Google CPG blog - News and Notes from Google"s CPG Vertical

From clipping to clicking – new research looks at the future of coupons

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Cross posted from the Google Commerce Blog

For a generation, clip-and-save coupons in freestanding newspaper inserts (FSIs) were the norm for shoppers. But with the introduction of downloadable, print-at-home, and digital coupons in recent years, shoppers today have a whole new array of options to receive and redeem better, more relevant discount offers -- whether at home or on the go. Internet marketing research firm eMarketer estimates that mobile coupon users will grow to 53.2 million by 2014.

Zavers by Google, the digital coupon solution that delivers relevant discount offers to shoppers on their desktops and mobile devices, completed a study with Shopper Sciences to dive into the current state of couponing, the potential of digital and mobile couponing, and to provide guidance in developing a strategy for the future.  

The Zavers study found that while women and moms have traditionally been the typical coupon user, men are quickly catching up -- now representing about a third of all coupon users across all categories.

Millennials also signify an expanding segment of the digital coupon market. According to our research, Millennials are more likely to use a mobile device to receive a percentage-off discount than any other age group. Millennials are also more likely to embrace digital solutions that help them manage coupons and offers.

Finally, our studies revealed that more than 40% of shoppers have left a retail store without purchasing because they knew they left a coupon at home. 54% percent of shoppers said that the ability to load digital coupons to a loyalty card or personal identifier (such as a smart phone) was “very” or “extremely useful.”  The data suggests that consumers value the ability to easily access their coupons whenever and wherever they are.

There are three key things that retailers and manufacturers can do to create a winning couponing program in the digital age:

1. Recognize the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) -- the moment when a shopper is searching online for products and information -- as a key opportunity for delivering relevant and tailored coupons.
2. Set up cloud-based redemption and reconciliation so coupons can be tracked and cleared in real time and promotions can be evaluated and adjusted quickly.
3. Understand your customer purchase habits and reward your best customers with motivating incentives.

Preview the below to learn more about the Zavers by Google coupon study, or download the complete white paper.




Posted by Jenny Liu, Product Marketing Manager, Zavers by Google

Price Chopper Supermarkets partners with Zavers by Google to reward their most loyal shoppers

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Cross posted from the Google Commerce Blog

Since its launch in January, Zavers by Google has partnered with leading regional supermarkets, like D’Agostino, BI-LO/Winn-Dixie and Associated Food Stores, to reward customers with relevant coupons. The digital coupon solution also helps retailers and manufacturers increase shopper spend and basket size.

Price Chopper, an innovative 81-year-old supermarket chain based in New York, worked with Zavers to engage their loyal shoppers in a new way, and saw significant results. Price Chopper was looking to optimize their coupon marketing campaigns and deliver more effective coupons to their customers’ rewards cards. After researching multiple digital coupon solutions, Price Chopper teamed up with Zavers by Google to seamlessly integrate their website and mobile app with the technology to load coupons directly to customers’ rewards cards.


“Digital coupons make it easier for shoppers to get savings at the moment they’re deciding what to buy. Plus, with automatic redemption at checkout, our cashiers don’t have to spend time scanning paper coupons,” says Heidi Reale, Price Chopper’s Director of Shopper and Digital Marketing.

After implementing Zavers by Google, Price Chopper saw significant gains in basket size, trip frequency, and weekly spend amongst its best customers. Internal analysis revealed that loyal shoppers who spent 50 percent of their share-of-wallet with Price Chopper also represented 43 percent of all their Zavers digital coupon users, which meant that these shoppers make up a valuable segment of their customers.

Furthermore, a Price Chopper comparison analysis of shopper spending habits showed that among shoppers who engaged with Zavers e-coupons, the average total monthly spend of active customers increased by 10 percent.

“We are very happy with the results so far,” Reale says. “We see e-coupons as a way to reward our best shoppers, the ones who spend the most with us and visit us the most. With Zavers by Google, we don’t simply deliver a coupon to someone’s card. We deliver it more effectively in a way that generates a better ROI for both manufacturers and retailers.”

