2

6. Textbooks online $53.7 1.7

7. Best laptops for

college $43.3 .6

8. Football cleats $39.5 3.5

9. School backpacks $35.5 2.9

10. School desk $32.7 .6

Ad spending

(thousands)

Impressions

(millions)

11. School supply list $28.1 2.2

12 School supplies list $27.3 2.9

13. Back-to-school

clothes $27.0 .9

14. Back-to-school

supplies $25.1 1.8

15. Dorm bedding $20.8 1.4

16. College university $19.3 .9

17. Football equipment $18.6 1.3

18. School uniform $17.8 1.7

19. Dorm room ideas $16.4 .9

20. Football gear $13.9 1.1

Page 14: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

1Source: Deloitte, “2013 Back-to-School: Making the Grade,” July 29, 2013 2Source: Endicia.com, July 2013

80% plan to research

and shop online.2

37% plan to make a

purchase online.2

Online back-to-school shoppers plan to spend 41% more than other shoppers.2

Get price information 66%

Get/download discounts, coupons, sale information 60%

Get store location 55%

Locate a store that carries a particular product 50%

Access a retailer’s website 44%

Get product information 43%

View a retailer’s ad 41%

Shop online 31%

Read product/retailer 27%

Make a purchase 24%

Receive a text message from a retailer 15%

Page 15: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

1Microsoft partnered with Mercent to compare Product Ads to text ads on the Yahoo Bing Network [4 advertisers involved in the study], Q1 2014. 2Source: Microsoft internal data, May 2013. Performance study based upon beta testing data on Bing O&O only and is not a guarantee of

performance. Increase in clicks is dependent upon a seasonality and advertiser vehicle.

Want to drive online shoppers

to your store front?

Ad Extensions, like Location

Extensions and Call Extensions, can

help your customers find you quickly –

putting your business address and

phone number right at their fingertips.

Drive in-store traffic with features like

store locator, click-to-directions and click-

to-call for mobile searchers.

Want to drive shoppers to your website?

Product Ads allow you to showcase

your product and attract more qualified

clicks by including images, promotional

text, pricing and your company name.

Shoppers have a good idea of what

they’re clicking on, putting them that

much closer to a purchase decision.

Up to 9% higher click-through rate with Location Extensions than with standard text ads2

With the lines blurring between online and offline, Bing Ads can help you reach your shoppers effectively online and on the go.

Up to 29% Lower cost-per-click with Product Ads than with standard text ads1

Page 16: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Connecting with an audience that makes time to buy

27% more likely to have spent $500 or more online or offline on teen boys clothing in the last 6 months

16% more likely to have spent $500 or more online or offline on kids clothing in the last 6 months

16% more likely to have spent $500 or more online or offline on teen girls clothing in the last 6 months

Compared to Google,

the Yahoo Bing Network Audience is:

Source: comScore Plan Metrix, U.S., July 2013, custom measure created using comScore indices and duplication. July was chosen to reflect the

beginning of the back to school season.

Page 17: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Compared to Google, the Yahoo Bing Network audience is more likely to:

Source: comScore Plan Metrix, U.S., July 2013, custom measure created using comScore indices and duplication. July was chosen to reflect the

beginning of the back to school season.

Have searched online for female teen clothing/shoes in the last 6 months

Have searched online for male teen clothing/shoes in the last 6 months

Have searched online for kids’ aged

2-12 clothing in the last 6 months

Page 18: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Compared to Google, the Yahoo Bing Network audience is more likely to:

Source: comScore Plan Metrix, U.S., July 2013, custom measure created using comScore indices and duplication. July was chosen to reflect the

beginning of the back to school season.

Have searched for information online for other literary or educational products in the last 6 months

Have bought other literary or educational products online in the last 6 months

Page 19: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Schooling Mobile

Smartphone Back-

to-School searches

on the Yahoo Bing

Network are

projected to

increase 200%+

from 2013 to 2014!

