Archive for December, 2008

Worst Gifts for the 2008 Holidays

Run, don’t walk, to take these back to the mall 

Over the past few weeks, we’ve brought you our thoughts on this year’s best holiday gift ideas. Now that that’s out of the way, we thought we’d turn our attention to the worst gifts for 2008. If you happen to spot something on our list that you’ve purchased for a loved one, now’s the time to drag out that receipt and see if you can get your money back!

Off Brand Electronics
You see them on the shelves now and then — products that slightly resemble your favorite electronics, with names like “ePod” and the “Pretendo Vii.” While these products are cheaper than the ones they’re modeled after, keep in mind that the real ones rarely burst into flames or cause your ears to start bleeding. Most consumers are too savvy to grab a rip-off product, but beware, grandparents love to save a few bucks and “Vii” looks an awful lot like “Wii” when you don’t have your bifocals on.

iGarbage
If you own an iPod, you probably have some accessories that you really need: a case, speakers, and so on. Then there are the accessories that no one needs and yet somehow exist anyhow. There’s the iPod musical toilet paper holder, the iPod razor attachment, the iPod breathalyzer attachment and even a few attachments that are slightly more, ahem, adult in nature. Basically if it’s stupid and it can be attached to an iPod – chances are someone out there is hoping you’ll buy it.

Novelty Holiday Items
Hey, do you want a little Santa Claus that dances to the Macarena or plays a 35-second loop of “Who Let the Dogs Out?” No? Well neither will the poor chump you’re planning on giving that to. In fact if you give someone such a thing, you can pretty much expect to get it back next year, probably unopened and possibly smashed into a thousand tiny pieces.

Something Practical
While everyone appreciates and needs practical items, not too many want to see them under the tree on Christmas morning. Even if it’s the nicest vacuum cleaner on the market — a dual bag, for instance — or that toaster that all the celebrities own, practical items you would have bought anyhow don’t usually make the greatest gifts.

Limited Edition Darth Vader Bronze Statue
Is there a Star Wars fan in your life? Well forget the figures and ditch the DVDs, because what they really need is a 4-foot-tall bronze statue of everyone’s favorite dark lord. Weighing in at a mere 150 pounds, Lord Vader is the perfect addition to any sci fi fan’s Fortress of Solitude (i.e., Mom’s basement). And the best part is, it’ll only set you back $18,000! Oh come on, what else were you going to use that money for? A new car, or a few mortgage payments?

Honorable Mention
The good news is that someone finally made a two-person toilet. The great news is that it costs $1400 and is only available in orders of 12 or more. The really great news is that the deluxe version includes a 7-inch LCD television and iPod docking station. Sign me up!

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst/Regifter

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Lola Geek.

Top Gifts for Women

Making women beam with joy this month

Since the dawn of time, men have been asking themselves what women want. This is especially true around the winter holidays. Some guys just take their best guess (and hopefully, save their receipts) while others turn to family, friends and just about anyone else who may have insight into the female mind.

If you’re selling women’s gifts, you have to guess not only what women want but what their significant others think they want. Here are some clues for your campaigns – and if you want to crib a few of them for your own shopping, be our guest.

The iPod Nano
The fourth-generation iPod Nano adds several new features, as well as new colors, making a great player even better. A sleek package, intuitive interface and the ability to choose your color puts the iPod Nano high on women’s wish lists this year.

The Amazon Kindle
Though still a little hard to find, the Amazon Kindle is a fantastic item for book lovers. With the ability to hold hundreds of electronic books in a small, stylish form, the Kindle basically rewrote the book on portable reading—and it’s a lot more convenient than lugging around 100 hardcovers.

Digital cameras
From high-end models to micro-cams that fit right in your pocket, digital cameras have become a must-have item for both men and women.

Kitchen appliances
The man who gives these may be taking his life into his hands—but high-end kitchen appliances can inspire some women. Case in point: the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer, which is the appliance equivalent of a Porsche (and twice as sexy, if you ask me).

Jewelry
Always a classic, jewelry remains a popular favorite at holiday time and year round. Just make sure you know her tastes; if she’s expecting diamonds and she finds funky hoop earrings, the holiday spirit may be gone faster than you expect.