To learn more about Price Chopper’s success with Zavers by Google, download the full case study. Visit google.com/zavers to learn more about Zavers’ digital couponing solution or contact our sales team at g.co/contact-zavers

Posted by Jenny Liu, Product Marketing Manager, Zavers by Google

Monday, June 17, 2013


New Learn with Google Webinar: Growing your Business and Engaging your Audience with Google+

Join us Wednesday at 10 PT/1 ET for a Learn with Google webinar "Growing your Business and Engaging your Audience with Google+". In this webinar, we'll provide a step-by-step guide for getting started on Google+. Topics will include new features, business success stories and best practices. (http://goo.gl/tt5QJ).

Posted by Christopher Moore, Google SMB

Thursday, May 02, 2013


New Learn with Google Webinars to Help you Become a Smarter Digital Marketer

At Google, one of our goals is to help make the web work for you. Today we’re announcing a new series of Learn with Google webinars, which will teach you how to use digital to build brand awareness and give you the tools you need to drive sales and grow loyalty and retention. Each of our sessions gives you deep-dive educational content, across a breadth of products and marketing objectives, in a format that’s convenient for you. Every webinar is led by Google product experts and includes time for audience Q&A. Sign up to start becoming a smarter digital marketer now. 
Upcoming live webinars: 

May
[YouTube] Driving Direct Response with Video
[Shopping] Google Shopping 101: Google Shopping for Beginners
[Research] New Research: How US Shoppers use Smartphones in Stores
[Mobile] Driving Deeper Engagement with your App Users 
[Mobile] Driving Brand Engagement with Mobile Rich Media
[Analytics] Measuring Success in a Multi-Device World 

June
[Mobile] Understanding Mobile Ads Across Marketing Objectives
[Shopping] Google Shopping 201: Merchant Center Deep Dive
[YouTube] Building your Business with YouTube Video Ads 
[Analytics] Metrics for the Mobile App Ecosystem 
[Search] What's New & Next in AdWords
[Analytics] Unleashing the Combined Power of Google Analytics & AdWords
[Social] Growing your Business & Engaging your Audience with Google+ 
[Shopping] Google Shopping 301: Creating & Optimizing Product Listing Ads
[Social] Launching & Amplifying your Impact Across Social Channels 
[Display] Reaching the Right Audience with Remarketing
[Research] Creating Custom Infographics with the New Google Databoard


Webinars are held Tuesdays through Thursdays at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern. 

Visit our webinar site to register for any of the live sessions and to access our large library of recorded content. You can also stay up-to-date on the schedule by adding our Learn with Google calendar to your own Google calendar to automatically see upcoming webinars. 

During our last series of webinars, attendees had the chance to win a Nexus 7. Clint Wilson was our lucky winner and he’ll soon be enjoying all of the tablet’s cool features. Check out our upcoming webinars for another chance to win! 

Learn with Google is a program to help businesses succeed through winning moments that matter, enabling better decisions and constantly innovating. We hope that you’ll use these best practices and how-to’s to maximize the impact of digital and grow your business. We’re looking forward to seeing you at an upcoming session! 

Thursday, March 14, 2013


Think Insights: Marketer data, information and inspiration just got a new address


Today marks the debut of the new Think Insights, Google’s hub for marketing insights and inspiration for advertisers and agencies. On google.com/think, you can learn about the latest research in digital marketing, be inspired by creative brand campaigns, and find useful products and tools. You’ll also find industry-leading case studies and Google’s latest research, strategic perspectives, interviews with innovators and experts and more—all to help you make the most of the web.

Every week, we’ll feature content that spans industries and interests. Here’s a snapshot of our top stories:

  • In Understanding the Full Value of Mobile, learn how sporting goods industry leader adidas worked with digital performance agency iProspect to understand how mobile drives value beyond mobile commerce, particularly in-store sales. The campaign proved the mobile brought a 680% incremental increase in ROI.

  • The Hyundai Elantra: Driveway Decision Maker campaign lets you watch your favorite Hyundai model drive right to your driveway, using a combination of Google Maps Street View, projection mapping and real-time 3D animation.

  • YouTube Ads Leaderboard shows which YouTube ads most moved audiences this month, through a winning combination of savvy promotion and smart creative strategy; a new list is featured each month.

