A digital marketer's guide for back-to-school

Make the grade

for back-to-schooland get your share of the second largest retail shopping season of the year

Key digital insights for marketers to head to the top of the class TIMINGBe ready early for a long back-to-school shopping season

OFFLINE VS. ONLINEShoppers are heading in store more

Parents and students spent big for back-to-school last year—whether for their first day of kindergarten

or freshman yearIN 2015, SHOPPERS SPENT $68 BILLION:

SOURCE: National Retail Federation 2015 Back-to-School Survey.

63% was spent onback-to-college

37% was spent

on K–12

Back-to-school shopping is predicted to hit the books hard this year with continued growth

In 2016, general retail sales are

predicted to increase by

3.1% resulting in

SOURCE: Source: National Retail Federation 2016 Economic Forecast.

$70+ billion

20%

43%

30%

4% 3%

Timing is everything.Get an “A" in preparation63% of consumers start shopping 3 weeks to 2 months before school starts. That means they start as early as June and peak around July 4, so get your marketing and merchandise ready.

SOURCE: National Retail Federation, Monthly Consumer Survey, July 2015.

2+ months prior

3 weeks to 1 month

prior1–2 weeks

priorWeek school starts

After school starts

SUMMER

PC, mobile or mall? It’s a mad dash to the stores

91%

37%

16%7%

Retailer sites

Cash-back sites Mobile shopping apps

US parents planned to shop for back-to-school items in-store this year

SOURCE: FatWallet.com polling, June 2015.

Geography lesson: Shoppers get around

Home Furnishings or Home Décor Store

Local/Small Business

Drug Store

Electronics Store

Online

College Bookstore

Office Supply Store

Clothing Store

Department Store

Discount Store

12%

13%

23%

20%

45%

42%

36%

34%

47%

51%

SOURCE: eMarketer – Market Track, “Shopper Insight Survey: Back-to-School 2015,” Sept 9, 2015.

Where shoppers plan to shop for K–12 and college supplies

Online shoppers planned to spend 29% more for back-to-school in 2015

History lesson: Where back-to-school shoppers have been going

SOURCE: eMarketer – Market Track, “Shopper Insight Survey: Back-to-School 2015,” Sept 9, 2015

2%

1%

1%

1%

3%

4%

5%

9%

10%

64%Big-box retailerKmart, Target, Wal-Mart, etc.

DigitallyDepartment store

J.C. Penney, Kohl’s, Macy’s, etc.

Office storeOfficeMax, Staples, etc.

Clothing storeAbercrombie & Fitch, Aéropostale, Express, etc.

MallClub store

Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.

Electronics storeBest Buy, hhgregg, etc.

Discount storeNordstrom Rack, Ross, T.J.Maxx, etc.

Other64%

What’s in their backpack?

SOURCE: FatWallet.com polling, June 2015.

2%

6%

8%

16%

16%

17%

18%

25%

37%

41%

42%

50%ApparelFootwear

Backpacks/computer bagsStationery/supplies

Paper, pencils, pens, etc.

Tablets

Desktops/laptops

Sporting goodsHousewaresSheets, towels, etc.

Small appliancesBlender, microwave, toaster, etc.

FurnitureOther

WearablesFitness trackers, headphones, smart watches, etc.

Source: National Retail Federation, Economy’s Impact on Back-to-School Plans.

Shoppers are doing their homework and expect better prices and promotions from retailers

SOURCE: National Retail Federation, Economy’s Impact on Back-to-School Plans.

Shopping sales more oftenDoing more comparative shopping online

Buying more store brand/generic productsDoing more comparative shopping with ad circulars/newspapers

Spending less overallUsing coupons more

Postponing educational investments (i.e., family computer)Other

Shopping more online

The economy is impacting whether children will attend private or public school

Making do with last year’s school items

Cutting back on extracurricular activities or sports

Back to school plans will not change40%30%20%10%0%

SALE

Source: National Retail Federation, Economy’s Impact on Back-to-School Plans.

Tip 101: include shipping and timing information in your ad copy to attract more customers

SOURCE: National Retail Federation, Economy’s Impact on Back-to-School Plans.

