Shopping Blog

There’s something familiar about this summer. You might say it looks... phatter than it has in a while. It feels a little fresher than it has in a few years. Look out home-skillets: the trends of the ‘90s are making a comeback.

THEN AND NOW: Promoting overalls ‘90s style ... and 2013 style (Image courtesy: Buzzfeed)

Think I’m buggin’? Whatever—scope the numbers. Since the beginning of the year, in the U.S., we’ve noticed significant increases in searches for many of the hallmark styles of this dope decade:

• Searches for [crop tops] were more than 110% higher in July ‘13 than in July ‘12 
• Searches for [high waisted jeans] were more than 120% higher in July ‘13 than in July ‘12 
• Searches for [acid wash shorts] were more than 50% higher in July ‘13 than they were in July ‘12 
• Searches for [grunge clothing] were more 80% higher in July ‘13 than in July ‘12, and climbing rapidly so far in August 
• Searches for [bucket hats] were more than 120% higher in July ‘13 than in July ‘12 

We’ve seen similar upticks in the Google Shopping search queries that produce Product Listing Ads. From July ‘12 to July ‘13 in the U.S.:

• [Overalls] queries increased by more than 180%  
• [Round Sunglasses] queries increased by more than 100% 
• [Jelly Sandals] queries increased by more than 180% 
• [Zubaz Pants] queries increased by more than 150% 

Online Opportunities? No Diggity 
It may seem like the ‘90s weren’t that long ago, but they were a relative Stone Age for marketers compared to today. Marketers still had to plan campaigns long in advance and build them around familiar, static channels: 30-second TV commercials, print ads, and radio spots.

Today, ‘90s-era styles are making a comeback with the help of online marketing tools that enable marketers to be much more nimble and conversational in their execution via display ads, social media, search ads, online videos and more. When a particular item or style gets hot, marketers are pivoting quickly to meet that demand. When shoppers are saying they want it that way, those fast-moving companies can be there with a relevant message and offering.

From overalls to high waisted jeans to Furbys, here are a few examples of the marketers and agencies that used the web to reach people looking to turn back the clock to the ‘90s:

• Jumping on an uptick in interest since the beginning of the year, Minneapolis-based Comet Clothing Company, maker of Zubaz, adjusted its search advertising campaigns across screens to reach customers looking to, as the company says, "embrace the awesomeness of Zubaz". So far in 2013, paid search campaigns have helped drive 20% of the company’s total revenue. 
  
  As the company’s President, Dan Stock, explains, Zubaz’s signature styles have remained constant, but the company’s advertising has changed with the times: "When we first launched Zubaz, we used the marketing tools available to us to get the word out. Today, search ads, and the web more broadly, have enabled us to jump on trends quickly and adjust our advertising to connect with people that want to relive some classic 90s styles, or experience them for the first time." 

THEN AND NOW: Zubaz print campaign, c. 1991, Zubaz mobile search ads, c. 2013

• American Apparel has seen spikes in interest for a variety of '90s-era styles, particularly high-waisted jeans and shorts, since the beginning of the year. As a result, they've launched display advertising campaigns for these items and other retro looks, like color-block clothing, jelly sandals and more. Since they began using it, Remarketing on the Google Display Network has produced double-digit returns on American Apparel's ad spend. 

THEN AND NOW: American Apparel print ad c. 1999, American Apparel GDN Display and mobile search ads, c. 2013

• Marc Jacobs used his largest social platform, Google+, to enable people across the web to see his ‘90s / grunge influenced collections earlier this year during NYC Fashion week in February. The designer live-streamed his Marc by Marc Jacobs and Marc Jacobs Collection shows and Eva Chen hosted hangout viewing parties for viewers on Google+. Among the ‘90s-influenced highlights were the Marc by Marc Jacobs True Blue Multi Marieka Tulip Jumpsuit and Black Fishnet Sequin Crew Neck Gown. 

