• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 23, 2007

Trendy women's fashion retailer bebe stores Inc has selected iCrossing as its search agency of record. As such, iCrossing will be expected to develop and implement the American brand's natural and paid search campaigns to drive sales and increase its visibility.

bebe stores designs, develops, and produces apparel and accessories for a 21- to 35-year-old woman who "seeks current fashion trends to suit her lifestyle."

Retail analysts have recently taken a liking to the retailer's prospects, based largely on its perceived ability to exploit new marketing opportunities. For this reason, Brean Murray analyst Eric Beder earlier this month upgraded bebe stores Inc from "sell" to "buy," while raising his estimates for the company.

In combination with iCrossing's search marketing services and retail experience, bebe will use the agency's proprietary bid management and campaign analytics platforms to execute integrated search marketing programs.

iCrossing's other clients include Travelocity and some 40 Fortune 500 companies, including The Coca-Cola Co., General Motors and Office Depot. As a result, its bid management platform is built with retailers in mind, allowing them to manage dynamic inventory and pricing, as well as seasonal price fluctuations.

"We chose to partner with iCrossing based on their strong balance of retail experience, solution-focused technology and account management talent," said Barbara Wambach, chief administrative officer at bebe.

The bebe company markets its products under several brand names including bebe, Collection bebe, Neda by bebe, Neda, bebe Sport, and bebe O. In addition, the company operates more than 250 retail stores--about 190 of which operate under the flagship bebe brand.

Other features of iCrossing's bid management system include brand pattern recognition, so clients will be aware of relationships between brand-related keywords and more general product service or interest-related keywords; consumer purchase behavior analysis for insight into the time it takes for a consumer to make a purchasing decision; and demand-driven budget management to better understand client inventory and market demand.

This summer, iCrossing was able to fast-track its expansion as a full-service digital agency following a $62 million infusion from Goldman, Sachs and other investors.

Shortly after, it acquired Web development agency Proxicom for an undisclosed sum, growing from 200 to 550 employees overnight.

Proxicom gave iCrossing access to an entirely new roster of clients--particularly Proxicom's automotive vertical, which includes Chevron and Toyota. Dupont is another key Proxicom client.