Articles in The 'Comparison-Shopping' Tag

Shopping Tools of our Times

by MoreVisibility

I was reading an article the other day that stated 96% of consumers comparison shop, with 85% using the web to do so, and thought how the explosion of wireless networks and devices has aided consumers to more easily perform this task.  Our continued reliance on wireless networks was evident while on our family vacation in a small Texas town of slightly over 11,000 people.  My son armed with his new iPod touch assisted his grandmother in price checking the cowboy boots she had picked out at a local boot and hat shop found along the popular tourist destinations’ main street.  I thought for sure, we would be heading to the larger boot retailer out of town, and was pleasantly surprised by the results of his comparison shopping.

It is second nature for consumers to want to perform due diligence and know they are getting the best deal for their hard earned money.  Now more and more folks simply un-holster their smart phone and utilize one of many comparison shopping applications available.  In our case my son quickly logged into the store’s free Wi-Fi network and opened a browser to the address of a well known boot outfitter in nearby Austin.  I was amazed to find the small business owner confidently waiting to complete the sale and unfazed by our comparison shopping, since he darn well knew he had properly priced the boots.

Competition for the consumers dollars is fierce and small business owners must be on top of their game in order to survive and flourish as our economy continues to rebound.  If you have a brick and mortar presence and can provide Wi-Fi access for your customer, a mobile friendly website and competitive prices, you’re on the right track for success.

Only 85 Shopping Days Left Until Christmas – Is Your PPC Campaign Ready?

by Anne Garcia

The most wonderful time of year will be here before you know it, and ahead of writing your wish list to Santa, I recommend you plan your Holiday PPC campaign first. Cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving, is the kickoff of the online holiday shopping season and your PPC campaign should be ready for all of the online shoppers. Here are some tips to maximize your online holiday sales:

• Review previous holiday PPC trends, like your ad spend, traffic and conversion rates in order to make proper forecasts for the upcoming season. Remember to diligently monitor your PPC budgets to make sure your ads do not stop showing due to budget caps. While most retailers see an increase in sales and online traffic during this time of year, advertising spend sees the same lift and I suggest you increase your daily budget allocations in your search engines to ensure proper exposure.
• Add holiday-themed keywords like, “Christmas,” “holiday,” and “Hanukah”, to your existing keywords to create long tail phrases in order to be seen in more searches and garner more visits to your site. Also, don’t forget to update your ad copy to include holiday phrases to entice searchers to click on your ads and visit your site. And it’s always a best practice to create special landing pages with holiday themes to tie to your keywords and ad copy to increase your overall quality score.
• During this challenging economy, consumers have a bargain-hunting mindset and will be searching online for coupon codes and free shipping offers, doing price comparison shopping and online research even though they have plans to make in-store purchases. Additionally, consumers are prone to shop early in the holiday season, but are apt to purchase later. The implementation of Remarketing campaigns would be beneficial during the holidays since it will remind customers of your brand, products and/or offers since they have already visited your site.
• Lastly, don’t forget about the post-holiday shoppers looking for deals on the gifts that Santa didn’t bring them. Leave your holiday ad budget open during the last week of the year to accommodate for these shoppers.

Happy Holiday PPC building!