More Evidence That Google Search Trumps Social Media

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Here's some more evidence that good old-fashioned Google search is more valuable to apparel brands than Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram combined. WWD is reporting monster growth in the number of Google Shopping listings over the past year—we're talking a 410% increase in the number of merchants paying for product listing ads (PLAs) between spring 2012 and June 2013.

Take Etsy, for example, who told WWD that PLAs have resulted in "40 million visits directly to listings" since they began using them last September.

That supports the findings of a recent L2 Think Tank study, which concluded that plain, boring old search continues to be by far the most effective traffic driver for department stores. (Social media was identified as the "least effective" way to drive traffic.)

It also suggests that Google is beginning to edge in on Amazon's online retail domination—a retail battle that has major implications for how we shop online and that's being closely watched by pretty much everyone in the industry.
· Google Search Returns Attract Eye of Industry [WWD]
· Social Media Is the 'Least Effective' Path to Traffic [Racked]
· How Google Is Getting In on Amazon's Territory in 2013 [Racked]