BizReport, Kristina Knight, January 5, 2009

The holidays are past, but consumers are still hitting their favorite shopping hotspots - which means etailers can still turn a profit despite the down economy in the US. How? By taking a few notes from the holiday 'keyword' season.

According to In-Text Ad Solution Kontera, several of the highest performing pay per click keywords and phrases focused on gifts and value. The most clicked upon keywords included "Gift Idea", "Christmas Spirit" and "Christmas Stocking"; in 2007, many of the hottest keywords included specific gift buys such as necklaces, advent gifts and presents. What this change indicates is that consumers were more interested in the overall Christmas season.

"This year's list of keywords clearly shows the change in sentiment towards a more traditional holiday - rich on values and lighter on materialism," said Kontera Executive Vice President Bryan Everett. "The greater click-through rates experienced by our publishers and advertisers this year (1) highlights the improvement in Kontera's text analysis engine, (2) proves that even in tough economic times, the right campaign aimed at the right audience will generate results."

This is likely to be true throughout the first quarter as American's become used to tighter purse strings.

What does this mean for etailers? Continuing to focus on the value in products is a good way to increase consumer interest and click through rates. Rather than simply touting the product specifications, marketers should concentrate on the benefit of a product, the benefit of buying online and the benefits of being a regular customer with your specific site (such as a rewards program).

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