Tag Archives: Google Shopping

Google Shopping 100: This season’s top trending gifts

‘Tis the season for hot chocolate, gathering by the fire … and presents. There’s still time to find the perfect gift, and Google Shopping 100—a list of trending products on Google search—can help. You might find inspiration for last-minute gifting, or you might want to do a little shopping for yourself.

Google Shopping 100 showcases products with a recent increase in U.S. searches. While classics are still sought-after—for example, search data still ranks Monopoly as a popular present—Google Shopping 100 highlights items that are rising in popularity to give you fresh ideas and keep you up to speed on the latest.

Google Shopping 100

Spanning ages and interests, we’ve highlighted some of the top categories for holiday gifts, like tech, kitchen gear, and toys and games. We see a lot of warm, furry boots in accessories and apparel, while high tech vacuums are big in home goods.

Google Shopping Kitchen Gear category

If these trends inspire some good ideas, Google can also help you find the best prices and places to buy. It’s easy to search thousands of online stores and compare prices, so you know you’re getting a great deal no matter where you shop. And if you missed the shipping deadline you can also find out if it’s available in nearby stores: just search on Google and click on the Shopping tab to check if the item is in stock nearby. 

We hope this helps you get inspired and find something for everyone on your list—with a little help from Google. 

Attention holiday shoppers: Black Friday help from Google

Midnight turkey sandwiches, leftover pie for breakfast, a leisurely walk around the block—these are the ideal moments in my day after Thanksgiving. But if you’re like me and the millions of Americans who participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday every year, chances are you’re also looking out for deals ahead of the holiday season. In fact, I hear that online shopping sales are expected to growup to 18 percent this year, and smartphone use for holiday shopping is rising—increasing by 11 percent since 2017.

Good news: Google has you covered across your holiday shopping needs, from making your list, checking it twice, finding out the best deals, and keeping an eye on each package arrivals. 

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Find the best prices and places to buy

With the recently redesigned Google Shopping, you can track prices for that espresso machine you’ve been keeping your eye on (and much more). Simply find the product you want, toggle “track price,” and you’ll receive a notification by phone or email when the price of that item drops. Plus, when you buy directly on Google we’ll offset the carbon emissions created from shipping your order.

If you’re committed to shopping local or worried about the shipping deadline, Google Shopping also lets you filter for nearby products, so you can find local stores that carry what you need and see whether they have it in stock. 

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Some of our Made by Google products have Black Friday deals this year

Check out the deals on the latest tech from Google

How about some shiny new tech for your Secret Santa? Check out the Google Store for these deals (also at select U.S. retailers):

  • Say it with a (very) smart phone: From November 24th through December 2nd, get $200 off an unlocked Pixel 4 and 4XL on the Google Store.
  • Give the gift of better Wi-Fi: From November 28th through December 4th, save $40 on Nest Wifi, our newest Wi-Fi router and point which comes in three chic colors ($229).
  • Help the new homeowner, parent, or caretaker in your life: From November 28th through December 4th, get $40 off Nest Cam Indoor, Nest Cam Outdoor, and $80 off Nest Hello.
  • Bring the party with whole-home audio: From November 28th through December 4th, save $20 on Nest Mini.
  • Stay organized, connected, and inspired in the kitchen: Save $30 on Nest Hub Max—and enjoy this exclusive bread pudding recipe from Ayesha Curry on Google Assistant displays.
  • Stuff all of the stockings: From November 28th through December 4th, get $10 off Chromecast and $20 off Chromecast Ultra.

Keep track of your deliveries (and spread cheer!)

When you’re expecting more packages than usual, keeping track of each delivery can prove to be stressful. Should you stay and wait for it? What happens if you miss it? With a Nest Aware subscription Nest Hello can alert you when a package arrives, so if it’s an important item you can enlist some help from a neighbor (or, for parents, intercept it before your child discovers an early gift from Santa). 

And starting today you can get a festive Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, or wintry ringtone for your Nest Hello. Whenever someone's at your door, they’ll hear some holiday cheer—including the person delivering your packages.