    For consumer marketers, come visit the Consumer Goods industry page, which has all of the latest research and insights coming out of the CPG industry, all in one place. Check out the headlining story, Young Males’ Digital Path to Purchase, which examines how the internet affects what guys buy. The conclusion? Guys 18-34 years old search twice as much as the rest of the population, and half discover new products in the process.



In our Perspectives section, we tap our own experts—as well as heads of industry, digital visionaries and Wharton professors—to lend their insights and analyses on the topics that matter most to marketers. The Product & Tools section contains information about our products and advertising platforms, as well as Planning Tools like the Brand Impressions tool and the popular Real-Time Insights finder.

For consumer marketers, come visit the Consumer Goods industry page, which has all of the latest research and insights coming out of the CPG industry, all in one place. Check out the headlining story, Young Males’ Digital Path to Purchase, which examines how the internet affects what guys buy. The conclusion? Guys 18-34 years old search twice as much as the rest of the population, and half discover new products in the process.

We built google.com/think to help you do it all—stay up-to-date on the latest in digital marketing, arm yourself with data to support your business cases and create inspiring campaigns. Explore the site now, and if you like what you discover, don't forget to subscribe to our Think Letter for a monthly round-up of our most popular content.


Authored by Lisa Gevelber, Head of Global Ads Marketing

Win moments that matter in 2013 with Learn with Google webinars

Wednesday, January 30, 2013


What was your business’ New Year’s resolution, and how do you plan to keep it? At Google, ours is to help make the web work for you. Our new series of Learn with Google webinars will teach you how to use digital to build brand awareness, and they’ll give you the tools you need to drive sales. By tapping into technology that works together across your business needs, you can resolve to win moments that matter in 2013.

Check out our upcoming live webinars:

Build Awareness

02/12 [Multiscreen] Brand Building in a Multiscreen World
02/20 [YouTube] How to Build your Business with YouTube Video Ads
03/05 [Social] How to Use Google+ and Make Social Work for You
03/12 [Mobile] Understanding Mobile Ads Across Marketing Objectives
03/27 [Wildfire by Google] The Call for Converged Media

Drive Sales

01/29 [Analytics] Google Tag Manager: Technical Implementation
02/07 [Search] Your Shelf Space on Google: Get Started with Google Shopping
02/26 [YouTube] From Awareness to Sales: Making the Most of Video Remarketing
02/27 [Search] What's New and Next in AdWords
03/06 [Display] Biggest Loser: Digital Ad Spend Edition
03/13 [Mobile] The Full Value of Mobile
03/20 [Display] Getting Started with Dynamic Remarketing

Visit our webinar site to register for any of the sessions and to access past webinars on-demand. You can also stay up-to-date on the schedule by adding our Learn with Google Webinar calendar to your own Google calendar to automatically see upcoming webinars.

During our last series of webinars, attendees had the chance to win a Nexus 7. Our lucky winner was Donella Cohen, who is happily enjoying her new tablet. Check out our upcoming webinars for another chance to win!

Learn with Google is a program to help businesses succeed through winning moments that matter, enabling better decisions and constantly innovating. We hope that you’ll use these best practices and how-to’s to maximize the impact of digital and grow your business. We’re looking forward to seeing you at an upcoming session!


Posted by Erin Molnar, Marketing Coordinator, Learn with Google


Friday, January 11, 2013

Introducing Zavers by Google — helping retailers and manufacturers deliver relevant coupons to shoppers

Today we’re excited to introduce Zavers by Google—a digital coupon solution that enables retailers and manufacturers to reward loyal customers with coupons that are relevant to them -- increasing basket size and redemption rates. So dog owners don’t get cat food coupons and parents of teenagers don’t get diaper coupons.

Unlike traditional media, Zavers’ real-time data gives manufacturers new ways to measure coupon redemptions and analyze consumer preferences so they can manage distribution, tailor campaigns, and optimize budgets for maximum ROI. Zavers also offers access to an extensive network of manufacturer coupons, opening up new retail revenue streams.