THEN AND NOW: Marc Jacobs print ad, feat. photo of Kim Gordon by Juergen Teller, c.1998 (left) Google+ Hangout viewing party during Marc Jacobs’ NYC Fashion week show, c. 2013 (right)

• Noticing an uptick in interest for 90s era styles this past spring, Piston used inventory-aware campaigns from DoubleClick Search to ensure that their search ads showcasing their client's most popular products from the ‘90s never went out of style. Piston was able to automatically create ad groups, ads, and keywords based on their existing product feeds. And the results were pretty rad, too: in just a few weeks, their retail client saw 51% higher ROAS, 26% higher CTR, and a 50% higher conversion rate. 

• U.K.-based retailer ASOS is helping its customers relive old-school styles with new-school online strategies as well. Jumping on the recent spike in ‘90s-style interest, ASOS has used Product Listing Ads to reach customers searching for overalls, acid wash and other items. Now, more than 40% of ASOS’ paid search traffic is from PLAs. 

• Hasbro’s relaunch of Furby last holiday season focused on digital, with YouTube playing a key role. They developed an interactive Furby gameshow on their YouTube channel and Furby ended up as one of the top 10 searched toys of the most recent holiday season. Look out for an even bigger FurbyBOOM campaign coming later this year. 

THEN AND NOW: Hasbro newspaper ad for original Furby launch, c. 1998, YouTube video still from Furby re-launch, c. 2012

Shoppers and Retailers: keep an eye out for these styles, especially as we inch closer to the holiday season.

L8er!

Posted by April Anderson, Retail Industry Director

Admit it – you get caught up, at least a bit, in the rush to discover what each holiday season’s hottest gifts will be before the crowds do. Will it be UGGs, Elmo, and iPads again? Or is a little-known brand going to be the most coveted item this year?

For retailers hoping to rack up sales and for shoppers who want to pile up the must-have items, Google Insights for Search is the next best thing to a crystal ball. Today we’re giving you a head start on uncovering trends in Apparel. We’ll also be posting about other top category trends in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned.

Looking for the perfect Winter look? Maybe just the right gift? Search trends indicate that Penguin sweaters and Versace for H&M are sure to be a hit.


Or maybe there’s an athlete on your list who’s asked for cold weather workout gear. Not surprisingly, as temperatures drop, searches for warm apparel staples like [sweaters], [coats], and [jackets] are on the rise.


And for your athletes, searches around [running tights] and [waterproof jackets] are gathering steam. Insights’ top and rising searches also often call out brands that are trending above the pack.


Lean on Insights for Search to help you pick trends and winners this year, then seal the deal with Google Product Search. Search the products you want, do a little price comparing, and for instant gratification, see which local stores have your look in stock.

Happy shopping!

Posted by Benson Dastrup, The Google Retail Team

(Cross-posted on The Official Google Blog)

Since we introduced Boutiques.com last November, we’ve been busy developing new features that we proudly unveiled as New York Fashion Week hit the runways.

More of the boutiques you love
We’re welcoming hundreds of thousands of stunning new boutiques, including those from designers Helmut Lang, Michael Kors, Billy Reid and Thakoon.


Trend data to excite designers and fashion enthusiasts alike
Over the past few months, we’ve watched usage of Boutiques soar. Shoppers aren’t just creating their own customized boutiques, they’re enthusiastically taking our Stylyzer Quiz and sharing what they “love” and “hate” about products while browsing. As a result, we’ve gained a unique, aggregate view into the latest fashion trends—a reflection of what shoppers think and feel about the colors, silhouettes, patterns and prices of individual products from across the web.

Recently we unveiled Designer Analytics, a tool that enables our design partners to benefit from this collective knowledge—giving them insight into how their products are searched, shopped and loved. With easy-to-understand data visualizations, Designer Analytics shows what colors, shapes and patterns are most loved and hated broadly (in categories such as shoes, dresses and handbags) and even down to how specific items are performing. Designers can also see how their stats compare to brands like them. Designer Analytics is available when logged in, and looks like this:




We also launched a public version called Trend Analytics that gives curious fashionistas a view into the latest, site-wide fashion trends. Using aggregate data from both Boutiques.com and Google Search, it shows the hottest colors of the season, the most-loved products and the must-have trends.




New boutique features to help you express your style
We added some enhanced features for boutiques, including a photo gallery and video upload (celebrity, designers, blogger and featured boutiques only) to give more opportunities for people to express who they are and share their unique point of view.


Posted by Abigail Holtz, Product Manager