How to Predict Which Q4 Google Products Will Sell, and Then Sell More of Them

By Tinuiti Team

Aug 26 2014

There are roughly 120 until the 2014 big holidays- Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukah. Still too far off to plan for your store on Google Shopping? Last year, Costco, Sam’s Club and Michaels all featured Christmas displays in August, and 40% of polled US shoppers admitted they start holiday shopping before Halloween.

Below are leading strategies to help you improve conversion rate on Google Shopping before and during Q4 to increase sales and campaign performance for the holiday season.

Sell more this Q4 on Google AdWords

Understanding what items sell the best is key lever for increasing sales and ensuring ROI by elevating items which will sell.

This strategy is even more crucial during and preceding Q4 to take advantage of the influx of shoppers.

Here are four steps to identify and leverage top selling products for Google AdWords prior to Q4:

1. Identify Top Selling Product Groups

Top Sellers– Group(s) of products which perform, and you can increase bids for during the holiday season for more exposure and sales on search.

Google Analytics is a great resource for Google advertisers to diagnose and identify products and product groups to increase bids and exposure for on search. When structuring your ad campaign, you’ll want to keep in mind best-selling products for year round promotion, and those which you’ll want to highlight around the holiday season.

Once your campaign is running, use historical AdWords data to identify products which sell well. Keep an eye out for products which get more clicks and sales, but maintain a positive cost of sale. You’ll want to separate these items into a specific custom label ad group(s) with increased bids.

Keep in mind for Q4 your custom label best seller groups may have overlap with perennial best sellers, and will have increased competition from other sellers.

2. Consider Competitively Priced Items

Selling umbrellas at the beach is much different than selling umbrellas when you know a typhoon is coming. Advertisers know that Q4 is a time to maximize sales, and they come out in full force. Identify products which you sell that your competitors also sell- and will get more competition during the holiday. In addition to basic AdWords reports, you’ll likely want to use Google’s:

Bid Simulator Tool – Test different bids to gauge effectiveness against competition without actually implementing any bids.
Impression Share Tool– Identify which impressions you are getting on which products.

3. Think About Discounted Items

(Via Sale or Coupon)

Sales are rampant during Q4. Consider your competitor’s sales, and featuring sales of your own.

4. Identify Perennial Best Sellers

Have an idea of what products sell for your store year round. Temper your ad strategy to elevate those products year long, but even more so during Q4. Use AdWords reports to gauge what is converting well, and which products to elevate during Q4.

If you are unsure of what AdWords reports to use, or where to find performance data, check out reports under the Campaigns tab. Remember to identify

Consider running the following AdWords Performance reports:

5. Analyze Top Movers On Other Channels

Remember AdWords isn’t agnostic of other online shopping channels. Holiday shoppers are looking for sales and comparing prices on Amazon, and other major ecommerce channels. Do your due diligence and compare your products (especially your top sellers) on other channels.