Stay zen through the shopping frenzy

Remain calm, cool and collected throughout the midnight madness on Black Friday with help from the Digital Wellbeing features on your Pixel devices. 

  • Set a time limit on specific apps and sites so your day isn’t consumed by online shopping. When the timer runs out, the app or website is paused for the rest of the day. 

  • Snooze alerts that are distracting and focus on the important ones. If you use an app to track discounts and sales, you can prioritize those notifications so you don’t spend extra time wading through notifications and hunting for the deals you want. 

  • A nighttime shopping habit can interfere with your sleep. Set Wind Down mode to silence notifications from shopping apps or social media, put your screen into grayscale to signal it’s time for bed, and avoid a night of insomnia.

  • And when it is time to wake up for those midnight deals or early morning lines, try the Sunrise Alarm feature on Pixel and Pixel Stand so even in the dead of winter, you can wake up more easily with “sunshine.” 

We wish you great deals, easy shopping, and minimal stress this holiday season.

Source: Android


Find the best prices and places to buy with Google Shopping

When shopping for something, the web is a seemingly endless source of ideas, products and choices. But finding inspiration, comparing your options, and grabbing the best deals can still be a lot of work. We redesigned Google Shopping to make this a bit simpler—it brings together shopping information across the web and from local stores so that you can easily research and buy what you're looking for.

The new Google Shopping

The redesigned Google Shopping experience is now available in the U.S. across mobile and desktop. With information from thousands of stores in one place, you can discover and compare millions of products, and find the best prices and places to buy online or from a store nearby. The new homepage is personalized so you see useful product suggestions, as well as sections that help you reorder common items or continue your shopping research. And when you’re ready to buy, you can choose to purchase online, at a nearby store, or directly from retailers on Google.
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Stay in the know with price tracking

You can also track prices of products on Google Shopping. Once you’ve found the product you need, turn on “price track” and you’ll receive a notification on your phone when the price of that item drops. In the coming weeks, you’ll have the option to receive those notifications through email. Pro-tip: With all the holiday sales around the corner, why not turn on price tracking for items on your shopping list?

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Find products and prices in your local stores, too.

Sometimes you need something in the moment or want to see and touch an item before you buy. Google Shopping lets you filter for nearby products, so you can find local stores that carry what you need and see whether they have it in stock. This feature could be a lifesaver if you find yourself looking for a last minute gift for the holidays and shipping just won’t cut it.

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Buy directly on Google, with a Google guarantee

You already come to Google to browse and search for products—now, you can buy from over a thousand stores directly on Google. Checkout is quick, easy and safe because you can use the information saved in your Google Account. And every order is backed by a Google guarantee, which means you can rely on Google’s customer support and we’ll have your back for easy returns and refunds. Buying on Google also means you can shop from any store with confidence and discover new ones you’d never considered before. To find items that you can buy directly on Google, look for the colorful shopping cart icon on product images and in the search filters.

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Finally, whenever you buy on Google, we will also invest in clean energy projects to offset the carbon emissions created from shipping your order. 

Whether you’re looking for a gift for the family or just want a good deal for yourself, we hope the new Google Shopping experience makes it easier to shop and helps you stay ahead during the coming holiday season and beyond.


Unwrap the season’s trending holiday gifts

As the year wraps up, holiday shoppers are getting busy wrapping, too. And they’re looking for a wide range of gifts, according to data from Shopping Insights over the last few weeks. Here are just some of the trends we’ve seen nationwide for toy tinkerers, bookworms, makeup pros, sneakerheads and home decorators.

Tech toys cast a spell

While holiday favorites like dolls and LEGO kits remain popular, tech toys are drawing lots of attention—from the VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX to the Kano Harry Potter Coding Kit, which teaches kids to code using a programmable magic wand. Among other trending products, we see three L.O.L. Surprise! toy sets: Pearl Surprise, Bigger Surprise and Pets Series 3—all very popular in YouTube unboxing videos.


trending toys

Books to read on holiday vacation

The winter months are perfect for curling up on the couch with a mug of cocoa and a good read.  This year, the most popular book for adults is former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming,” and the book they’ll most likely be reading to their kids is The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, the illustrated storybook that comes with the Elf itself.