Lingerie
This is really more of a gift for the guy who gives it…but still, the right item can be a great present, especially if you err on the side of sexy (and stay away from sleazy). A word of warning to anyone taking this tack: You may want to make this your “C” gift, and make gifts “A” and “B” really, really fantastic.

In the last couple of weeks, we’ve covered the most-wanted gift lists for boys, girls, men and now women. Make your final adjustments now for the last-minute shoppers – and make sure to get your own shopping done!

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Top Gifts for Men

We know what guys want, and surprise—they all need electricity

The country may be in the midst of an economic slowdown, but the men of the house may not realize it. According to a new survey from Break.com, men between the ages of 18-34 are planning to spend aggressively this holiday season on gifts for their spouses, parents and themselves.

The survey indicates that nearly 70% of the men interviewed don’t have a set budget for holiday shopping. Almost 40% plan to spend $250 or more, with half of those men planning to spend $500 or more. Additionally, over 60% of men surveyed would be willing to pay full price for holiday gifts, rather than waiting for sales or bargains. Finally, nearly 40% of men surveyed said they intend to buy themselves a gift this holiday season. If those guys are anything like me, that gift could wind up being the one thing that doesn’t end up getting returned.

So what do men want to receive (or buy for themselves) this holiday season? Let’s take a look:

Video games
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, more than one-half of U.S. adults play video games, and about one in five play every day or almost every day. So it’s no surprise that guys are looking forward to finding some gaming goodness under the tree this holiday season.

MP3 players
At the holidays, every young (and old) man’s thoughts turn to… the iPod. Or if not the iPod, than any one of the many other popular mp3 players on the market. As such, portable music and video players are on many guys’ wish lists this year.

Flat-screen TVs
Once upon a time, the only valuable things you’d hang on the wall were paintings. In 2008, the artwork needs to make room for HDTVs of all shapes and sizes. Whether they’re sports fans or sci-fi nuts, most guys would rather stare at their new TV than the Mona Lisa, any day of the week.

Laptop computers
Remember the days when computers took up an entire room? Yeah, I don’t either. But now that they practically fit in your back pocket, laptop computers are on the brain of most guys all year round, and especially at the holidays.

GPS Devices
While guys may insist they never get lost, a GPS system is perfect for those rare moments when they’ll admit they have absolutely no idea where they are.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering what the worst gift for men would be, the answer is: the necktie. According to a recent Opinion Research Corporation gift-giving survey of 3,307 adults, 24% of respondents said that neckties are the most dreaded holiday gift. Working at an Internet company, I didn’t even realize men were still wearing those awful things!

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Hot Holiday Electronics

Get plugged in to the gadgets and gizmos that are most wanted this season

When it comes to holiday gifts, it’s still the thought that counts. But most people would like something more than a thought. Like, maybe some gadgets to play games, talk to friends or watch movies on.

Whether you sell them on your site, or just want to know what the heck your teenager is talking about, these are the electronic items that many are hoping to find under the tree come Christmas morning:

The Nintendo Wii
The Wii’s unique remote control and interactive gameplay have made it a must-have for gamers, which means that finding one this month may be harder than hand-delivering your wish list to Santa.

The Wii Fit
Though the Wii Fit software and balance board are a little easier to find than the Wii console itself, they’re still as scarce as a parking space next to the mall entrance. Which means you may get more exercise running around trying to find the Wii Fit than you will actually using it.

Sony PSP
The PlayStation Portable has long been a favorite among gamers due to its multitude of features and functions. So it’s no wonder that this handheld system is held by so many hands all over the world.

Nintendo DS
Nintendo’s hugely popular gaming device offers touch-screen access, which brings a new level of interactivity to portable gaming. And since the DS offers puzzle and trivia titles that may appeal to adults, it’s an even more viable gift option come the holidays.

Apple iPhone
Though net-accessible cell phones have been around for a while, no one would dispute that the iPhone rewrote the book on portable networking. With the ability to play music and movies, access the Internet, play games and even function as a GPS (and oh yeah — it’s a phone, too) the iPhone remains a much sought-after item for gadget lovers.

