Commentary
Search, Display Retargeting Campaigns Ink Path To Conversion
- by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, June 14, 2011
Dillon Smith, emarketing and social media manager at Golfsmith, a specialty retailer of golf and tennis equipment, apparel and accessories, has been working independently both with Kenshoo and Criteo for about 1.5 years to drive sales through its online store -- Kenshoo for paid-search campaigns, and Criteo for retargeting display ads.
Both search and retargeting have proven to be successful channels to capture sales, but after Kenshoo and Criteo inked an agreement earlier this year to work together, Smith put plans in motion to integrate Criteo's ad retargeting reports into the Kenshoo paid-search platform. That process began in February.
The integration provides Golfsmith marketers with a better understanding of the relationship between search and retargeting, as well as the ability to track attribution through data and analysis for use in campaign optimization. The data retargeting and search campaign data available in path-to-conversion reports clearly shows a path to conversion, Smith said.
"We can see the first click from a paid-search ad, which gives us ground to stand on when making adjustments to monthly budgets for display retargeting and search," he said. "Even if we don't generate conversions through certain paid-search clicks, that money isn't going out the window. We're still generating conversions down the line, though it might not be directly through the paid-search channel."
Golfsmith marketers can see traffic moving through the ads managed by Kenshoo. This has helped to add between 10% and 15% to paid-search campaigns by redistributing marketing funds from other channels. For every $1 spent on a paid-search campaign, Golfsmith gets about $7.5 return on the investment (ROI). But the integration continues to increase orders rather than have a direct impact on ROI, Smith said.
About 36% of Golfsmith's retargeting conversions start with a paid-search click, and 15% of Golfsmith's retargeting conversions start with a branded paid-search click. And while Kenshoo offers integration with social campaigns, Smith said Golfsmith has yet to take advantage of the tools.
For Smith, it all comes down to seeing the path to conversion. That has become the most valuable data. And even if certain keywords that gain traffic and clicks don't directly generate conversions in paid-search campaigns, they could be down the path on the retargeting side.
Laurie Sullivan is a writer and editor for MediaPost. You can reach Laurie at lauriesullivan@gmail.com.
Good post ! Also consider Social #VideoCommerce to enable every advertiser to "actively demonstrate their products & services, offer a #VideoCoupon or other incentive and to 'ask for the order' and execute it on the spot. vADz.com offers the best end-to-end app.
Criteo is very happy with this new partnership and looking forward to bring more transparency to marketers with their online mix.
feel free to contact if you have questions.
How about more transparency with users? From what I have seen, the awareness of remarketing is still very low. Those that feel it is ok to "stalk" users as they move around the web should consider what happens when more people catch on and start to understand why ads for Fleet Enamas show up on sites selling baby clothes.
Sure, I know it works, but does that make it right? And will your brand be able to weather the backlash of publicity when and if it happens?
And what does vADz.com have to do with the remarketing topic of this article? Am I missing the connection or that just a spam comment that is thankfully a rare occurance here?
Great article. It shows how site retargeting can make SEM dollars work harder. Have you considered search retargeting too? By targeting users who have expressed an intent but not necessarily visited a retailer's site, the pool of potential shoppers increases dramatically.
Ben Plomion
@chango
Great article -- and results! Golfsmith shows the real value in understanding the path to conversion. While results are important, it's also critical to gain insights and properly evaluate performance in order to adjust budgets and drive better media optimization. With search retargeting, we've also seen glowing results, including a recent retailer garnering a 272% ROI as well as search retargeting outperforming RON by as much as 150% for an auto brand. While site retargeting helps you retain customers (i.e., people who have been to your site), search retargeting helps to drive new customer acquisition (i.e., people that have never been to your site but are interested in your product). Its clear that retargeting works -- thanks to MediaPost and Golfsmith for the proof.