Worth watching

Newcomer analog watch brand MVMT steals the show this year. Vans Old Skool sneakers, Nike’s classic Windrunner jacket for men, and Canada Goose’s Solaris parka for women also stand out as winter favorites. The Ray-Ban Erika Classic has a sunny outlook—but the retro, round Ray-Ban Ja-Jo style is quickly catching up.

A fresh look

The eyeshadow palette is a makeup bag staple and a favorite stocking stuffer. Urban Decay’s “Naked 12-Color” palette and Huda Beauty’s “The New Nude” palette are among the most searched. Meanwhile, Urban Decay’s new “Naked Petite Heat” palette is on the rise, adding warm hues to the trend.

Setting the bar

Wireless soundbars get lots of attention in December, perhaps because a cozy movie night has special appeal during the cold winter months. The Sonos PLAYBAR is hugely popular among audio aficionados, while the Vizio SB3621N-E8 is piquing interest. We also see a growing demand for waterproof, shower-ready Bluetooth speakers, with Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM making a big splash. As for headphones and headsets, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II and Jabra Elite 65t are in demand, with Under Armour’s Project Rock Sport On-Ear Headphones growing very fast.

Caffeine fiends

If holiday shopping gives you the urge to have a strong cup of coffee, you’re not alone: coffee makers are hot this winter, especially in black. The Keurig K-Select B Single Serve and the Cuisinart Coffee Center are favorites, but the contemporary Ninja Coffee Bar CF091 is also on the rise.

trending gifts

For more insights behind this season’s trends, and to see how a product is trending in your region, check out the Shopping Insights tool. 

That's a wrap!

Introducing Seller Ratings on Google Search: Enjoy a better online shopping experience

Whether we’re buying holiday gifts, looking for a new car, or choosing a travel agent, we turn online to search for the opinions and experiences of others to help us make purchase decisions. With the new Seller Ratings, Google can help you shop with confidence across the web.


Check a store’s rating as you search

Let’s say you’re looking to buy a new rug: you want to be able to quickly check the store’s rating and reviews as you search on Google. Seller Ratings showcase a star rating on search ads based on reviews received from users like you.


Help others by contributing your own review

Additionally, if you’re ready to buy that new rug, and the online store you’re buying from is integrated with Google Customer Reviews, you’ll have the option to share your own review with the online community. Reviews collected via Google Customer Reviews contribute to a store’s seller rating and help others along their shopping journey too.


Interested in getting a seller rating for your business?
If you run a business, integrating with Google Customer Reviews will help you earn a seller rating by collecting valuable feedback from your customers. You can follow our onboarding and integration guide to sign up for Google Customer Reviews and complete the simple setup process.

Posted by Aaron Berger and Jorge Cueto, Product Managers at Google

New Merchant Center Feed Rules helps you submit your product data into Google Shopping feed format

Finding the right customers on Google Shopping starts with your Merchant Center product feed: it contains all the information about the products you sell to help online shoppers find just what they’re looking for. But we know that creating and maintaining a complete and compliant data feed can be challenging. To make feed management easier, we’re excited to introduce Feed Rules, a self-service tool to help you transform your existing data from your inventory management systems into the format accepted by Google Shopping. Feed Rules helps you streamline your data feed uploads, whether you’re already running Shopping campaigns or you’re just getting started.

Use Feed Rules to set up and maintain your feed in Google Shopping format 
Feed Rules allows you to perform basic transformations of your existing product data -- making it easier than ever to get your data feed up and running. You can export and submit your product data in your own format, and use different rules to transform it into product attributes and values that follow the Google Shopping feed specification, directly in Merchant Center:
  • Map your column headers to the attribute names supported by Google Shopping. For example, if you have an existing feed with the unsupported column header “main title”, you can set up a rule in Merchant Center to have it recognized as the supported attribute name, “title”. 
  • Transform the values in your feed to values supported by Google Shopping. For example, to submit gender specifications for your products, you can transform the unsupported value “for women” in your existing feed to the supported value “female”. 
  • Populate missing attribute values with a fixed value, or with different values based on conditional criteria. For example, if the “condition” attribute is missing and you’re only selling new products, you can set up a rule to have this attribute automatically set to “new”. 
Once you specify new rules for a feed, all future uploads of this feed will be processed according to those rules.

