According to a report by Deutsche Bank (June 2012), the ‘luxury sector has never had it so good’. But is this true when it comes to search activity? Are people looking for luxury goods online? If so, what sort of products? And who exactly are these people? Data from Google, Bing and Yahoo! has been expertly analysed by searchstar to bring you fascinating and useful answers to these questions. Whether you’re a luxury goods retailer thinking of setting up your first PPC account or a search savvy marketeer, this searchstar white paper is the one for you. And, it’s free. Download below.

1. A White Paper from Search Star
The Luxury Goods Market
June 2012

2. “The luxury sector has never
had it so good.
Although there are some signs of a slowdown in
growth, absolute levels of profitability are at all
time highs for most brands, and sector return on
capital employed (ROCE) has expanded by 11pp
(percentage points) since 2001.”
Deutsche Bank, June 2012

3. But how’s the luxury sector faring when it comes to search
activity? Are people looking for luxury goods online? If so, what
sort of products? And who exactly are these people?
Data from Google, Bing and Yahoo! has been expertly analysed to bring you
fascinating and useful answers to these questions. Whether you’re a luxury goods
retailer thinking of setting up your first PPC account or a search savvy marketeer, this
Search Star white paper is the one for you.
Contents
General Insights What’s Going On?
Why is this?
Google vs. Bing/Yahoo!
Specific Sectors Specific Sector Analysis
Brands
Offline vs. Online
Demographics Age & Gender
Location
Overview Optimisation Tips

4. General Insights

5. What’s Going On?
Google AdWords & Microsoft Advertising Intelligence Data, June 2012
Deutsche Bank (and many other experts) are right. The luxury sector has never had it so good. The above chart shows
searches since May 2011 for the top luxury goods terms on Google and Bing.
• From May 2011 to March 2012 for Google & Bing, the number of searches increased by 25.4%.
• Seasonally, November is a good month for luxury goods as people purchase special gifts for Christmas. Valentine’s
day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day also witness small peaks.
• The overall rise in searches has been consistent and looks set to continue.
• *Search Star Tip* - Luxury goods is where it’s at. If you sell any products that could be classified as luxury or
designer, now’s the time to start/improve your PPC activity. Generally, ensure your account is cleverly organised
with keywords tightly grouped. Include every relevant term. Use clever bidding, matching and demographic
strategies to target the right audience. Be creative with your copy. More details on all of these top tips to
follow…..

6. Why is this?
• Searches for high street terms are increasing too, but by far less.
• Whilst the number of searches for luxury terms on Google & Bing increased by 25.4% from
May 2011 to March 2012, those for high street terms only increased by 16%.
• “The rise to prominence of luxury and lifestyle brands in this year’s [Global 500] report is
quite impressive. Whilst the world remains shrouded in economic misery, people are
investing their hard earned cash in brands they feel they can rely on to produce quality,
long lasting products.” David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance
• *Search Star Tip* - If you sell it, include the keywords for it in your account. Set up multiple
campaigns and ad groups containing tightly grouped terms. Split your keywords up in to
the campaigns and ad groups as much as humanly possible. This will help with monitoring,
but most importantly, with ensuring you can tailor ads to include the keyword and it’s
message. This is the best way to get clicks and a strong CTR.

7. Google vs. Bing/Yahoo!
Luxury Goods Top Searches – Luxury Goods Top Searches –
Google, June 2012 Bing and Yahoo!, June 2012
Daily Clicks 2,241 Daily Clicks 334
Average CTR 6% Average CTR 1.16%
Average CPC £0.84 Average CPC £0.28
• Now that Bing and Yahoo! have joined forces, PPC accounts really need to encompass all
three engines. Okay, so Bing/Yahoo! have a lot less clicks in this sector (334 compared to
2,241) and the CTR is a bit diluted at the moment, but just look at those cheap CPCs.
• *Search Star Tip* - Leaving Bing/Yahoo! out of your PPC strategy is a luxury you can no
longer afford. Get in there, and get in there quickly! The two platforms (Google and
Bing/Yahoo!) operate differently. Close monitoring of your accounts will ensure each
account gets tweaked to achieve the best results. On Google, generally, go for exact match,
tight max. CPCs and differentiated ads. On Bing/Yahoo!, you can get more conversions for
your money but will need to use phrase or broad match (with a good set of negatives) to
really reach a decent audience.

