New Year’s Resolutions: Capture Shoppers Searching for a Happier New Year

Post holidays, 'tis the season of renewal, when folks resolve to make positive changes in their lives.  And they're willing to put good money on those resolutions, to the tune of $5.6 billion annually¹. Those New Year's bells ring out opportunity for marketers who can help people fulfill their dreams – or at least shed a couple of pounds. The biggest piece of that spending pie will be consumed by the weight-loss industry, with $20 billion in annual revenue².

45% of Americans typically make a New Year’s resolution, although only 75% maintain through the first week, meaning timing is everything for marketers. 

Here are the top resolutions from 2014³:

1. Lose weight
2. Get organized
3. Spend less, save more
4. Enjoy life to the fullest
5. Stay fit and healthy
6. Learn something exciting
7. Quit smoking
8. Help others in following their dreams
9. Fall in love
10. Spend more time with family

Resolve to up your digital marketing game with these tips this New Year’s season:

1. Understand post-holiday search trends

While the end of one year and the dawning of another turns most people's thoughts to self-improvement, search behavior differs depending on the New Year's resolution and the device used.

• Fitness - The volume of fitness searches on desktops and tablets remains fairly steady throughout December and January.  Top searches on the Yahoo Bing Network were for Lululemon apparel and Planet Fitness.⁴
• Smoking cessation – These searches peak a couple days before Christmas and again the last week of January.  Top searches on the Yahoo Bing Network were quit smoking and Chantix.⁴
• Weight loss - Searches begin to build on December 25, with strong peaks through January 25. Top searches on the Yahoo Bing Network were for Garcinia Cambogia (dietary supplement) and Weight Watchers⁴.
• Mobile - On mobile devices, the search trends for smoking cessation and weight loss are similar to the desktop; but more post-holiday fitness searches take place via mobile.⁴
• Timing - Different search terms also heat up at different times. For example, "quit smoking" is the top term in the smoking cessation category overall, and it peaks January 28, whereas “smoking cessation” peaked a few days before Christmas.⁴

 2. Get schooled on new fitness trends

Mobile devices, wearables and apps will play a big role in the fitness game. Forty-eight percent of U.S. internet users said they would wear a fitness device to improve overall health, while another 41 percent would monitor diet and nutrition⁵. (Don’t forget to check out the new Microsoft Band!)

3. Get moving on mobile – and mobile fitness trends

Mobile continues to be a strong influencer on in-store purchases, especially in the personal improvement game. They play a role in 50 percent of purchases of sporting goods, games and hobby materials; mobiles influenced 35 percent of health and personal care dollars spend in stores⁶.

To capture shoppers on the hunt for better health:

• Use our Call Extensions feature to surface your business phone number in your text ad
• To drive foot traffic into your store, leverage Location Extensions, where your clickable phone number and directions will be displayed to help customers find your store – not just your website

Start the New Year right with search campaigns that help your customers achieve their goals.  Cheers to a New Year of digital opportunity.

For additional insights, check out our New Year’s seasonal insights deck on SlideShare below and the Bing Ads Industry Insights Portal for more seasonal and vertical insights.

Comments? Questions? Leave them below, or ping me on Twitter.

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