With Zavers, shoppers find manufacturer discounts on their favorite retailer websites, and save the digital coupons to their accounts. Then they simply shop for those products and check out as usual. Redemption occurs in real time, with savings automatically deducted at checkout when shoppers provide their rewards cards or phone numbers—no scanning or sorting necessary. Manufacturers only pay when a product is moved off the shelf.

Zavers by Google is growing fast. This month we are thrilled to welcome New York’s Original Grocer, D’Agostino, as the latest partner in our retail network. In the coming months, we will be announcing partnerships with a number of other major retailers.

Retailers and manufacturers can see first-hand how Zavers works by visiting our demonstration booth at the annual NRF Convention & Expo, January 14-15 (booth #2281).

If you are a U.S.-based retailer or packaged goods manufacturer, let us show you how Zavers by Google can help. To get started, please contact our sales team at g.co/contact-zavers or visit our website at google.com/zavers.


Posted by Spencer Spinnell, Director, Emerging Platforms, Google Commerce

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Build Your Digital Brand with Google+ Webinar

The Google+ platform provides a fresh canvas for building and strengthening your digital brand, tying into all the marketing you already do with Google. From launching a new product using Google+ pages to engaging with your community of enthusiasts over Hangouts, join our Learn with Google webinar this Thursday for a look at ways your company can build its brand using social. Sign up on our webinar page to attend: Building a Digital Brand with Google+ (Thurs, Dec 6, 10am PT / 1pm ET)

After the Hangout, we’ll host a live Q&A with members of the Google+ team to answer questions about building a brand with Google+. RSVP on the Google+ Event page and add your questions as comments on that page.

With more than 100 monthly million active Google+ users, the time is right to focus on building your digital brand presence via the platform. Google+ has seen a wealth of brands engaging with users in creative, interactive ways. In fact, brands created more than 1 million Google+ pages in just a few months. For instance:

  • H&M -- The retail clothing company, with more than 2 million Google+ followers, uses tailored content, images and video to bring its fashions and lifestyle to life on the platform. They’ve also utilized Ripples to identify their trendsetters and saw a 22% clickthrough rate boost after implementing social extensions in AdWords.

  • Cadbury -- The chocolate maker has reached a following of nearly 3 million users with a combination of creative posts, Hangouts on Air and even the launch of their Dairy Milk Bubbly bar. They’ve also installed the Google+ badge on the company’s web homepage, making it easy as chocolate to follow the brand.

Like the ideas here? Log on Thursday to learn more about how to create, capture and sustain demand for your brand using Google+. And if you’re going to miss this while you’re at SMX Social in Las Vegas next week, check back at the webinars page later for a recording of the webinar.


Posted by Sarah Neels, Sales Development Manager, CPG

Take your social strategy to the next level with Learn with Google Hangouts and Webinars

Wednesday, October 31, 2012


Take your social strategy to the next level with Learn with Google Hangouts and Webinars

Over the next few weeks, we’re offering four opportunities to learn more about Google+ for your business. We kick off with a Learn with Google Hangout on Air with bestselling author +Chris Brogan on November 5th at 10am PT / 1pm ET. Chris will cover tactics for successful social marketing and discuss his new book, “Google+ for Business: How Google's Social Network Changes Everything.” RSVP for the Hangout on the Google+ Event page.


Learn Chris’s recipes for how to grow and engage your Google+ community to build your brand and drive your business’s visibility and conversions. Hear about Chris’s own experiences helping companies succeed in their content marketing and social projects. Chris Brogan is a New York Times bestselling author, CEO of Human Business Works, and advises companies on marketing, business strategy, communications and more.

If you have a question for Chris, leave your question as a comment on the Google+ Event.

Boost your success with Google+

Want to learn more about using Google+ for your business? Sign up for our Learn with Google webinars. Here are some great upcoming webinars to help you get the most out of social for your business:

  • Social that Adds Up: Performance and Measurement (Thurs, Nov 8, 10am PT / 1pm ET)
  • Supercharge your Social Media Initiatives with Video (Wed, Nov 14, 10am PT / 1pm ET)
  • Building a Digital Brand with Google+ (Thurs, Dec 6, 10am PT / 1pm ET)


Posted by Lindsay Rumer, Google+ for Business

Win Moments that Matter with Learn with Google Webinars

Wednesday, October 10, 2012



As we’re nearing the end of 2012, we’ve all got business goals to meet. Some of you might even be prepping for your busiest season. Today, we’re announcing our next series of Learn with Google webinars, which will arm you with the tools you need to get the most out of your holiday ad dollars. We’ve got a special series on remarketing as well as a few holiday-specific strategies to help you navigate the season successfully. Over the next couple of months, 20 webinars will teach you tips and how-to’s to help make the web work for your business.

