0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

3.0%

3.5%

4.0%

4.5%

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

180000

26-J

un

3-J

ul

10-J

ul

17-J

ul

24-J

ul

31-

Jul

7-A

ug

14-A

ug

21-

Aug

28-A

ug

4-S

ep

11-S

ep

18-S

ep

25-S

ep

2-O

ct

9-O

ct

CTR

Searc

h r

esu

lts

pag

e v

iew

s

Parents/Teachers (A25 - 49) College Studets (A18-24)

A18-24 CTR A25 - 49

How do I advertise for back-to-school?

Advertisers should plan back-to-school

search campaigns around three key waves.

July August September

Non-brand

Back-to-school isn’t a last-minute shopping season.

Bing Network. Be there.bingads.com/insights

Source:

1. MCH Strategic Data, School calendar dates, August 2016.

2. Microsoft internal data, search volume, clicks and CTR in categories related to back-to-school – all devices, U.S., June 26, 2016 – October 9, 2016.

Brand

Focus on building your brand as consumers begin their research.

Increase competitive

bidding when brand

CPCs are at their lowest.

Include brands in non-

brand ad copy headlines

to build consideration.

Build cookie pools

for retargeting.

Employ bid modifiers to reach qualified hand-raisers.

Increase keyword bids for

shopping cart abandoners,

and reduce bids for people

that already made a

purchase.

Optimize for remarketing

by tailoring ad copy to

those that already visited

your site to entice them to

purchase.

September

On-campus purchasing

Both search volume and CTR peak after most primary schools start and college

students arrive on-campus.

August

Anticipatory purchasing

While searches dip, click-through rate

increases, especially for parents and teachers.

July

Research

Search volume increases among all

demographics.

Wave A:

July

Wave B:

August

Wave C:

September

21

–A

ug

28-A

ug

13% 11%20%

20%14%

21%

July (33%) August

(25%)

September

(41%)

Search share

by keyword type

$0.69 $0.74

$1.36

$0.97 $1.05 $1.19 0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

5.0%

$-

$0.20

$0.40

$0.60

$0.80

$1.00

$1.20

$1.40

$1.60

July August September

Plan your campaigns early to save. Both brand and non-brand keyword CPCs increase over time.

Don’t forget about last-minute webrooming.

Assist offline conversions

by focusing on branded

text ads, which contributed

to 70% of offline revenue

among Bing Ads

campaigns in a study of

one retailer’s online and

offline revenue.

Most popular U.S. school start dates1

Searches (age 25-49) Searches (age 18-24)

CTR (age 18-24)CTR (age 25-49)

Learn trending keywords for back-to-school

Now that you know what product categories are trending for back-to-school, learn specific trending keywords from the

Bing Ads back-to-school advertising presentation.

July August September

School supplies

are an anticipatory purchase.

4.49% peak CTRCTR peaks at the

end of July

81% of school supplies searches are non-brandedTry broad match

modifier since non-

brand searches

alternate by variations

of a keyword

(e.g., pen

or pens).

35% 31% 34%

4.23%

2.68%

2.34%

Searches CTR

July August September

Pens, pencils and markers had highest CTRs

Parents and teachers College students

CPC vs. CTR

by keyword type

Non-branded search happens throughout the season,

but branded search increases over time.

Back-to-school actions for advertisers

Back-to-school shoppers buy ahead and last-minute

Dorm purchases occur when students arrive on-campus.

Average CTR spikes the week of September 18 at 2.32%.

By CTR:

Kitchen accessories

Cookware

Lamps and lamp shades

By CTR growth rate:

Home office furniture

Blankets and bedspreads

By clicks:

Bedroom furniture

Living room furniture

Small kitchen appliances

Top furniture and accessories categories

Apparel searches kick start in July,

but remain strong through September.

88% bags and packs search

volume growth during July

4.38% peak CTR for apparel in mid-August

Footwear

contributed most

at 4.90%

24% clothing and 17% footwear search

increase at the beginning of September

Between the week of

August 28 to September 4

41%

29% 31%

3.04% 3.81% 3.64%

Searches CTR

July August September