Free shipping

Buy online, pick-up in store/ship to store

Expedited shipping

Same-day delivery

Reserve online

Other

Mobile insights for back-to-school

From living room to dorm room, car to café, mobile commerce

is on the rise37% of back-to-school shoppers will use their smartphone. That’s a 15% increase over the previous year.

12%will use their tablet.

SOURCE: IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark as cited in press release September 2, 2015.

Do you have an app for that? Mobile users check everything from pricesand locations before ever going into a store

SOURCE: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/How-Aware-Consumers-About-Their-Favorite-Fashion-Retail-Apps/1013619

OtherGet personalized recommendations

Share photos or styles digitally or via socialExplore trends or get inspirationScan barcodes for merchandise

Get notifications for new merchandiseMake a shopping list or wish list

Manage loyalty pointsFind location

Purchase itemsBrowsing

Check merchandise availabilityReceive promotions or discounts

Check prices

3%4%5%

13%13%14%

21%29%31%

45%51%

54%61%

74%

Ways in which US internet users use their favorite fashion retailer’s mobile app, Dec 2015

Get your most valuable info to your mobile users fast— you have half the time to capturethem as a PC userTipOrganize your back-to-school webpages how a customer might shop and what you’d like for them to see first—including any Back-to-School salesA rule of “thumb”—try navigating your mobile site with just your thumb, and put your most important content in the middle of the screen for maximum engagement

Bing Ads audience

More likely to buy educational products onlineCompared with Google, the Bing Network audience is:

5%more likely to have bought educational software online in the last 6 months

9%more likely to have bought other literary or educational products online in the last 6 months

SOURCE: comScore Plan Metrix, US, July 2015, custom measure created using comScore indices and duplication. July data was used to reflect the back to school season.

More likely to search for educational products onlineCompared with Google, the Bing Network audience is more likely to:

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


More likely to buy apparelCompared with Google, the Bing Network audience is:


12%more likely to have spent $500 or more on kids clothing in the last 6 months

56%more likely to have spent $500 or more

on teen boys clothing in the last 6 months

7%more likely to have spent $200–$499 on

teen boys clothing in the last 6 months

More likely to buy a new PCCompared with Google, the Bing Network audience is:

“Somewhat likely” to buy a new PC in the next 12 months


More likely to apply for an education loanCompared with Google, the Bing Network audience is:

45%more likely to have applied offline for an education loan in the last 6 months


Bing Network search trends

2015 BTS searches by device

Make the honor roll with mobile queries

60%

40%

52%

48%

SOURCE: Microsoft internal data Jun 14 – Oct 17, 2015 & Jun 15 – Oct 18, 2014, searches across all devices

PC/tablet Mobile

60% of back-to-school searches are conducted on smartphones

2014 BTS searches by device

SOURCE: Microsoft internal data Jun 14 – Oct 17, 2015, searches by device

PC/tablet Mobile

06-14-2015__06-20-2015

06-21-2015__06-27-2015

06-28-2015__07-04-2015

07-05-2015__07-11-2015

07-12-2015__07-18-2015

07-19-2015__07-25-2015

07-26-2015__08-01-2015

08-02-2015__08-08-2015

08-09-2015__08-15-2015

08-16-2015__08-22-2015

08-23-2015__08-29-2015

08-30-2015__09-05-2015

09-06-2015__09-12-2015

09-13-2015__09-19-2015

09-20-2015__09-26-2015

09-27-2015__10-03-2015

10-04-2015__10-10-2015

10-11-2015__10-17-2015

BTS apparel—weekly searches by device

Get voted “best dressed” Shoppers start looking for their back-to-school wardrobe after July 4


PC/tablet Mobile

The ABCs of buying school supplies from July to September

06-14-2015__06-20-2015

06-21-2015__06-27-2015

06-28-2015__07-04-2015

07-05-2015__07-11-2015

07-12-2015__07-18-2015

07-19-2015__07-25-2015

07-26-2015__08-01-2015

08-02-2015__08-08-2015

08-09-2015__08-15-2015

08-16-2015__08-22-2015

08-23-2015__08-29-2015

08-30-2015__09-05-2015

09-06-2015__09-12-2015

09-13-2015__09-19-2015

09-20-2015__09-26-2015

09-27-2015__10-03-2015

10-04-2015__10-10-2015

10-11-2015__10-17-2015

BTS school supplies—weekly searches by device

SOURCE: Microsoft internal data Jun 14 – Oct 17, 2015, searches across all devices