Check out the full schedule of webinars below:

  • 10/16 [Search] Drive Traffic to your Locations with your Online Campaigns
  • 10/18 [Video] TrueView Video Advertising Strategies for the Holidays
  • 10/23 [Mobile] Understanding your App Users with Google Analytics
  • 10/24 [Research] Real-Time Insights with Google Consumer Surveys
  • 10/25 [Display] Remarketing Series: Getting Started with Remarketing
  • 10/30 [YouTube] TrueView Video Advertising for Agencies
  • 10/31 [Social] Social Media Best Practices for a Successful Holiday Season
  • 11/01 [Video] Optimizing TrueView Video Ad Campaigns
  • 11/02 [Analytics] Attribution Modeling for Digital Success     
  • 11/06 [Video] YouTube Analytics for Advertisers
  • 11/07 [Video] Remarketing Series: YouTube and Video Remarketing
  • 11/08 [Social] Social that Adds Up: Performance and Measurement
  • 11/13 [Analytics] Getting Started with Google Tag Manager
  • 11/14 [Social] Supercharge your Social Media Initiatives with Video   
  • 11/15 [Display] Remarketing Series: Getting Started with the New Remarketing Tag
  • 11/27 [Display] Remarketing Series: Getting Started with Similar Audiences
  • 11/29 [Mobile] New Tablet Research: How to Win on the Third Screen
  • 12/05 [Mobile] Capturing the Full Value of Mobile with Click-to-Call and Call Metrics
  • 12/06 [Social] Building a Digital Brand with Google+
  • 12/12 [Analytics] Remarketing Series: Remarketing with Google Analytics

All webinars are at 10 PT/ 1 ET.

Visit our webinar page to register for any of the sessions and to access past webinars on-demand. You can also stay up-to-date on the schedule by adding our Learn with Google Webinar calendar to your own Google calendar to automatically see upcoming webinars.

Learn with Google is a program to help businesses succeed through winning moments that matter, enabling better decisions and constantly innovating. We hope that you’ll use these best practices and how-to’s to maximize the impact of digital and grow your business. We’re looking forward to seeing you at an upcoming session!

Posted by Erin Molnar, Marketing Coordinator

So You Weren't An Early Adopter: How to Kick Start Social with Google+

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Join social media power influencer +Lynette Young for a look at ways your business can kick start its presence on Google+ in a Learn with Google Hangout on August 23rd at 1pm EDT/10am PDT. RSVP for the Hangout on our Google+ Event page.




Companies big and small are using social media to interact with customers and build digital brands. Even if your business wasn’t an early adopter of social, Lynette will guide you through ways to kick start this channel with Google+. In this hangout, she’ll talk through examples of businesses using hangouts, pages and unique content to grow their audience. As a Learn with Google program, you’ll also hear lots of tips and strategies you can use to build a community from scratch on Google+.  

Lynette Young is a digital media specialist helping entrepreneurs and businesses put social ideas into action. She is the founder of Women of Google+ and CEO of Purple Stripe Productions. Kari Clark of the Google+ Marketing team will moderate the conversation with Lynette and other social media specialists including:

We hope you can join us to begin using Google+ for your business. If you have a question for the panel, leave your questions as a comment on our Google+ Event.

To get yourself geared up for the hangout, check out the two newest Google+ business case studies. Toyota Global has been engaging its Google+ community with content of the latest car models and a hangout with a Toyota engineer. By incorporating Google+ badges on its website and YouTube channel, the car manufacturer has grown to over one million followers. In the education space, ES Corporation is teaching English lessons in hangouts. Using social extensions, the business also saw a 46% increase in click-through rate on search ads.

Posted by Lindsay Rumer, Google+ for Business