how to forecast and plan the holiday season by sophie newton
TRANSCRIPT
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
Four tactics to maximize holiday sales
How to forecast and plan for the holiday season
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
§ Studied math at Oxford University
§ Director at Brainlabs, the fastest growing UK digital agency
§ We do all things biddable
Hi there, I’m Sophie from Brainlabs!
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
For paid search think about both message and spend.
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We need to plan and forecast.
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
of holiday shoppers started buying in October
Look at the run-up as well as the holidays
25%
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
Look at the run-up as well as the holidays
48% Before Cyber Monday
of holiday shoppers had done most of their shopping
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§ Black Friday sales peak in the morning § Cyber Monday sales peak in the evening
Look at hourly data Source: IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark
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Look at devices
Smartphone and tablet traffic was
of online traffic in 2014. Up from 41% in 2013.
53%
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Look at devices
27.9% Last Black Friday in the US
of online sales came from mobile
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
§ Use all your data to work out when to spend your budget to best effect
Basic Budget Modelling
Hour of Day Device
Day Product Line
Budget
Location
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§ How can we use technology to improve our budget model?
Taking this to the next level...
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Connecting the AdWords API to the Prediction API allows the forecast to change as the facts change.
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
Connecting the AdWords API to the Prediction API allows the forecast to change as the facts change.
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
Connecting the AdWords API to the Prediction API allows the forecast to change as the facts change.
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
Connecting the AdWords API to the Prediction API allows the forecast to change as the facts change.
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
Connecting the AdWords API to the Prediction API allows the forecast to change as the facts change.
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
Connecting the AdWords API to the Prediction API allows the forecast to change as the facts change.
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
§ Start with a basic hourly cost and sales email to keep on top of things
The facts can change hour to hour
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§ Compare spend relative to historical hourly data to see if we are on track
Track against historical data
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§ Group tracking by account, or even by campaigns and keywords to easily watch for anomalies
Look for anomalies on an hourly basis
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URL Checking – not just broken links!
Green Shirt – Size 12
Sorry – none in stock!
A lovely shirt made of finest verdant lorem ipsum, lined with dolor sit amit. Machine washable.
Plain Green Shirt $30
2 results found for ‘green shirt’
Plainer Green Shirt $36
§ Stock levels § Product depth
12%
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
§ Use automation to pause ads when their time is up.
§ Don’t forget to update § landing pages too!
Messaging – Stay Up-To-Date
@Brainlabs #SMX #32D
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
Bulk Sale Ads Tool
Before sale During sale After sale
• We made a tool to label and pause non-sale ads while a sale is on.
• The tool unpauses non-sale ads after the sale.
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
Use Parameters and Customizers
§ Update ads without the hassle of replacing them. § Use accurate values for each product line.
§ Combine with countdowns for urgency
#SMX #32D @Brainlabs
§ Prediction API Spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iB07Uz88nnRqKwhooN7mra5iEkYomCw7Z8XGc8fodTk/edit#gid=10
§ 24/7 Bidding (now with mobile and shopping!) http://searchengineland.com/247-bidding-going-mobile-100-shopping-223943
§ Bid to position in real time http://www.brainlabsdigital.com/blog/adwords-script-real-time-position-bidding/
§ How fast does your AdWords data update? http://www.brainlabsdigital.com/blog/real-time-bidding-adwords/
§ Broken URL checker https://econsultancy.com/blog/64979-adwords-scripts-scan-your-landing-pages-and-put-an-end-to-errors/
DIY: Open source solutions