Turn Curiosity into

Customers this Holiday Season

By Jochen Heck, VP Sales - Retail, Google

Shopping habits have changed in the last three years. People who were reluctant to buy online were forced to do so, and wound up embracing this activity. And today, more shoppers have returned to stores at a higher rate compared to pre-pandemic levels - without decreasing their digital usage.Simply put, shoppers are being more intentional with their purchases and price is no longer the only consideration. A seamless experience that is personalized to a shopper’s unique needs is now table stakes.

That is because today’s shopper values the ability to shop seamlessly across channels, whenever it’s convenient, whether they’re online or offline, in store or curbside. This is what we call a full omni-buyer, who shops where they want, when they want, how they want. We saw the early signs of this last holiday season, with 54% of shoppers using five or more channels, like video and social media, to shop over a two-day period.

So, what does this mean for retailers this holiday season? We need to rethink the holiday playbook. Below are my recommendations for how to meet the omni-buyer this holiday season and beyond:


Be there throughout the shopping journey to validate brand and product quality

Google is a key tool in the shopping journey with 87% of holiday shoppers across surveyed countries reported using Google as a shopping resourceand 64% using Google for “discovery and inspiration.” One thing is abundantly clear: shoppers do not want to sacrifice value for cost. In fact, 76% of U.S. shoppers reported wanting to buy higher-quality products that last longer.As these shoppers spend more time researching the best products and deals, the most helpful messaging that shoppers want brands to communicate is on the quality of an item (46%) and deals / promotions (45%) to validate the purchaseas shoppers explore gifting options.


Reinforce trust and confidence where it matters the most

Video can help brands deliver relevant, personalized experiences to communicate retailer’s brand and product value, whether the omni-buyer is watching a shopping haul or their favorite creator’s holiday gift guide for this season. A recent Social Commerce and Video Study completed with TalkShoppe showed that having trusted information and confidence in purchases is more important to shoppers than ever before. And shoppers have more confidence in the products they find on YouTube, with respondents in this study ranking YouTube number one against other video services and social media platforms in finding honest and detailed information. For example, Michael Kors collaborated with YouTube BrandConnect to bring their #AccessItAll campaign messaging to the forefront in an authentic way through the lens of relevant creators. This resulted in 63% lift in awareness and 45% lift in purchase intent for their MKGO smartwatch platforms.

Today’s shopper values the ability to shop seamlessly across channels and want brands to communicate product quality. Having trusted information and confidence in purchases is more important to shoppers than ever before.

Offer flexible shopping fulfillment options

As we approach holiday shipping cut-off deadlines, it becomes even more important to surface all available shopping fulfillment options. Searches containing “near me in stock” have grown in the U.S. by more than 90% year-over-year and searches containing “store open” have grown globally by over 400% year-over-year. Holiday omni-buyers are browsing and finding inspiration both online and offline, across multiple retail categories. In the U.S. alone, people are shopping across seven categories in a two-day period. This means shopping inspiration can strike anytime, anywhere for this shopper, so retailers must be ready to connect with shoppers to close on a purchase at any moment.


Capture consumer demand across all channels with machine learning

Automation will create efficiencies throughout the customer journey, across all channels to deliver meaningful business results this season and beyond.We see that retailers bidding with advanced measurement yield a15% revenue lift on average, which makes this a critical component to any holiday plan. Take leading retailer Ulta Beauty. Part of their digital strategy to meet shoppers where they are is using automation. Since launching Performance Max, they’ve driven a 20% lift on return on ad spend compared to existing campaigns that help find the right mix of inventory and formats across Google’s advertising channels to help increase sales online and in-store.

NOVember 2022

NOV 2022

Go to article: Holiday Season 2022 Go to article: EditorialGo to article: Table of contentsGo to article: Table of contentsGo to article: US holiday shopping 2022Go to article: A Retailer’s Guide To The 2022 Holiday Season Go to article: Resilient RetailingGo to article: Adapting to New Consumer Behavior TrendsGo to article: Celebrating in Uncertain TimesGo to article: Meet the omni-buyer this holiday seasonGo to article: The Shifts Driving RetailGo to article: Satisfying Holiday Shoppers in the Digital WorldGo to article: Maximizing Online Store Performance for this Black Friday and Cyber MondayGo to article: eCommerce: Preparing for the Holiday Traffic SpikesGo to article: What brands need to know for the holidaysGo to article: Product Imagery to Boost eCommerce CoversionGo to article: AI/ ML and the Shopping ExperienceGo to article: How AI can help retailers retain revenue this holidayGo to article: Gift Cards: The Preferred Employee RewardGo to article: Gift Cards: The Vital Revenue DriverGo to article: Personalization and Loyalty in Grocery RetailGo to article: Marketing in the MomentGo to article: Holiday E-commerce CampaignGo to article: Target and Convert Holiday ShoppersGo to article: Analytics for the WinGo to article: Customer Expectations 2022Go to article: Connected Customer EngagementGo to article: Managing Consumer DistrustGo to article: Online grocery experienceGo to article: Leverage Holiday Return Spikes to Drive Customer Retention Go to article: Right Product Information to Reduce ReturnsGo to article: Returns ManagementGo to article: Managing the Surge in Payment ProcessingGo to article: Preparing Shopping Bot AttacksGo to article: Holiday Cyber Attacks: How to Outsmart the BotsGo to article: Top 5 Bot Attacks that Online Retailers Should Prepare For Go to article: Fighting the ScammersGo to article: Retail RansomwareGo to article: Retail employee engagementGo to article: Operational Communication for the Holiday SeasonGo to article: Empowering the Grocery WorkforceGo to article: Retail Workforce ChallengesGo to article: Fully Connected Retail Supply Chain for the Holiday SeasonGo to article: Prep up the Retail Supply Chain for Peak SeasonGo to article: Combating Supply Chain DisruptionGo to article: Prepare CX Teams to Manage the Longer Holiday Shopping Season Go to article: Retail Hiring for the HolidaysGo to article: Mercatus_Ad