Apple iTouch
Take the iPhone, remove the phone, lower the price tag and you’ve got the iTouch. The functionality of an iPod, plus the ability to browse the Internet, has made the iTouch a popular item among gadget fans.

Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder
The Flip Video’s small size, and its ability to capture video that can be easily uploaded to the Web, makes it a must-have among the YouTube crowd. Its reasonable price tag will make it appealing to holiday gift givers.

Barring a power outage, anyone who finds one of these items waiting for them on Christmas morning will have a ton of happy gaming, talking and viewing ahead of them. Plan your campaigns accordingly.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

No Phishing Here

Protect yourself from nefarious and sneaky scammers

“There’s a sucker born every minute,” according to that old carny saying. We’re not saying that folks who work carnivals are all swindlers, or that you’re a gullible “mark” (that’s carnyspeak for “target of a scam”). However, some insidious people do try to scam people online, and they’re getting constantly trickier with their shady “phishing” tactics.

Phishing is an attempt to steal passwords and private account information via a fake web site or email that looks like those of trusted companies. A phishing web site or email may look identical to the real thing, so it can be hard to tell if it’s fake.

Here are some tips to help you spot and fight these scammers.

How to Recognize a Scam Email
Phishing emails may look and sound official; scammers may use familiar corporate colors and logos as they ask you to verify your account or share your password. Often these fraudsters will tell (misinform) you that your account has been disabled. Also, do not reply or click links in emails to access your account. Go through the interface to access your account.

Don’t Give out Account or Personal Info to Anyone
The biggest giveaway in a fake email is that it asks for your username and password. We will never send you an email asking for your password.

Another way to tell is by looking at the sender’s email address. Most of the official communications that Yahoo! sends you will come from an address that looks like this: solutions(at)ysm.yahoo-email.com. If you get an email from a yahoo.com address (the type of email address any consumer can get) asking you for info, it’s a good bet that it’s a fake.

Use the Yahoo! Sign-in Seal
We have installed what’s called a “sign-in seal” on our log-in page. Already in use by many financial institutions, a sign-in seal is a cookie-based secret message or image that is displayed on your computer only. (That is, the machine you use to log in to your account.)

If you use more than one computer, you’ll need to set up your seal for each one. You can create your own custom text message to use as a seal, or upload a personal image. Check out this article for more details on the sign-in seal.

There is no Yahoo! Lottery
Don’t be fooled by people pretending to be Yahoo! and offering cash prizes. We would never send you information about a contest you never entered. If you receive a message like “Final Notification: Yahoo! Mail Winner!” or “Your Email Address Has Won $XX million,” it’s a scam. Don’t reply to the email, don’t click any links in it, and never divulge any personal information. As we mentioned already, do not click links in emails to access your account. Go through the interface to access your account.

To learn more about how you can guard against other Internet-based scams, please visit these resources:
• Common Abuse Issues
• Yahoo! Security Center

—The Team

The Holiday (Video) Game Plan

How young gamers want to numb their thumbs

Once upon a time, video games had a simple appeal — kids could maneuver yellow globes that ate power pellets or help diminutive Italian men rescue princesses from gorillas.

Nowadays, of course, the games are a tad more sophisticated, but the appeal is as high as ever, with kids clamoring to get the latest releases. This holiday season will be no different, as parents prepare for an avalanche of game requests from their teens and “tweens.” According to a survey conducted by Weekly Reader Research, 90% of teens and tweens plan to ask for a game this year, so we thought it might be interesting to take a look at who wants what and for which system.

Top titles

For starters, let’s take a look at the video games that boys and girls ages 8 through 17 want most in 2008:

17% – Guitar Hero World Tour
15% – Rock Band 2
12% – Mario Kart
11% – Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2

As you can see, music games rule the roost this year, although our old friend Mario does make an appearance on the list. Of course, boys and girls have slightly different tastes. Girls 8 to 13 years old are pining most for Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2, with the two rock ‘n roll games close behind. Older girls gravitate more toward the faux musician games.

