It will
become natural for consumers to click on native ads in organic search results, per Dave Schwartz, GM of product ads at Datapop -- especially on Google as the engine steps up its position to
standardize product listing ads (PLAs) and becomes the next ecommerce marketplace similar to Amazon, eBay, and Sears. It has been obvious that paid-search ads eventually will combine with the native
ad format and PLAs to create a hybrid type ad.
Search on "diamond earring" on Google.com and you'll find a more native ad looking product listing ad. Schwartz believes that PLAs are native by
nature, but many consumers don't realize it when they click on them. Behind that click, an advertiser pays either a cost per acquisition (CPA) or cost per click (CPC) against the merchandise they
market. "As Google evolves into an ecommerce marketplace through PLAs and Google Shopping, it will become natural for consumers to click on these native ads or product listings on Google," he
said.
About one year after Google launched PLAs just prior to the holidays, Datapop released some facts from its internal data on about 50 major retailers that participate in Google PLA on
Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
It turns out that many retailers spent about 20% of their entire November PLA budgets on Black Friday. PLA spending rose 5% higher on Cyber Monday. Online revenue
through PLAs rose higher on Cyber Monday than Black Friday -- between 10% and 15%. CPCs rose 5% higher on Black Friday.
As Schwartz points out, the Datapop data reveals how shoppers and
marketers leverage Google differently during different phases of the holiday shopping season.
Among Datapop clients, electronics retailers had much better metrics for sales and return on
investments Black Friday. The company, however, saw a reverse trend in Home & Garden and Apparel categories, where conversion rates and ROI were about 25% higher on Cyber Monday.
Average
order values were considerably lower on Cyber Monday vs. Black Friday as consumers realized that electronics deals were scarce. Ads with Merchant Promotions drove an average increase of 10% in CTR
compared with standard PLA ads, according to Schwartz.
Tune in Tuesday morning to the MediaPost Search Insider Summit live from Utah, to watch Blessin Lam lead a panel of experts on native
advertising.