For most retailers, holiday planning is likely well underway. But is Bing part of your recipe for success during the most wonderful (and frantic) time of the year? If your answer is no, it’s time to consider the benefits of advertising on Bing, particularly for brands in the retail space.
Why Bing?
The Bing Network reaches nearly one in four searches across all devices in the U.S.1 This isn’t just limited to searches on Bing.com. The network also includes partners such as Yahoo!, AOL, and CBS Interactive, so you can connect with consumers on some of the web’s most popular destinations by promoting your business on Bing Ads.
According to comScore, the Bing Network owns a 33% share2 of the search market along with a 35% retail paid click share.3 If that’s not enough to pique your interest, Bing reaches 52 million retail searchers not reached on Google.3 This is simply too significant a slice of the search pie to ignore.
Think of it this way: Not advertising on Bing is like closing your brick-and-mortar store or shutting down your ecommerce site for three months out of the year. That’s crazy, right? Especially during the holidays! Fortunately, you can take advantage of Bing Ads and a plethora of its features to make sure you’re not missing out on these potential customers.
Bing Means Buying Power
But who exactly are these customers, and what sets them apart from those you might find on other platforms? You’ll be pleased to know the Bing Network audience is full of consumers representing major value to your business. Per Bing:
- Nearly 40% are between 35-54 years old.
- 58% have a college degree.
- Almost one-third have a household income of at least $100,000.
Even more eye-opening is the fact that searchers on the Bing Network spend 34% more online than average internet searchers.4 Bing users are ready, willing, and able to buy, which makes them prime targets for your business during the holidays.
Harness the Power of In-Market Audiences
The Bing Network audience sounds great, but how can you make sure you’re connecting with consumers who are genuinely interested in what you sell? That’s where Bing Ads’ In-Market Audiences come into play.
In-Market Audiences allow you to associate your ad groups with curated lists of potential customers who are ready to buy in your product category. This means your ads will show to users who are more likely to click and convert. According to Microsoft pilot performance data, ads delivered to In-Market Audiences boast a 44% higher click-through rate and 35% higher conversion rate than the same ads shown without In-Market Audiences.5
In-Market Audiences are currently available for more than 20 verticals, including ones traditionally popular around the holidays. These include Apparel & Accessories, Computers & Peripherals, Home Appliances, Consumer Electronics, and more. You can even use more specific segments within verticals, such as “Software” and “Laptops & Notebooks” in Computers & Peripherals.
Stand Out with Shopping Campaigns
Bing Shopping Campaigns are a great way to showcase your offerings during the holiday season. They allow you to create and manage Product Ads, which feature images from your product catalog to better capture the attention of shoppers as they scroll through search results.
Shopping Campaigns saw 47% YoY click growth from October to December 2017, according to Bing.6 The month of October showed the most growth, so it’s a good idea to get your holiday campaigns up and running early. In fact, Bing reports that October 2017 saw the greatest YoY retail holiday click growth on the Bing Network, with nine of the top 10 holiday search days coming during this month.7 That means you should already be pursuing holiday shoppers before your Halloween decorations come down.
You can also spread awareness of your holiday offers within Shopping Campaigns using Merchant Promotions. These let you advertise site-wide sales or attach promotional details to specific products. You can even include a promo code that users will see upon clicking the “Special Offer” link (see below). Merchant Promotions keep customers well-informed about your seasonal offers and special deals, giving you an edge over competitors and driving more traffic to your site.
Win the Holidays with Us
This is just a taste of the many reasons you should be advertising with Bing this holiday season. Interested in learning how NetElixir can set you up for success on Bing Ads? Visit our Paid Search services page for more info, or contact us for specific inquiries.
For more insights and strategies to dominate the holidays, be sure to check out our Holiday Readiness Resources, as well. You’ll find a search marketing workbook, PPC calendar, online clinics with our experts, and other tools to help you come out on top this year.
Special thanks to our Bing rep, Milton Reis, for his insight and assistance with this blog post!
Sources
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Microsoft Internal Estimates, January 2017
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comScore qSearch, Explicit Core Search (custom), February 2017
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comScore qSearch, Explicit Core Search (custom), U.S., March 2018
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comScore qSearch, Explicit Core Search, U.S. PC, owned and operated, March 2018
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Microsoft internal data, pilot performance data from retail using “bid only” targeting on Bing owned and operated traffic, December 2017
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Microsoft internal data, Bing Network, U.S., demand data, October-December 2016 and October-December 2017
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Microsoft internal data, the Bing Network, U.S., October 1, 2017–December 31, 2017
