Valentine’s targeting tool launched ahead of last-minute peak
eBay Advertising today announced the launch of a Valentine’s targeting tool as new data, released today, reveals that next Monday, 8 February, will signal the start of Britain’s panic Valentine’s purchasing. Dubbed “Red Monday,” the Monday before Valentine’s Day saw almost 20,000 searches for “Valentine’s” related items on eBay.co.uk last year, and eBay expects this year to follow suit.
eBay Advertising’s Valentine’s targeting tool is the latest themed shopper segment that the publisher has launched as part of its Advanced Targeting suite, aimed at enabling brands to engage with consumers in a more sophisticated, hyper-relevant way.
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The launch follows new insights, released today by eBay, which reveal that the last-minute window is a lucrative time for brands to tap into panic-purchasers and help uninspired gifters. The data reveals two key trends.
Final hour frenzy
Even with just a few hours to go on 13th February 2015, there were more than 200 searches per hour for “Valentine” and “present” on eBay.co.uk, as consumers shopped for gifts that they knew could arrive late. Contrary to stereotypes, it’s not just men who are leaving it to the last minute. eBay Advertising’s insights show that last year women as a whole were more likely than their male counterparts to still be searching for the keyword “Valentine” on this day.
Consumers reached “peak panic” between 1pm and 2pm on 13th February 2015 as they used their lunch breaks to find a belated gift for their loved one, and shopping continued late into the night. There were 200 searches for “Valentine’s” items on ebay.co.uk between 11pm and midnight, offering a valuable opportunity for marketers to reach out with last minute messages.
Too late luxuries
The later it gets, the more panicked men are driven to shopping for luxury items to make up for missing the day itself; searches for “perfume” and “handbag” by men rose by 24% and 30%, respectively, between 13th and 15th February 2015.
eBay Advertising has also revealed that there’s a big opportunity for brands to target the nation’s disappointed women, who resort to purchasing their own presents after the day itself. On the day after Valentine’s Day last year, searches by women for “luxury” items and “candle” on eBay.co.uk rose by 20% and 24%, respectively, overnight, as they took matters into their own hands.
Phuong Nguyen, Director, eBay Advertising UK, commented: “As our data shows, there is a huge opportunity for brands to engage with purchase ready consumers in the final days and hours before Valentine’s Day, and even the days that follow. But to do this, marketers must first be able to pinpoint different shopper mind-sets and tailor their approach accordingly. That’s why we launched our ‘Advanced Targeting’ tool, which allows brands to segment shopper groups that would usually be targeted as a whole, such as Valentine’s shoppers, to be more relevant and efficient in their campaigns.”
Pauline Robson, Director, MediaCom Real World Insight, said: “As the first big retail milestone after Christmas, brands should not underestimate the influence of Valentine’s Day on consumers’ spending habits. But the way the people shop is always evolving, and brands need to understand how shoppers behave as individuals – whether they plan in advance or shop at the very last minute – if they are to tap into consumer spend.”