Caroline Leksell is Retail Lead at Google EMEA. Rasmus Kragh, Retail Lead for the Nordics and Benelux region, provides local insights to illustrate Leksell’s perspective.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the last years it’s that plans tend to change, a lot. Marketers and retailers alike have had to revisit not just campaigns, but entire strategies — and that lesson in agility is one we’ll all be holding onto as we move forward. We've completed our 2021 seasonal calendar with local retail insights. Check out the full calendar now — and optimise your campaigns with three last-minute tips.
3 last-minute tips to optimise your peak season campaigns
- Using broad match and Smart Bidding together can help you reach more relevant queries with your campaigns. For example, a broad match keyword like Black Friday deals could match to relevant queries you may not have thought of, like early holiday sales or things to buy on Black Friday. By pairing this keyword with Smart Bidding, you can use auction-time signals to set the right bid for each of these queries.
- Use Smart Shopping campaigns to drive sales across a wide range of channels in an automated way. This will allow you to connect with customers throughout the season and across the purchasing journey.
- It's possible that some of the products within your shopping feed are not receiving any clicks or impressions. Ensure those lower volume products help drive incremental traffic and sales by isolating and targeting them separately.
What else should retailers keep in mind this year?
Understand your existing customers and find new ones
It’s important that customers know you are there for them, even in difficult circumstances. Make sure to stay updated on local market conditions and tune in to the challenges your customers face. Full-funnel audience solutions can identify shoppers with high purchase intent for each of the moments in our seasonal retail calendar. Optimise this information and expand your customer base by reaching undecided shoppers who are searching for products like yours.
Tell your brand story and plan accordingly
Whether you’re a small local business or a multi-channel retailer, it’s important to create real value to stand out during key seasonal moments. As consumers are turning online to do their research, video is becoming more important to drive brand awareness. Connect and inspire through excellent creatives, combined with robust demographic and affinity audience strategies. You can capture demand in the weeks and months leading up to the moment by identifying rising searches on Google Trends. And be ready to adjust your plans on a weekly basis as you assess the shifts in consumer behaviour patterns.
Listen intently and be flexible
As the current situation evolves, it‘s vital to monitor campaign performance and continually reassess the context and tone of your marketing messages. Be prepared to reinvent your offering for certain moments and adapt to the times to keep customers on your website. Remaining flexible is key in these changing times, to stay connected with customers and support their specific needs during each of these important seasonal moments for retail.
