COVID-19 has presented many challenges to retailers, but it has also created opportunities through increased online traffic and the entrance of new consumers who may have never shopped online.
“We have seen a large increase in search engine queries on Microsoft Bing” said Roger, “We are showing ads to people who have never shopped online before. It’s a great way to get new consumers.”
Never one to sit on the sidelines, haar-shop.ch has taken full advantage of the new product opportunities available to the Swiss market. Harnessing the unique data of Microsoft Advertising and demonstrating the power of first-mover advantage in Switzerland, conversion rates during the lockdown period have been higher than any other form of search advertising. Likewise, CPCs are lower as competitors have generally been slower off the mark, often resulting in haar-shop.ch being the sole search advertiser of certain products and brands – an enviable position for any retailer, never mind one with ambitions to become the market leader in Switzerland.
After testing the format for almost a year, haar-shop.ch has seen great results for Microsoft Shopping campaigns, with CPCs decreasing 25%, clicks increasing 125% and conversions increasing 67% year-on-year.
“We are very happy with the performance of shopping campaigns on Microsoft Advertising and see there is huge potential here,” said Roger. “People like to buy products they can see, so with shopping campaigns it really helps us get our products in front of customers.”