As for the boys, they eschew the dance games (naturally — you know most of us guys hate dancing), but love to channel their inner Eddie Van Halen with the two top-selling rock ‘n roll games. Younger boys 8 to 10 years old—as well as their older brothers 14 to 17 years old—are big on the Mario Kart driving game, while pre-teens desire Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Other popular games for the holidays in 2008 include Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Dead Space, Left 4 Dead, Animal Crossing – City Folk and LittleBigPlanet.

Most popular gaming systems

In addition to the games themselves, the gaming systems that kids own varies across gender and age groups. Girls 8 to 10 and 14 to 17 years old prefer the Nintendo Wii, while tween girls lean toward the Nintendo DS. Younger boys 8 to 10 years old are partial to the Playstation 2, while boys 11 to 17 want to go with the Wii. The Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 and Gameboy Advanced are also popular systems for boys.

With so many options for both systems and games, parents are going to have plenty of choices when it comes to gaming gifts this holiday season. But just make sure you’re ready — if you can dance to it, rock out to it, shoot it, drive it or fly it, kids will want to play it come the holidays.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Photo courtesy of Flickr user wlodi.

Top Holiday Gifts for Girls

5 things they’ll want under the tree — and on your site

Though Christmas is still a few weeks away, chances are good that kids have already started making up lists for their folks to give to Santa. Last week[link] we told you what boys are hoping to unwrap this year, and this week we’ll turn our attention to girls. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2008 Top Toys survey, these are the toys that girls want most:

1. Barbie
Though she has more competition than she did when she first hit the scene decades ago, Barbie’s managed to hold onto the top spot year after year, and it looks like 2008 is no exception.

2. Hannah Montana
Girls all over the world have flipped for this fun-lovin’ teenage songstress, so pretty much anything that bears her name will probably be a hot item this holiday season.

3. Dolls (Generic)
Be they baby or Barbie, dolls of all shapes and sizes are always popular with girls. As such, even the no-name brands are top contenders for girl gifts in 2008.

4. Nintendo Wii
Though it’s been out for a while, the Nintendo Wii is still hard to find, mainly because the demand still hasn’t dropped off. Boys and girls alike are asking for this popular gaming system, so if you can find it this holiday season, grab it and run!

5. Video Games
Once thought of a no-man’s land (or rather, no-woman’s land) for girls, video games have transcended gender. And while the games they play may differ slightly (think horses vs. bazookas) there’s no denying that these days, the demand is there for both boys and girls.

Other top contenders for girls include “High School Musical” toys and accessories, Bratz dolls, Disney Princess toys and accessories, and the Fisher-Price Elmo Live doll.

So these are the toys that should have girls acting on their best behavior as they anxiously await Christmas morning. If you’re a toy retailer, get ready for a lot of searches on these terms, and prepare your campaigns accordingly.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Photo courtesy of Flickr user James Laurence Stewart.

Toys for Boys

The top 5 must-haves for young men — and the parents shopping for them

Now that the holidays are just weeks away, like me you may be asking yourself, “How did the last 11 months go by so quickly?” Sadly, we can’t stop the passage of time, but we can lend a hand by shedding some light on the top holiday gifts for boys, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2008 Top Toys survey. It won’t turn back the clock—but it might just help you get ready for when the alarm goes off, or when mom, dad, grandpa and Aunt Bea begin their online shopping excursions.

1. Video Games
The days of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong are far behind us, only to be replaced by uplifting titles such as Left 4 Dead and Fallout 3. If you don’t know what those are, don’t worry: your customers and the kids themselves absolutely do. Video games are once again the number one gift for boys, and — who knows? — a few of those boys may even find time for some of their dad’s old favorites.

2. The Nintendo Wii
Still hard to find due to high demand, the Nintendo Wii has proven to be a video gaming system that boys absolutely crave. It’s so popular that it even made the list of must-have toys for girls in 2008, proving that good gaming transcends gender (and probably everything else).

