Research links happy keywords to happy shoppers

New research The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business has shown that consumers use „happy” words to search for products when they’re in a good mood. Researchers have linked those positive search terms to a higher likelihood of clicking on search engine ads.

The study combines traditional research in marketing on how marketers manipulate and reflect consumer emotions and behavior with today’s digital realities in brick-and-mortar retailers.

„There’s a lot of research about how you feel when you’re in a store, how you feel when you look at a product, but now people start the shopping process online before they even set foot in a store,” says Assistant Professor Sarah Whitley. Professor of Marketing at UGA’s Terry College. „They may act differently in this online space, and we need to understand how emotions play a role.”

Whitley and her co-authors—Derry College Dean’s Advisory Committee Distinguished Marketing Professor Anindita Chakraborty and fellow professor Pengyuan Wang—published their findings on what motivates shoppers to click on online search ads. Find what you are looking for and click Journal of Marketing.

Positive search terms lead to more ad clicks

The research team analyzed a collection of more than 5 million archived searches and conducted experiments with 6,800 participants.

The team found that people who were perceived to be in a better mood by being shown images of positive things (eg, babies, bubbles, sunshine, etc.) used happier words to describe the product they wanted in their online search. When search engine ads were served in response to these positive search terms, regardless of product type, they were 50% more likely to generate site visits than the same search terms without the „happy” modifier.

For example, test subjects who used positive emotion search terms happy, cheerful, playful, and inspiring to describe a water bottle were twice as likely as those who did not to click on the ads above their search results. Sensory descriptions such as clear, metallic and lightweight. Other products such as books and posters showed similar effects.

„The positive feeling has nothing to do with the product they’re looking for; it’s something they’re feeling right now,” said Anindita Chakraborty, co-author of the study and Terry Dean’s Advisory Board Distinguished Professor.

„When they feel happy and want to search for a product at the same time, they use more positive words when they type in a search query. That’s when the practical implications come in.”

Marketers may want to target happy shoppers early in the buying process

The difference between ad clicks generated by happy and neutral searchers is linked to less skepticism of ads in happy consumers.

„When people are in a positive mood and experience positive emotions, they tend to have rose-colored glasses,” Whitley said. “Each person carries this knowledge in their head that allows them to see how marketers are trying to persuade them – persuasive knowledge.

„When you’re in a positive mood, you’re less likely to use your persuasive knowledge to avoid ads. You’re less skeptical and view ad content more positively.”

Online marketers have long known that highly accurate search terms and price-based search terms are clues that online customers are closer to completing a purchase and more willing to click on an ad.

So, when consumers are looking for specific product features, logistics, or deals that generate more revenue for their advertising dollars, they spend money to show their ads.

In light of this new research, marketers may want to reserve some advertising dollars to reach buyers in a positive frame of mind early in the buying process.

„Instead of thinking about convention-based search terms, marketers might want to consider some of these positive emotion words in search terms that indicate how the consumer is feeling at the time,” Whitley said. „Because if they feel positive, they’ll be less skeptical of your ads, more likely to click on them, and you’ll have a higher ROI on your ad spend.”