Non-brand Brand

English 101: Keep it simple

14%

86%

Take advantage of consumers’ generic search terms to be part of their consideration set

Brand vs. non-brand searches—all devices

Apparel searches by device


PC/tablet Mobile

School supplies searches by device

Knowledge is powerMost school goers seek out their new shopping wardrobe on mobile devices while most PC and tablet users find school supplies

67%

33%41%

59%

Use words that work Ad copy analyses

% Off Accessories

Apparels

Brands

Call To Action

Cheap / Affordable

Deals / Discounts

Delivery / Shipping

DKI Free Jewelry

Men / Women

OnlineParam Insertion

Price / Pricing

Quality Sale Selecti

onServices Shoes Stores Styles Superl

atives

% OffAccessoriesApparelsBrandsCall To ActionCheap / AffordableDeals / DiscountsDelivery / ShippingDKIFreeJewelryMen/WomenOnlineParam InsertionPrice / PricingQualitySaleServicesShoesStoresStylesSuperlatives

Here’s how to read a heatmapAD

TIT

LE

AD DESCRIPTION

SOURCE: Microsoft Internal Data. Total Impressions Generated = 124 million, Total Ads Analyzed = 51K,Analysis Period = 1st July 15' – 31st August 15’Note: This categories represent groups of similar keywords.

Great

Good Bad

Insufficient data

Our study results show that apparel & accessories/clothing & shoes with cheap/affordable in the title and a deals/discounts keywords in the description presents high ad quality performance

Words that work—back to school // Apparel & accessories/clothing & shoes AD DESCRIPTION

SOURCE: Microsoft Internal Data. Total Impressions Generated = 124 Million, Total Ads Analyzed = 51K, Analysis Period = 1st July 15' – 31st August 15’Note: This categories represent groups of similar keywords.

Great

Good Bad

Insufficient data

% Off Accessories

Apparels

Brands

Call To Action

Cheap / Affordable

Deals / Discounts

Delivery / Shipping

DKI Free Jewelry

Men / Women

OnlineParam Insertion

Price / Pricing

Quality Sale Selecti

onServices Shoes Stores Styles Superl

atives

% OffAccessoriesApparelsBrandsCall To ActionCheap / AffordableDeals / DiscountsDelivery / ShippingDKIFreeJewelryMen/WomenOnlineParam InsertionPrice / PricingQualitySaleServicesShoesStoresStylesSuperlativesAD

TIT

LE

PC + Tablet

Stores Stores Stores Stores Online

Ad · DisplayURL Ad · DisplayURL Ad · DisplayURL Ad · DisplayURL Ad · DisplayURL

Men/women Free Delivery/shipping Apparels Apparels

Mobile

Quality Quality Quality Quality Quality


Sale Deals/discounts Superlatives % off Price/pricing

PC + Tablet: For the title Stores (e.g., “official store”, “outlet”, “store”) related keywords show the best performance. While for the description the options are much more diverse with token buckets like Men/Women (e.g., “men shirts”, “shoes women”, “women watches”), free (e.g., “free”, “get free”, “free returns”), and apparels (e.g., “clothes”, “shirts”, “tank tops”).

Mobile: Smartphones users are all about the quality (e.g., “authentic”, “quality”) in the ad tittle. While consistently responding to more diversity in the description with Sale (e.g., “boots sale”, “sale now”, “shoe sale”), deals/discounts (e.g., “wholesale”, “save”, “deals”), superlatives (e.g., “latest styles”, “new”, “unique”), among other great performers.


