Study: When it comes to paid search ads, Rent the Runway is Prom Queen

Rent the Runway, a disruptor in traditional formal wear category, is now a leader in the paid search advertising category.



The apparel rental company generated a 9.3% click share on the prom dress category, according to new research from AdGooroo, a provider of search marketing intelligence. The report is based on U.S. Google desktop text activity on 125 non-branded prom dress keywords, including “prom dresses,” “plus size prom dresses,” “cheap prom dresses,” and “short prom dresses,” conducted between April 3 and May 2.



Advertisers spent $541,000 on product listing ads sponsoring the 125 prom dress keywords, compared to $487,000 spent on Google desktop text ads.



When delving into click share, JJ’s House, an online retailer that specializes in special occasion dresses, lead the category with an 11% click share. However, Rent the Runway was the third most popular retailer, despite only beginning its paid search campaign in March. Macy’s was the second most popular retailer in the category, with a 9.5% click share.



Rent the Runway also fared better in impressions, garnering a 9.9% click share, ranking second behind JJ’s House, which had an 11.3% impression share. Meanwhile, Macy’s and J.C. Penny’s appeared in the top five advertisers in impression shares, generating 8.7% and 6.7% of impressions, respectively.