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Feed rules in action: these rules transform unrecognized values for gender into values accepted for Google Shopping

 Use Feed Rules to organize your data for campaign optimization You can also use conditional rules to better organize your data:
  • Implement rules for custom labels to structure your campaigns in new ways. For example, you can group products by price ranges or margins, then later bid differently on these groups. 
  • Tag your products with a shipping label. For example, you can derive “heavy” from the category, label those products, and define a particular shipping cost for those items. 

As we introduce the first version of Feed Rules, we’re eager to learn about even more use cases from you. Feedback and suggestions for this feature can be entered directly from your Merchant Center account by clicking the gear icon in the top-right corner of the page and selecting “Send Feedback” to let us know what you think.

For more information about Feed Rules, check out our Help Center article, and stay tuned to the blog to learn more about feature updates and enhancements.  

Posted by Sven Herschel, Product Manager for Google Shopping

Source: Inside AdWords


Google Manufacturer Center helps brands find and convert new customers

Google provides consumers around the world with the answers they need to find, review, and buy the products they’re looking for. Last year, we announced Google Manufacturer Center, a free tool to help brand manufacturers accurately represent their products to shoppers on Google.com and other Google services. By uploading complete and accurate product data into Manufacturer Center, brands increase their chances of standing out in a crowded marketplace -- and ultimately get more of their products in the hands of consumers. Today, we’ll shine a light on three manufacturers who have boosted results with Manufacturer Center, and highlight new partners that can help manufacturers maximize the tool.

We’ve seen that manufacturers who upload their authoritative product data -- including product descriptions, high-resolution images, GTINs, and product variants -- have helped improve the online shopping experience and increase conversions in key ways:
  1. Detailed product data enables more relevant search results. Product descriptions submitted by manufacturers contain key product attributes, which allow Google to surface Shopping ads (created by retailers) for those products when users search for those attributes. GTIN identifiers enable Google to match manufacturer content to ads and information cards for the same products.
  2. High quality data helps users decide what to buy. By uploading better images and detailed product information, manufacturers can improve the accuracy and completeness of how their products are represented. This helps consumers decide which product to buy.
Manufacturers can choose to either upload their product data directly to Manufacturer Center or work with an approved Google Shopping Partner that integrates with Manufacturer Center. In addition to our existing partners, we're announcing 4 new partners: WebCollage, Channel Advisor, Informatica, and GFK Etilize. These partners are industry leaders in organizing and distributing product data.

Below, learn how three manufacturers -- Bosch, JanSport, and Speakman -- are using Manufacturer Center to help their shoppers make more informed buying decisions.

Bosch drills into richer product data, sees 4% conversion uplift 
Bosch, a leading power tool and accessories brand, has been an early adopter of Manufacturer Center, using the tool to upload rich product data for use in Shopping ads. Before Bosch added product data via Manufacturer Center, a user that searched for “lightweight drill” was unlikely to find the Bosch PS31BN Brushless Drill. The product description provided by Bosch, however, highlighted that the PS31BN is compact and lightweight. Even Shopping ads that don’t display product descriptions can benefit from this additional information, helping Google show the most useful ads to users. Now, when users search for “lightweight drill”, they are much more likely to find the PS31BN. As a result of uploading this more accurate, descriptive data, Bosch saw a 4% uplift in conversions across their updated products on the sites of retailers advertising Bosch products on Google.
Learn More About Google Manufacturer Center


JanSport packs in an extra 13% in conversions for back-to-school 
During the 2015 back-to-school season, JanSport, the world’s leading and largest backpack maker, used Manufacturer Center to overhaul their product images, descriptions, and details to improve how their products appear on Google. For example, JanSport updated their Big Student model backpack by including richer descriptions that highlight the product’s two large compartments, water bottle pocket, and extra large capacity. This information helped create more effective listings on Google Shopping and other Google services like Google Express, letting shoppers better understand what they’re buying. Jansport saw a 13% increase in conversions originating from Google for their backpacks with updated product data, compared to benchmark products without updates.
Learn More About Google Manufacturer Center