8. Specific Sectors

9. Specific Sector Analysis
• It’s all bagged up.
Generating a whopping
37% of the total searches
analysed, keywords
including ‘luxury’ or
‘designer’ and ‘bag’ or
‘handbag’ are carrying
the majority in this field.
Jewellery, fashion and
travel follow behind with
leather and recruitment
bringing up the rear.
• *Search Star Tip* -
Again, if you sell these
products, ensure all
variations of these
specific terms (plurals
etc) are in your PPC
accounts asap. There are
lots of brilliant tools on
both AdWords and
adCenter to help you
find a strong, relevant
list of terms for every
sub sector you need.
Microsoft Advertising Intelligence Data, June 2012

10. Brands
Branding is key when it comes to luxury products. ‘Demand for luxury lifestyle brands helped grow the value of the
world’s 500 biggest brands by 3.3% to $3,415 billion (£2,17 billion) from 2011 to 2012.’ Brand Finance Global 500
Report, June 2012
The table below shows estimated CTR and CPCs (based on position 1, broad match, on Google) for the top 10 luxury
brands in 2012 (as determined by Millward Brown Optimor). These keywords typically generate better-than-average
CTRs for a decent CPC. Luxury goods is not only a burgeoning market but also a cost-effective one.
*Search Star Tip* - Searchers who see an ad twice (once in the sponsored listings, and again in the natural listings) feel
increased brand awareness and are more likely to click. Make sure you include brand terms in your PPC account to
double your chances of success.
Top 10 Luxury Brands 2012, Millward Brown Optimor’s BrandZ Study
Brand Estimated Google CTR Estimated Google CPC
1. Louis Vuitton 4.2% £0.77
2. Hermes 6.9% £0.60
3. Rolex 6.3% £0.72
4. Chanel 6.5% £0.83
5. Gucci 7.1% £2.29
6. Prada 7% £0.69
7. Cartier 6.9% £1.91
8. Hennessy 3.8% £0.50
9. Moet & Chandon 7.3% £0.56
10. Burberry 7.4% £5.97

11. Offline vs. online
• So everyone’s looking for luxury goods, particularly designer brand handbags, but are
they actually going to convert? Well, there’s a good chance.
• Of the terms analysed for this section of the study, 89% included ‘online’ in the search
string. These searchers aren’t looking for information on the opening hours for
Selfridges, they’re looking to purchase online. And if you’re clever, they might just
purchase from you.
• *Search Star Tip* - The most clicked on ads always include the following:
– The keyword
– Calls to action (such as ‘save now, register here, book today)
– USPs (like ‘handmade’ or ‘exclusive’)
– Price points (‘dishwashers from £125.00’)
– Special offers (‘buy one get one free’)
– Creativity (‘super soft feather duvets)
Employ these tactics in your PPC ads, and you’ll be giggling all the way to the
conversion.

12. Demographics

13. Age & Gender
• The best PPC accounts target the right audience. When it comes to luxury, it’s mainly
women (58%) aged between 35 and 49 (37%) doing the searching, particularly when it
comes to handbags, jewellery and gifts.
• *Search Star Tip* - You can reach this audience (or any audience) specifically on
Bing/Yahoo! via Microsoft adCenter’s demographic targeting capabilities. Check it out or
contact us for more information. Also, ensure your ads are as female-friendly as possible.
Use tangible, creative & enticing copy to get that click.
Microsoft Advertising Intelligence Data, June 2012

14. Location
Microsoft Advertising Intelligence Data, June 2012
• The majority of people searching for luxury goods are in London, followed by Manchester, Birmingham
and Sheffield. This is due mainly to the volume of people in these places, and partly to the popularity of
luxury brands in these locations.
• Interestingly, most people searching for ‘designer bags’ are based in Westminster. Those MPs love their
Jimmy Choos. ‘Designer clothes’ and ‘fashion designers’ are most popular in Manchester. A large amount
of people in Exeter are looking for ‘designer wallets’.
• *Search Star Tip* - Include locations in your terms to ensure your ads appear to relevant searchers. Also,
terms including ‘British’ and ‘UK’ (e.g. ‘uk luxury brands’, ‘british luxury brands’ and ‘british luxury
goods’) are popular right now, what with the current zeitgeist for all things designed and produced on
our small island. Stick these in your PPC account too.

15. Overview

16. Search Star’s Top Tips
1. If you sell luxury goods, there are fantastic results to be had in the PPC arena. It’s a growing
sector, with an engaged audience just waiting to buy that Chanel perfume from you.
2. Ensure your account is cleverly organised with keywords tightly grouped.
3. Include every relevant term, and all it’s variables.
4. Include brand terms too. Searches who see your ad in both the sponsored and natural
listings are much more likely to click.
5. When it comes to ad copy, include the keyword, calls to action, USPs, price points, special
offers and creativity.
6. A large part of this sector’s audience are women aged between 35 and 49 in London,
Manchester and Birmingham. Use clever bidding, matching and demographic strategies to
target them.
7. Advertise on Google, and Bing/Yahoo! There’s good return on investment to be had on all
engines.
8. Contact us! We know rather a lot about PPC, and luxury goods, and would love to help you
out.