What Valentine’s Day Celebrators are Searching for Online

BY Courtney Huckabay
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Bing Ads shares Valentine’s Day CPC and CTR trends, including some surprising mobile stats. Mobile plays a significant role, accounting for nearly half of all Valentine's Day-​related searches on Bing.

"Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and Bing has released insights based on last year’s shopping behavior and advertising performance in the U.S. to help inform marketers’ plans for this year," Ginny Marvin writes.

The latest research from AudienceSCAN revealed 20.9% of adults celebrated Valentine's Day at a restaurant or hotel last year.

Just over half of U.S. adults say they celebrate Valentine’s Day, and they continue to spend more, online in particular, according to the National Retail Federation. "Who’s spending the most? Unmarried men ages 25–34, according to a composite of studies. However, when it comes to search, it seems women are more active. Bing says that last year, 17 percent of “Valentine’s Day gifts for …” search queries on the engine were for “boyfriend,” whereas just 4 percent were for “girlfriend.” “Husband” topped the list at 22 percent, while “wife” came in at 16 percent of Valentine’s Day “gifts for” queries."

They could be searching for something special to wear (or be worn) for the big night. The AudienceSCAN survey revealed 20.5% of Valentine's Day Celebrators intend to buy women's lingerie in the coming days and months.

"Most Valentine’s Day-​related searches occurred within two weeks before February 14 in 2015. Last-​minute shoppers sent searches soaring on Valentine’s Day. Clicks on ads rose significantly in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day and peaked the day before."

Spas and salons should target Valentine's Day Celebrators too. 20% plan to pay for facial or other day spa services, according to AudieneSCAN research.

"Interestingly, that final week is also when CPCs have historically trended down from the highs of January. They then rise again starting February 11, when panic presumably sets in. Bing also notes that CTRs are highest and CPCs are lowest on weekdays."

Ski resorts should take note of this time frame. Valentine's Day Celebrators are 96% more likely than average adults to be planning trips to ski resorts, according to AudienceSCAN data. And 10.2% intend to hire travel planning services.

"In 2016, Valentine’s Day searches on Bing were split nearly evenly, with 48 percent occurring on mobile (up from 40 percent the previous year) and 52 percent on PC/​tablet from January to February. That’s somewhat surprising given Bing’s relative weakness on mobile compared to Google, and it’s something for advertisers to keep in mind when optimizing their Bing Valentine’s Day campaigns this year. Mobile click share rose less significantly year over year on Bing, increasing from 18 percent in 2015 to 21 percent in 2016."

AudienceSCAN data is available as part of a subscription to AdMall for Agencies, or with the SalesFuel API. Media companies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.


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