Q4 PLAYBOOK Creating Your Own Personalized Q4 Game Plan AdDiego Summit 2017 Presented by CPC Strategy & Google
Our Speakers Today Jostin Munar Sr. Manager,Retail Search Josh Brisco Sr. Manager, Retail Search Operations Caroline Diehl Sr. Retail Search Manager
Today s Agenda The State of ecommerce in Q4 Preparing For Q4 Executing Going Into Shopping Season Ramping Down After Shopping Season
The State of Q4 AdDiego Summit 2017 Presented by CPC Strategy & Google
State of Q4 Major Trends in Retail US retail ecommerce sales increased 17.8% in Q4 2016 Q4 2017 is projected to climb 15.8% Shoppers are researching earlier and online shopping is running longer. Source: https://www.emarketer.com/report/us-holiday-shopping-preview-2017-recapping-2016-looking-ahead-this-season/2001992
State of Q4 Holiday shoppers are shopping more, earlier Source: National Retail Federation
State of Q4 Major Trends in Retail Foot traffic fell approx.12.3% in November & December 2016 US mobile commerce increased by 44% Source: https://www.emarketer.com/report/us-holiday-shopping-preview-2017-recapping-2016-looking-ahead-this-season/2001992
State of Q4 Holiday shoppers are shopping more, earlier
Q4 PLAYBOOK Prepare Yourselves... AdDiego Summit 2017 Presented by CPC Strategy & Google
Q4 Planning Identify Your Goals Revenue/Order Volume ROI/Profitability YoY Growth Branding
Q4 Planning Reflect on Q4 2016 Lessons Evaluate Catalog Performance Key Brands and Product Types Review Promotional Strategy Analyze the Competition
Q4 Planning Reflect on Q4 2016 Lessons Evaluate Catalog Performance What were the top performing categories, SKUs and terms - AdWords & Sitewide? Which SKUs, Brands, Categories & Terms Saw Largest QoQ Growth?
Q4 Planning Reflect on Q4 2016 Lessons Review 2016 Promotional Strategy What worked and what didn t? Were your marketing channels & channel manager prepared & in sync? Were sales advertised on time and for their full duration?
Q4 Planning Reflect on Q4 2016 Lessons Analyze the Competition Who were your top competitors? Any one new on the scene Who were the IS winners and losers?
Timelines October 31 - Halloween (54% of shoppers plan to start day after Halloween) Niche verticals can anticipate high pre-holiday demand November 10 - Veteran s Day Last shopping holiday before the holiday season November 23 - Thanksgiving Day Official kick-off to the holiday shopping season November 24 - Black Friday (2016 online retail sales on Black Friday grew by 21%) Customers anticipate big discounts online and in-store
Timelines November 27 - Cyber Monday (US Cyber Monday mobile sales up 34%) Forecasted to be the #1 Online shopping day of the year December? - Your last shipping day Internally, the sooner you understand this date the better. December 25 - Christmas Unofficial end of holiday shopping for 2017 December 26th - Boxing Day Day of returns and begin to post holiday shopping season December 31 - New Year s Eve New year resolutions and end-of-year sales
Q4 Preparation Stay ready so you don t have to get ready AdDiego Summit 2017 Presented by CPC Strategy & Google
Q4 Preparation Promotion & Sale Prep Create your promotion calendar early
Q4 Preparation Promotion & Sale Prep Coordinate all promotion elements Website Email Shopping Promotions Text Ad Copy + Extensions Display Creative Ensure all executing parties are prepared and synced
Q4 Preparation Campaign Prep Align Campaigns around Marketing Goals Attack all segments of the conversion funnel
Q4 Preparation Campaign Prep Google Shopping Review product feed for disapprovals Review feed schedules and frequency Setup Merchant Center promotions
Q4 Preparation Feeds - Audit for product disapprovals Missing or inaccurate GTINs Small images Incorrect availability Product pages cannot be accessed Price discrepancies
Q4 Preparation Feeds - Review Feed Schedule and Frequency Align with price and inventory updates Consider increasing frequency (4 times per day max) Utilize sale_price and sale_price_effective_date attributes to schedule promotional pricing
Q4 Preparation Feeds - Upload Merchant Center Promotions Ensure promotions tab is enabled Check that promotions meet Google policy Add manually or create a feed to upload in bulk Review promo feed scheduling
Q4 Execution Turn Your Preparation to Profit AdDiego Summit 2017 Presented by CPC Strategy & Google
Q4 Execution Showing Up Ad Copy & Extensions Update ad copy for the holidays Add urgency to your text ads Leverage the tried and true extensions Test out the new features for 2017 Showcase Ads (Shopping)
Q4 Execution Ad Copy Create unique copy for various holiday sales Added relevance for sale related queries Quickly conveys sale pricing in effect Create urgency by using countdown timers Drive clicks & conversions now Ensure ETA coverage for normal text & DSA ads
Q4 Execution Ad Extensions The Basics Sitelinks, Callouts Structured Snippets Consider adding top product categories, gift guides, sale pages, etc. Update Location Extensions Consider leveraging a reseller rating platform
Q4 Execution Extensions - New for 2017 Leverage Promotion extensions (beta) and price extensions Consider Adding Visual Sitelinks (beta)
Q4 Execution Shopping - New for 2017 Showcase Shopping Ads Shown mostly for top of funnel searches available only in the new AdWords experience Separate bidding mechanism - max CPE
Scaling Campaigns Up Budget & Bidding Rules Boost daily budgets - Automate if possible Anticipate increased competition and higher CPCs Proactively schedule bid increases before major shopping dates Accelerated Campaign Setting if budgets are not strict Get in front of shoppers doing research - Build remarketing lists, stay top of mind
Scaling Campaigns Up Leverage CRM & Remarketing Review RLSA strategy and bid modifiers - Increase bids on top performing audiences Utilize Customer Match to target last years buyers Consider similar audiences for search/shopping to reach new customers
Scaling Campaigns Down Anticipate Known Trends Conversion volume/rate will decrease significantly after shipping deadlines Scale back budgets & bids accordingly Don t pay a premium to be a B&M virtual showroom If B&M consider pushing spend on foot traffic drivers
Bullet Point Checklist Set your Goals Create your budget (if necessary) Review 2016 performance Prepare your promos and sales and holiday timelines Align your promotion delivery teams Perfect your data feed and Merchant Center Align campaigns around your marketing goals Leverage remarketing lists and CRM data Increase bids & budgets into major shopping days Scale back bids & budgets post shipping cutoffs
Thank You Copyright AdDiego Summit 2017