Source: Microsoft Internal Data Analysis: Q1 2012, Q1 2013, Owned & Operated, US; Mobile includes Lo Fi Phones and HiFi Phones, but not Tablets.

Page 20: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

.

Dec-12 Jan-13 Feb-13 Mar-13 Apr-13 May-13 Jun-13 Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13 Oct-13 Nov-13 Dec-13

Backpacks Clothes Deals Dorm Supplies School supplies Textbooks

With the exception of

textbooks, the back-to-

school season searches

and shopping kick off in

June.

Source: Microsoft internal query data on Owned & Operated, PC, lo-fi &hi-fi Mobile, Tablets. Data range: 12/1/2012 to 2/28/2014.

Monthly searches on the Yahoo Bing Network

Page 21: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

. Source: Microsoft internal query data on Owned & Operated, PC, lo-fi &hi-fi Mobile, Tablets. Data range: 12/1/2012 to 2/28/2014.

Backpacks Clothes Deals Dorm Supplies School supplies Textbooks

…and gets hot the last week of July and early August

Search query volumes

jumped between the 3rd

and 4th week of July for

all categories - except

dorm supplies.

Weekly searches on the Yahoo Bing Network

Page 22: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Source: Microsoft Internal Data Analysis: May 2013, Owned & Operated, US; Mobile includes: Lo Fi Phones and HiFi Phones, but not Tablets.

Backpacks Clothes Deals

backpack girls shoes back school sales

laptop backpacks girls clothing back school deals

school backpacks children clothing student discounts

kids backpacks kids shoes back school sale

backpacks girls school uniforms school supplies coupons

Dorm Supplies School Supplies Textbooks

college dorm school supplies textbook

dorm bedding teacher supplies textbooks

twin xl sheets discount school supplies cheap textbooks

twin xl bedding classroom decorations college textbooks

dorm room ideas school supply used textbooks

Page 23: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

PC/Tablet: Click-through Rate by Week

Backpacks Clothes Deals Dorm Supplies School supplies Textbooks

Source: Microsoft Internal Data Analysis: 2013, Owned & Operated, US; PC/Tablet, lo-fi &hi-fi Mobile. FW = Fiscal Week.

Page 24: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

On mobile, the click-through rate for back-to-school “clothes”

searches peaked earlier than on PC/Tablet.

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

Mobile: Click-through rate by week

Backpacks Clothes Deals Dorm Supplies School supplies Textbooks

Source: Microsoft Internal Data Analysis: 2013, Owned & Operated, US; PC/Tablet, lo-fi &hi-fi Mobile. FW = Fiscal Week.

Page 25: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

On PC/tablet the lowest average cost-per-clicks are seen

across categories in June with the exception of deals searches.

Take advantage of low cost-per-clicks in outlying months.

$-

$0.50

$1.00

$1.50

$2.00

$2.50

PC/Tablet: Cost-per-click by week

Backpacks Clothes Deals Dorm Supplies School supplies Textbooks

Source: Microsoft Internal Data Analysis: 2013, Owned & Operated, US; PC/Tablet, lo-fi &hi-fi Mobile. FW = Fiscal Week.

Page 26: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Source: Microsoft Internal Data Analysis: 2013, Owned & Operated, US; PC/Tablet, lo-fi &hi-fi Mobile. FW = Fiscal Week.

$-

$0.50

$1.00

$1.50

$2.00

$2.50

$3.00

Mobile: Cost-per-click by week

Backpacks Clothes Deals Dorm Supplies School supplies Textbooks

Page 27: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Want to capture those who love school? We’ve got ad copy research to help you do just that

Page 28: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Here’s how to read a heatmap A

d T

itle

Great Bad No Data Good Ad Description

% O

ff

Barg

ain

s

Best

Call T

o

Act

ion

Deals

DK

I

Fin

d

New

No

w

Off

icia

l Sit

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Para

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ipp

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Sh

op

pin

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Sp

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s

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le/K

ind

To

p

% Off

Bargains

Best

Call To

Action

Deals

DKI

Find

New

Now

Official Site

Online

Orders

Param

Insertion

Place

Price/Pricing

Products

Promotion

Quality

Savings

Shipping

Shopping

Sports

Style/Kind

Top

Value

Our study results show that a retail ad with ‘official site’ in the title and ‘new’ in the description has high Ad Quality.

