Text Versus Product Ads: Shopping Peaks, Valleys, and Plateaus

August 10, 2016

As retail search advertisers continue to plan their campaigns for the 2016 holiday season, they’re weighing the pros and cons of text versus product ads. What’s the most effective ad type for reducing cost, increasing CTR, and maximizing returns on spend?

The answer: it depends.

Sampling the Marin Global Online Advertising Index, composed of advertisers who invest more than $7 billion in annualized ad spend on the Marin platform, we analyzed data from around the world to create our 2016 Cross-Channel Marketing Report. Here are just a few of our findings:

  • November beat December in both 2014 and 2015 for shopping ad spend.
  • Over the past two years, shopping ad spend share grew from 18% to 28%.
  • CPC between text ads and product ads remained stable year-over-year.
  • CTR between the two ad types is virtually the same.


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For the full results of our research, including data charts on mobile, social, text versus product ads, and strategy recommendations for the 2016 holiday season, download The State of Shopping Ads: 2016 Cross-Channel Marketing Report.

Maria Breaux

Marin Software
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