Apparel & accessories/clothing & shoes Top 5 ad combinations by device//

Men/Women

Call To Action

Price/Pricing

Stores

Brands

Online

Apparels

Delivery/Shipping

Accessories

Cheap/Affordable

Opportunities Overall the season presents a lot of opportunities to create high ad quality without much competition. The top of these opportunities are:

Cheap/affordable(e.g., “cheap online”, “cheap prices”, “cheap women”)

Accessories (e.g., “bracelets”, “handbags”, “hats”) They both present a present a high ad performance for this season and are severely underutilized by advertisers

Find your opportunityIf ad quality is high and there aren’t very many advertisers showing on these terms. Read—great opportunity!

Ad qualityAdvertiser #


Top performing copy // Sitelink ExtensionsApparel & accessories/clothing & shoes

% OffAccessories

Brands

Call To Action

Cheap / Affordable

Custom

Deals / Discounts

Delivery / Shipping

DKI Dorm

Dorm Furniture

Fast / Easy

Free Lighting

Local

Material

Online

Price / Pricing

Products

Quality

Roommate

Sales SaveSele

ctionServices

Small Appliances

Store

Styles

Superlatives

% OffAccessoriesBrandsCall To ActionCheap / AffordableCustomDeals / DiscountsDelivery / ShippingDKIDormDorm FurnitureFreeLightingLocalMaterialOnlineParam InsertionPrice / PricingProductsQualityRoommateSalesSaveSmall AppliancesStoreStylesSuperlatives

Words that work—back to college // Consumer electronics, home & garden, home furnishingsAD DESCRIPTION


Great

Good Bad

Insufficient data

AD T

ITLE

PC + Tablet

Online Online Online Online Online


Free Sales Cheap/affordable Online Fast/easy

Mobile

Styles Quality Products Superlatives Param Insertion


Local Deals/discounts Brands Material Brands

PC + Tablet: Online (e.g., “shop online”, “site”, “online”), wins the title wars with the top 5 spots. For ad description the dominant players are like free (e.g., “day free”, “free delivery”, “get free”), cheap/affordable (e.g., “low”, “low prices”, “affordable”), and fast/easy (e.g., “fast delivery”, “fast free”, “easy”).

Mobile: Smartphones users don’t present a unique preference in ad tittle nor description. For ad tittle we can highlight tokens like Styles (e.g., “mid century”, “handcrafted”, “modern”), products (e.g., “parts”, “products”), and quality (e.g., “guarantee”, “high quality”, “quality furniture”). While for description local (e.g., “local”, “USA”) and material (e.g., “fabric”, “glass”, “wood”).


Consumer electronics, home & garden, home furnishingsTop 5 ad combinations by device//

Opportunities: Overall the season presents a lot of opportunities to create high ad quality without much competition. The top of this opportunities are:

Brand termsDelivery/shipping (eg. “day shipping”, “shipping orders’) With the highest level of opportunities above all other tokens in our listSuperlatives

Sales

Dorm Furniture

Store

Quality

Cheap/Affordable

Online

Free

Delivery/Shipping

Brands

OpportunitiesOverall the season presents a lot of opportunities to create high ad quality without much competition. The top of these opportunities are:

Brand termsDelivery/Shipping (e.g., “day shipping”, “shipping orders’) With the highest level of opportunities above all other tokens in our list

Find your opportunityIf ad quality is high and there aren’t very many advertisers showing on these terms. Read—great opportunity!

Ad qualityAdvertiser #

Top performing copy // Sitelink ExtensionsConsumer electronics, home & garden, home furnishings


Why advertise on Bing Ads?

The Bing Network is cost effective

Auto B2B Services Education Finance Healthcare Retail Technology Travel

$2.03 $2.28

$4.23

$2.17

$3.00

$0.72

$1.29

$0.90

$1.96

$1.27

$2.76

$2.38 $2.48

$0.79 $0.93 $0.65

Google Bing

Average CPC by vertical

SOURCE: US Marin Software CPC by Vertical Q4 2015.

Access searchers not reached on Google

Automotive

Business and finance

Education

Telecom

Travel

Retail54M

24M

12M

22M

15M

34M

SOURCE: Audience data represents Bing Web and Yahoo U.S. Web Search from comScore qSearch (custom), U.S., December 2015. | Industry categories based on comScore classifications.

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A digital marketer's guide for back-to-school

Retail

Transcript of A digital marketer's guide for back-to-school