E-commerce firm Wellhaven Gifts for Seniors saw a 15 percent to 20 percent average increase in click throughs when it started using Yahoo’s Panama search functionality.
Yahoo’s search marketing upgrade is aimed at simplifying management of search campaigns.
“Consumers benefit because the ranking model means they will see more relevant ads and they are more likely to find what they were looking for,” said Patty Curry, president of Wellhaven LLC, Frazer, PA.
Wellhaven.com offers gifts for senior citizens that markets its products to adult children and grandchildren of the elderly, who are the main purchasers on the site.
The site sees most of its sales during holidays such as Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, as well as for monumental occasions including retirement, milestone birthdays and anniversaries.
Products include gifts such as the 50th anniversary chiming clock which retails at $149.99, decorative anniversary plates at $27.99, music boxes at $29.99 and occasion- inspired frames at $35.99.
In addition to Yahoo’s search marketing platform, Wellhaven uses Google’s search marketing, sends marketing e-mail messages and does limited print ads to get the word out about its online store.
“With the previous system, it was unlikely that a small business like mine could afford to outbid large businesses for certain keywords,” Ms. Curry said.