Page 29: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Great Poor Insufficient data Good Ad Description

Ad

Title

% O

ff

Barg

ain

s

Best

Call T

o

Act

ion

Deals

DK

I

Fin

d

New

No

w

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On

lin

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Para

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rici

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du

cts

Pro

mo

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ality

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ctio

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Sh

ipp

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Sh

op

pin

g

Sp

ort

s

Sty

le/K

ind

To

p

% Off

Bargains

Best

Call To Action

Deals

DKI

Find

New

Now

Official Site

Online

Orders

Param Insertion

Place

Price/Pricing

Products

Promotion

Quality

Savings

Shipping

Shopping

Sports

Style/Kind

Top

Value

Retail – Back to School

PC/Tablet

Page 30: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Retail Back to School: Top word combos

PC/Tablet

PC/Tablet - With Sitelinks

TITLE DESCRIPTION

Official Site New

% Off New

Sports Online

Place Find

Sports Promotion

PC/Tablet - Without Sitelinks

TITLE DESCRIPTION

Official Site Best

% Off Best

Quality Shipping

Quality Call To Action

Official Site New

PC/Tablet

TITLE DESCRIPTION

Official Site New

Sports Online

Quality Shipping

Quality Call To Action

Official Site Selection

Page 31: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Ad

Title

Great Poor Insufficient data Good Ad Description %

Off

Barg

ain

s

Best

Call T

o

Act

ion

Deals

DK

I

Fin

d

New

No

w

Off

icia

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Para

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Sh

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Sh

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Sp

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s

Sty

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in

d

To

p

% Off

Bargains

Best

Call To

Action

Deals

DKI

Find

New

Now

Official Site

Online

Orders

Param

Insertion

Place

Price/Pricing

Products

Promotion

Quality

Savings

Shipping

Shopping

Sports

Style/Kind

Top

Value

Retail – Back to School

Mobile

Page 32: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Retail Back to School: Top word combos

Mobile

Mobile - With Sitelinks

TITLE DESCRIPTION

Official Site New

% Off New

Sports Online

Place Find

Sports Promotion

Mobile - Without Sitelinks

TITLE DESCRIPTION

Official Site Best

% Off Best

Quality Shipping

Quality Call To Action

Official Site New

Mobile

TITLE DESCRIPTION

Official Site New

Sports Online

Quality Shipping

Quality Call To Action

Official Site Selection

Page 33: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Educate your search ads this back to school season Ad formats on Bing Ads

Page 34: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Location Extensions Sitelink Extensions Call Extensions Merchant Ratings

Page 35: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Source: Microsoft internal data, May 2013. Performance study based upon beta testing data on Bing O&O only and is not a guarantee of performance.

Increase in clicks is dependent upon a seasonality and advertiser vehicle.

Up to 13% higher CTR using Sitelink Extensions than with standard text ads

Page 36: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Up to 9% higher CTR using Location Extensions than with standard text ads

Page 37: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Source: 1comScore Explicit Core Search (custom), US, September 2013

Page 38: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales
Page 39: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

Attract more qualified clicks with product images and rich product details in your search ads

• More real estate. Unlike text ads, Product Ads can display multiple offers from a single advertiser – and simultaneously with a text ad and organic listing.

• Save time. Advertisers don’t need to write ad copy and build keyword lists for each product.

• Easily import your Google Product Listing Ads campaigns into your Bing Ads account**.

**extensions are not imported from Google, must be manually added

Page 42: Insights for Digital Marketers to Instruct Back-to-School Sales

© 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in

the U.S. and/or other countries.

The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation.

Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft

cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR

STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.


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