Record Cyber Monday – 28th November 2012 Once again Cyber Monday has seen record sales growth - up 17% against last year, as 2012 looks set for another heavy spending Christmas online. Search advertising from retailers rose by a massive 59% on Thanksgiving Day reports indicate, while various sources highlight 25% YoY growth in impressions and 22% growth in CPCs. These are only early days but advertisers should be once again, for heightened CPCs this Christmas as the weeks progress. – Kevin Ting More Details: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2228251/Cyber-Monday-TrafficMobile-Ad-Spend-All-Up-on-1.46-Billion-Shopping-Day
Growth in Mobile Search Benefits the Automotive Industry – 28th November 2012 A recent Telemetrics study has brought to light that, as of November 2012, approximately one-third of all search traffic for auto industry-related terms originates from mobile devices. Released last week, the study shows a significant increase in mobile-based automotive searches since June this year, when 15% of auto consumers were using mobile search. Now, phrase and broad match searches for the query ‘car’ in Google’s keyword tool reveal that over 30% of searches are coming from mobile devices. Other information gleaned from the report include the following: ·
Approximately half of smartphone searches were looking to purchase a car within a day.
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Because car searches are occasional rather than habitual, searchers are more likely to choose the web over apps 92% of the time.
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63% of mobile car searchers will click on an ad if it provides a discount.
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Around 40% of year-make-model searches come from mobile.
– Natalie Turner More Details: http://searchengineland.com/auto-industry-benefiting-from-growth-inmobile-search-140254
Microsoft Patents Computerised Glasses – 28th November 2012 Microsoft has been given a patent on augmented reality glasses that would enhance live events with streams of information beamed directly in front of the user. The means that it could soon join Google in offering augmented reality systems for widespread use, after Google unveiled its own Google Glass project earlier this year. Although Microsoft’s and Google’s concepts sound similar, they have very different functions. In Microsoft’s patented illustration, their computerised glasses feature a data and illustration overlay of the world around you. Microsoft’s glasses are aimed to supplement live events, as opposed to Google Glass which is intended to be used all the time as the user goes about their daily life. Since their inception computers have been getting smaller and closer to our faces. First there were desktops, then laptops, now they fit into the palm of our hand. A tiny computer attached to our face seems to be the natural progression. AR is beginning to get into a growing number of devices. As Juniper Research forecasts, there will have been 2.5bn downloads of AR apps to smartphones and tablets each year by 2017. For brands looking to push their products, it's a great way to get in front of people. Google’s first video for Google Glass suggested that advertising may be a common feature of the product. Many people disagree, but whatever Microsoft or Google is working on could end up replacing the smartphone as the dominant way people access the internet and connect to one another. – Valerie Valmores More Details: http://www.unwiredview.com/2012/11/22/microsoft-has-its-own-projectglass-augmented-reality-glasseswearable-computer-combo/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/nov/27/microsoft-augmentedreality-glass-google-apple http://www.businessinsider.com/the-end-of-the-smartphone-era-is-coming2012-11
How Tweets Impact Online Shopping – 27th November 2012 Twitter has partnered with Compete to look at how Tweets influence the U.S. shoppers who see them. The “Tweets in Action: Retail” study found that people who see Tweets from retailers are more likely to visit retail websites
and make online purchases. And the more Tweets they see, the more likely they are to buy. The key findings include: 1. Twitter users who see Tweets from retailers are more likely to visit retail sites. Research shows that Twitter users visit retail websites at a higher rate (95%) than general internet users (90%). This finding is true for both mass retail sites and more niche retailers. 2. Twitter users who see retailer Tweets are more likely to make online purchases. During the timeframe that Compete analysed, 27% of general internet users bought something from a retail website. Twitter users however, made purchases at a rate of 33% from the same sites during the same period. When Twitter users were exposed to a Tweet from a retailer, that purchase rate increased to 39%. This represents a lift of 1.4X and 1.2X, respectively, and is true across a variety of retail categories.
3. The more retailer Tweets people see, they more they visit retail sites and make online purchases. As people are exposed to more retailer Tweets, the likelihood that they will visit a retail website and make online purchases grows. Twitter users exposed to Tweets from retailers on 12 or more days were 32% more likely to purchase from those retailers compared to all users exposed to retail Tweets. – Blair Liu More Details: http://advertising.twitter.com/2012/11/twitter-and-compete-study-howtweets.html