• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, November 20, 2015

Data from AdGooroo that examines U.S. Google desktop text ad activity from Sept. 27 through Nov. 15, 2015, estimates 1,082 advertisers spent $4.9 million on a list of 161 Black Friday keywords, including $2.7 million on the phrase "black friday deals."

AdGooroo examined paid-search activity in the retail category during the past month, analyzing who spent the most so far during the holiday shopping weekend. The Google desktop data, presented in conjunction with Kantar Media and The Store, WPP, analyzes 2,500 of the top retail keywords based on paid-search ad spend for keywords such as "black friday," black friday sales," black friday laptop deals," and "black friday online sales."

Some 30,563 advertisers spent $106 million on Google Desktop and tablet text ads. About 6,091 spent $22.3 million on Product Listing Ads -- which AdGooroo says were less fragmented than desktop text ads, with just five advertisers controlling 30% of PLA clicks. 

For paid-search ads last year, marketers spent $15,206,501 on the search phrase "black Friday 2014," which ranked as the No. 4 term during the holidays. The term served 185,190,754 impressions, with a click-through rate of 12.17% at a cost of $0.67. This year Black Friday began a month earlier for retailers.

Amazon leads U.S. Google desktop text ads with a 7% click share on the keyword group during the period — up compared with November 2014, when it led the category with 6% of clicks. Target maintained a 4% click share year-over-year, while Macy’s held onto 3% click share from 2014. JCPenney was the only other company among the top advertisers to improve its year over year share of clicks, rising to 3% in 2015 from 2% in 2014.

Walmart dropped the farthest, from a 5% click share in 2014 to 2% in 2015. Both Best Buy and Sears fell from 3% in 2014 to 1% this year. Kohl’s and Zappos held steady at 2% click share, compared with 2014, according to the AdGooroo data.

A report published Friday by Baird Equity Analyst Colin Sebastian delves into mobile search after hosting a conference call with eBags Co-founder Peter Cobb and Quick Ship Brands CEO Jordan Insley. Sebastian notes that Cobb said mobile searches now outpace those on desktops and tablets combined, favoring inventory aggregators such as Amazon, eBay, and Google. "While mobile conversion remains subdued vs. desktop, we note that attribution remains an issue, with many customers browsing via mobile and completing the transaction later via PCs or in-stores," Sebastian wrote.