3. Lego
A mainstay of boyhood since the 1950s, Legos are just as popular now as they were when Ike was president. These days, Legos offer an even wider variety of styles, from “Star Wars”-branded play sets to kits that create giant robots, etc. As such, it’s no wonder that boys have enjoyed locking those colorful bricks together for decades now. This holiday season looks to be no exception, with Legos high on most boy’s “must-have” lists.

4. Cars (in general)
Before they turn into men and begin their obsession with the real things, boys have a similar obsession with all things automotive, though on a much smaller scale. Love of toy cars is practically a rite of passage, and so if it vrooms, zips or screeches, boys will probably want it.

5. Transformers
Though the recent live-action film boosted their popularity, Transformers have really remained consistently popular since their debut in the 1980s.

Other popular toys for boys in 2008 include Star Wars toys, the X-Box 360 video game system and remote-controlled vehicles.

So there you have it — the toys that the boys will be clamoring for this holiday season. They may be broken, discarded or ignored by February, but in December of 2008, they’re the ones you want in your ads.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Brighterworlds.

Black Friday Not So Gloomy?

Big shopping days bigger than expected

Given the state of the economy in days of late, retailers were expecting Black Friday in 2008 to be the wrong kind of black — gloomy, as opposed to profitable.

But according to the National Retail Federation’s 2008 Black Friday Weekend survey, conducted by BIGresearch, this wasn’t quite the case, as shoppers headed to stores and Web sites in droves over the weekend. According to the survey, more than 172 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 147 million shoppers last year. Shoppers spent an average of $372.57 this weekend, up 7.2% over last year’s $347.55. Total spending reached an estimated $41.0 billion.

The good news continued on Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year, with comScore, Inc. reporting that e-commerce spending on Cyber Monday totaled $846 million, up 15% from a year ago. For the four-day period from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, spending jumped 13 percent. According to comScore, between Nov. 1 and Dec. 1 – the first 31 days of the holiday shopping season – U.S. residents spent $12.03 billion in online retail sales.

That’s a drop of 2 percent compared with the corresponding period last year. But given the dire predictions many were making for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the news that it could have been much worse probably comes as welcome relief to retailers.

Black Friday proved to be an effective lead-in for Cyber Monday, with comScore reporting Black Friday online sales of $534 million, up 1% from a year ago, and ecommerce sales of $288 million on November 27 (Thanksgiving Day), up 6 percent from last year.

One reason for the huge turnout is probably retailer preparation for a gloomy Black Friday and Cyber Monday, by offering unprecedented savings and discounts intended to lure prudent purchasers into stores and onto their computers. And while holiday sales aren’t expected to continue at this brisk a pace, the fact that so many shoppers turned out this weekend is most likely a good sign.

Of course it’s still hard to predict what will the final tally will be once the smoke clears this holiday season. But if Black Friday Cyber Monday sales are any indication, retailers may find more than coal in their stockings this year.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Photo courtesy of Flickr user The Consumerist.

Top Searches of 2008

Looking back at this year’s search trends

We’re wrapping up a momentous year filled with big events: a historic presidential election, a summer Olympics held in the world’s most populous country, and an economic crisis that continues to affect every American. But did these headline-makers crack the Yahoo! Top 10 list of searches for 2008?

The Yodel Anecdotal blog just published the Yahoo! Year in Review, which is highlighted by the ten most popular searches in ’08:

Top 10 Searches for 2008
1. Britney Spears
2. WWE
3. Barack Obama
4. Miley Cyrus
5. RuneScape
6. Jessica Alba
7. Naruto
8. Lindsay Lohan
9. Angelina Jolie
10. American Idol

So what, you ask? As a Sponsored Search advertiser, knowing what folks are searching for, and how the keywords you bid on can reach them, could help you refine your campaigns. Revisit our “Five Questions About Keywords” post for more on this topic.

In regard to this year’s Top Searches, Yodel Anecdotal’s Vera Chan posits that “a billion (or so) searches can sketch a portrait of a culture in motion. The motion this year was volatile, to say the least, what with the American presidential elections, the Beijing Olympics, and a doggedly stubborn global economic morass.”

You can view a snapshot of a “culture in motion”—as revealed by the information it is looking for—on the always-fascinating Yahoo! Buzz.

— The Team