Speakman cleans up with an 8% increase in conversions 
Speakman, manufacturer of premium shower and bath products, was an early adopter of Manufacturer Center. They worked with Salsify, a Product Information Management partner, to send their rich product information to Manufacturer Center for use in Shopping ads. With the addition of richer and more complete data, including multiple product images and even videos of their products in action, Google was able to increase relevancy for users searching for Speakman products like their Speakman Reaction and Icon shower heads. After updating product data, Speakman saw an 8% uplift in conversions originating from Google, compared to benchmark products that were not updated.
Learn More About Google Manufacturer Center


Simply put, Manufacturer Center allows manufacturers to elevate their brands and ultimately attract more shoppers online. If you’re a brand manufacturer and are interested in getting started with Manufacturer Center, complete our interest form and we will reach out with next steps. If you already use a PIM, ask how you can get your data sent to Manufacturer Center for use across Google.

Posted by Christian Santiago, Strategic Partner Development Lead

Source: Inside AdWords


How to win on Black Friday: insights into store traffic trends

This holiday season, shoppers will turn to their most important shopping assistant — their smartphone — to research, browse and compare products in countless moments throughout the day. This is especially true as shoppers head into stores for one of the biggest shopping weeks of the year. In fact, mobile searches per user were 11% higher in electronics stores and 8% higher in department stores on Black Friday last year compared to other weekends during the holiday season.1

To help you understand where shoppers will be and what to expect, we looked at foot traffic patterns in stores across the U.S. during Black Friday last year. We uncovered some surprising findings that should enable you to better connect with shoppers in and near your stores.

Black Friday shoppers don’t exactly rise and shine
Contrary to the notion that most people head to stores in the morning, we found that Black Friday store traffic tends to peak in the afternoon, typically between 2-4 pm.2 Additionally, since some stores now open on Thanksgiving Day, we also saw an increase in foot traffic on Thursday evening. In fact, department stores now see their peak traffic on Thanksgiving evening between 6-7pm.
Tip for retailers: Allocate enough budget across campaigns to support the increase in traffic as shoppers head to stores. During the afternoon, when store traffic is heaviest, consider increasing your mobile bids. Use the mobile bid adjustment simulator to size your overall mobile opportunity and adjust your bids accordingly.

Black Friday isn’t the holy grail for all stores
For categories like electronics and cellphone stores, it should come as no surprise that Black Friday drives more foot traffic compared to any other weekend during the holiday season; in fact, store traffic is 2x higher in electronics stores and 1.6x higher in cellphone stores on Black Friday.3

However, there are many stores that don’t see their biggest crowds on Black Friday. Shopping malls, superstores & discount stores, and department stores have the highest store traffic on the Saturday before Christmas, while dollar stores have the most foot traffic on Christmas Eve — perhaps due to last minute stocking stuffers.
Tip for retailers: Use location extension targeting to encourage shoppers, who are near your stores, to  choose you. If you already run local inventory ads, which trigger if your product is in-stock at a store nearby, you can add location extension targeting and reach customers who are anywhere from 0.4 to 40 miles from your store.

For more tips and tricks this holiday season, check out our Holiday Shopping Readiness guide and Holiday Shopping Survival guide.

Elizabeth Fabiani, Product Marketing Manager, Google Shopping
1 Google Data, U.S., Aggregated anonymized internal data from a sample of US users that have turned on Location History, from the period November 1 2014 - December 25, 2014.  Queries were considered in-store if they occurred within 20 minutes of a user visit to the store.
2 Google Data, U.S., Aggregated anonymized internal data from a sample of US users that have turned on Location History, from November 28, 2014, Eastern Standard Time 
3 Google Data, U.S., Aggregated anonymized internal data from a sample of US users that have turned on Location History, from the period November 1 2014 - December 25 2014.

