How Paid Search via Google, MSN and Yahoo Increased Shopper Demand 33 Percent Over 2009

NEW YORK, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers shopping online for apparel in spring 2010 increased their total paid search demand by an impressive 33 percent over the same months in 2009.  PM Digital (www.pmdigital.com), a leading search engine marketing agency representing 18 of the Top 500 Retailers, today released its Rewind: Spring Apparel 2010 Report, where findings reveal a big surge in demand for paid search in another sign that the economy has strengthened.

Apparel companies achieved this swell in demand in February through April with a modest increase of 2 percent in year-over-year spend, revealing that search ad dollars went further this year than they did at the same time last year, as CPCs fell by -1 percent.  The biggest weeks for spring apparel sales typically occurred at the end of all three months -- except for the Valentine's and President's Day weeks, which had even higher sales.

"Online apparel retailers had to do some hard work in this emerging economic recovery adjusting pricing, incentives and inventory," said Chris Paradysz, CEO of PM Digital.  "Now we're seeing the hard work pay off with a dramatic year-over-year swell in demand for spring 2010."

Data from the Rewind: Spring Apparel 2010 Report shows definite seasonal patterns for apparel marketers including the following:

• The top week for search demand occurred the week of Sunday, February 21st - Saturday, February 27th.  It was also the second-best week for orders.
• For a second consecutive year, the top day for paid search (orders and demands) occurred about 10 -12 days before Easter on Thursday, March 25th.
• The weeks ending February 13th, February 27th, March 27th and April 24th were strongest for sales of spring apparel.
• Peak spend days preceded an increase in sales two days later in each month.
• President's Day on Monday, February 15th was the day with the highest number of consumer clicks.
• Same-day paid search conversion was stronger toward the end of each month, with Saturday, April 24th being the best day this spring.
• Sundays were the top day of the week for demand and conversion, while Tuesdays tended to be highest for order volume.
• Mondays were the strongest day of the week for clicks, but had lower conversion, which meant it was not the top day for sales.

"What was really interesting this spring in search was how consumers continue to demonstrate their eagerness to shop online and to view search as an essential conduit to their fashion needs," said Suzy Sandberg, President of PM Digital.  "Search has become dramatically integral to the way consumers shop online."

For a full copy of the report, please visit: http://www.pmdigital.com/press__events/spring_apparel_study/.

The Rewind: Spring Apparel 2010 Report examines performance data from PM Digital clients in combination with data reported by Google, Yahoo and MSN.

About the Rewind: Spring Apparel 2010 Report

Rewind is a product of PM Digital Research that analyzes recent client sales patterns within a given online media channel, market category and time frame.  This edition focuses on paid search campaigns for online merchants during the Spring Apparel 2010 season (February – April).  The objective is to provide PM Digital clients with actionable intelligence and perspective to aid strategic planning and to help benchmark success.

About PM Digital

PM Digital (www.pmdigital.com) is a leading digital marketing agency specializing in search engine marketing.  Supported by proprietary media and marketing intelligence tools, PM Digital builds business revenues and brands online for 18 of Internet Retailers Top 500 retailers in the nation, as well as premium brand name clients in the publishing and nonprofit fields.  Clients include Bloomingdale's, Spiegel, The North Face, King Arthur Flour, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., and SLE Lupus Foundation, among others.  Based in New York, PM Digital has offices in San Francisco, Columbia, SC, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis, MN.  To find out more about PM Digital thought leadership, go to http://blog.pmdigital.com/.

SOURCE PM Digital