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| The new shopping assistant: 5 ways retailers can drive foot traffic with smartphones Posted: 19 Mar 2015 05:00 AM PDT When it comes to brick and mortar stores, misinformation runs rampant. For instance, search results only send consumers to e-commerce sites, retailers lose the shopper who checks a phone in store, and buyers only visit stores to transact or showroom. Those are three common myths debunked in Digital's Impact on In-Store Shopping1, new research conducted by Ipsos MediaCT and Sterling Brands for Google, based upon purchasing behaviors of more than 6,000 smartphone shoppers. Although 95% of all retail transactions still occur in-store2, smartphones have quickly become consumer's favorite and most trusted "shopping assistant." These handy devices reduce buyers' remorse, raise consumer expectations for getting more accurate and faster information from store associates, and present new challenges for hungry retailers. For instance:
But when paired with a consistent shopping experience — specifically mobile optimized, locally relevant, and personalized search results — these same "shopping assistants" can become as powerful to sellers as they are to buyers, the research found. In fact, they've helped double the value of in store visit,3 increase customer satisfaction (69% of consumers are more satisfied with purchases when they get to touch or feel a product in-store), and they've given retailers more opportunities to build brand loyalty (51% said they used digital devices to look for additional information after buying). For instance, Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores saw a 16% higher clickthrough rate and 122% increase in visits to its stores after adopting Local Inventory Ads, which lets retailers display nearby store inventory to online shoppers.4 "Local inventory ads fit perfectly into our strategy of using digital tools to drive store traffic," says David Buckley, chief marketing officer at Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores. "If people are searching for a product on their phones, there is nothing more targeted than serving that item with a picture, description, and price while letting the customers know exactly how far they are located from the product." The technology also helps Sears extend the reach of its advertising budget, driving $8 of in store sales for each dollar invested online.5 "When we compared our most recent performance of local inventory ads to offline media typically used to drive store sales, such as a recent broadcast television campaign," Buckley explains, "local inventory ads returned in-store sales at more than 5X the rate of tv advertising for each dollar spent.6" .png) "Local Inventory Ads are another way Staples helps customers shop whenever and however they want through our omnichannel," said Ellen Comley, vice president, integrated media, Staples, Inc. "We know that more and more customers are doing research online before buying, and local inventory ads make it easier for us to reach small businesses and ensure we're providing the most relevant offers." Of course, those are just a few examples. In addition to identifying other ways smartphones are changing modern shopping, Digital's Impact on In-Store Shopping outlines several steps retailers can take to optimize their online presence for smartphones: 5 things brick and mortar stores should do now
Learn more about how top retailers are using digital to connect people with their stores here. Posted by Emily Eberhard Pereira, Head of Shopping Solutions Marketing 1Google/Ipsos MediaCT/Sterling Brands, Digital Impact on In-Store Shopping, October 2014 2eMarketer: Total US Retail Sales Top $4.5 Trillion in 2013, Outpace GDP Growth, April 2014 3Shoppertrak 2014 foot traffic and Mastercard SpendPulse transaction Data 2010 thru 2014 4AdWords Store Visits Data. 2015 5Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Data. 2015 6Sear's Hometown and Outlet Stores Data. 2015   |
| Building a better hotel search experience for travelers and hoteliers on Google Posted: 19 Mar 2015 08:29 AM PDT More useful There are millions of searches for hotels everyday on Google — that's millions of potential hotel bookings. We want to help hotels reach and engage travelers, make it easier for travelers to search for hotels online, and visually and textually communicate why a particular hotel is the right fit for them. We've been evolving the way hotels appear in search results on Google to include more structured, relevant and dynamic information — like rates, availability, locations, user reviews, editorial descriptions, Google Street View, and high resolution photos.  As part of this evolution, we've created Hotel Ads — an advertising format designed specifically for hotel-related searches. Hotel Ads show current prices for hotels from a variety of partners and help travelers narrow down their options. When a traveler is ready, they can select "Book" and complete their reservation with the partner.  "Compared to other search formats, Google Hotel Ads has delivered a 45% higher conversion rate. It reaches a massive audience and the distribution cost has been good," said Dustin Bomar, vice president, Digital Acquisition, Hilton Worldwide. Check out the video below or read the case study on Think with Google to learn more about Hilton's success with Hotel Ads. Find out how Premier Inn captured 40% more bookings from new customers at a 60% lower cost per acquisition with Hotel Ads here. To get started on Hotel Ads, contact one of Google's authorized partners listed here: google.com/ads/hotels. More engaging We're also building products for hoteliers to help showcase properties and engage with travelers visually. Google My Business helps ensure that hotels' information and photos reach travelers when they're searching on Google and Google Maps. Our improved photo tools let hotels easily change the image that appears when travelers are searching. It's also now possible to add photos specifically for food and beverage, individual guest rooms and common areas. In addition to uploading photos, Google now offers the ability to add premium-quality, 360° interactive tours of a hotel's interior with Google Maps Business View, powered by Street View technology. These virtual tours show up on Search and Maps and let travelers experience the hotel — all before they book their stay. .png) Posted by Andrew Silverman, Group Product Manager, Google Hotel Ads  |
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