Source: Inside AdWords


Avoid Post-Turkey Crowds and Shop YouTube’s Awesome Stuff Week Gift Grab

Watchtime for product review videos on YouTube has grown more than 20% in just the past month as shoppers turn to video to research products before the holidays.1 In fact, one in every four shoppers say online videos are their go-to source for gift ideas.2 This week, one of the biggest shopping weeks of the year, we’re helping consumers discover the best products to grab with our third Awesome Stuff Week, Gift Grab.
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Creators such as Lamarr Wilson, Unbox Therapy, Feast of Fiction, Erica Griffin and Hot Pepper Gaming, will share their take on the top trending toys, video games, consumer electronics and housewares to help shoppers prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Best of all, they can avoid the post-turkey crowds and cross items off their holiday gift lists by shopping the products in each video.
Lamarr Wilson shares his take on this week's top trending toys
For AdWords advertisers running Shopping campaigns, Awesome Stuff Week provides a new opportunity to showcase products alongside contextually relevant creator content. Show your products on these videos by making sure your Shopping campaigns are opted into search partners within your campaign settings.

Lastly, discover the latest shoppable videos by subscribing to the Awesome Stuff Week YouTube channel and tune in next week when creators reveal the best beauty tips, recipes and last minute holiday gifts, with Awesome Stuff Week Unwrapped.

Vikram Tank, Product Marketing Manager, Art Copy & Code
1 Google Data Oct 17-Nov 16 vs. Sept 17 - Oct 16, 2015. United States. Classification as a "product review," was based on public data such as headlines, tags, etc., and may not account for every such video available on YouTube. 
2 Google / Ipsos MediaCT, Consumer Holiday Intentions Study 2015

Source: Inside AdWords


Google Helps You Shop Between Holiday Cooking and Tree Trimming

This fall, shopping-related searches on mobile surpassed desktop, signaling a shift from shopping marathons to shopping moments.1 To help shoppers more easily discover, browse and buy on mobile this holiday season, we’ve redesigned Google Shopping to be incredibly fast, seamless, and intuitive.

Here’s a look at what’s new:

Helping shoppers narrow down options

Shoppers often don’t know the exact product they’re interested in — forty-percent of shopping searches are on broad terms — so they turn to search to discover and explore.2 With the new mobile redesign, if a shopper searches for droids, we’ll show the most commonly searched categories to help her narrow down her search. Similarly, if she searches on Google Shopping for tricycles for kids, we’ll show tricycles grouped by attributes that people commonly shop by: features, brand, and price. This gives her the freedom to discover what she might want in a more organized way, while helping drive more qualified traffic to your site.
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Browse by Scrolling and Swiping

Once a shopper’s narrowed down her options, she can now easily browse through lots and lots of products without having to load entirely new pages to see more. She can get a feel for a specific product, such as a Lego Starwars Turbo Tank, that she's interested in by tapping on the product, flipping through images, skimming reviews and scanning product info. She can easily swipe to the next product or dig deeper into specs, features, and even videos to learn more about what you offer.
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When she knows exactly what she wants, and searches for a chromecast, for example, we’ll surface more information upfront. She can see which merchants carry the product, which stores have it in-stock, and also get a quick glance at reviews and manufacturer details.
Driving shoppers In-store

Lastly, if she’s out and about it’s important for her to know what products are available nearby. One in four people who avoid stores do so because they don’t know if a product is in-stock.3 Now, if she searches for olaf toys near me or applies the available nearby filter, we’ll show a map of stores closest to her with the toy in-stock.
This new mobile experience makes it easier for shoppers to discover and explore products. To make sure they’re browsing and exploring your products, follow the tips in our Holiday Shopping Readiness and Holiday Shopping Survival guides.

Happy Holidays!

Posted by Karen Corby, Senior Product Manager, Google Shopping
1 Google Internal Data, shopping-related searches defined by those that trigger a Shopping ad, October 2015. 
2 Google Data, anonymized, aggregated searches that trigger a Product Listing Ad, US, November, 2015.
3 Google, Ipsos MediaCT and Sterling Brands, Digital Impact on In-Store Shopping, Published on Think with Google, May 2014.

Source: Inside AdWords