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EmpireCovers.com, a Philadelphia-based online retailer that manufactures and sells automotive, marine, patio and power sport protective covers, has seen new customer acquisition as well as its clickthrough rate increase since launching a program on Google's new Shopping platform earlier this year. In addition, EmpireCovers.com's cost-per-acquisition (CPA) and cost-per-click (CPC) rates have declined since it began using Google Shopping.

A compilation of this year's best and brightest ideas.

If you have any sort of search engine optimization or pay-per-click program, chances are you've heard about the "new" Google Shopping. "New" is in quotes because it's not really new — it's just different. To improve the shopping experience on Google (translation: to help Google make more money), Google Product Search recently transitioned into a comparison shopping engine (think PriceGrabber or NexTag) based on product listing ads (PLAs) and will now be known as Google Shopping. Here are 14 things you should know about Google Shopping and how you can use it to improve your customer acquisition program:

For some, it's the season of giving. For Bing, it's the season of attacking … Google that is. Bing has premiered a new TV commercial that calls out Google for recent changes it made to the Google Shopping section of its search engine, which essentially makes the section a pay-to-play zone. In the ad, a woman warns a friend who just bought a new pan he found on Google not to get "Scroogled."

Whether consumers shop via websites, social media pages, mobile apps, brick-and-mortar stores, etc., it's important for retailers to understand their purchasing behavior. Adding to cart as opposed to abandoning the shopping cart is, of course, the ultimate goal. Here are three ways retailers can capture consumers' holiday purchases:

Consumers rarely differentiate between devices when shopping online, but "laptops" rated as the No. 1 shopping query, followed by Nexus and Apple Mini. Variables in searches for electronics should clue in marketers on budget allocations and strategy. Traditional campaigns don't always work best during the holidays. Retailers approach the season with specific budgets in mind, but that doesn't always prove the best strategy. In fact, Google's Retail Head Brett Goffin calls the approach "shortsighted, because nonfluid" budgets could cause advertisers to leave sales on the table if they budget too low prior to the quarter.

With Google Catalogs and Facebook Gifts, it's evident the e-commerce industry is seeing an influx of industry leaders vying for a piece of the pie. It's also clear that a more dynamic, informative and interactive shopping experience is required long before consumers walk through a retailer's front door. Additionally, today's mobile shopper isn't just looking at your offering; their ability to find the best price is only a few touches away.

While retailers might still be carting out decorations and Black Friday deals have yet to hit shelves, the holiday shopping season is already in full swing. Searches for "holiday gift" on Google have already spiked 156 percent since the first of November, and searches for "Black Friday" are up 546 percent. In the days leading up to the biggest shopping event of the year, we took a look at early trends in holiday shopping using Google Consumer Surveys and found that it's shaping up to be the first "nonline" holiday season. People are shopping earlier and shopping smarter, both online and in stores.

The holiday shopping season is the make-or-break period for many online retailers. Yes, stocking up on sought-after items and making sure you have a sound logistics system in place is important. However, it's also crucial to position your business for maximum profits by addressing new holiday shopping trends, optimizing your site for mobile viewing and targeting prospective customers with relevant, compelling messages and contact options. By combining extended sales opportunities with the right strategies, you can set yourself up for success in the new year.

Leading analysts like Forrester and Deloitte predict that online retail sales in both November and December will increase double-digits year-over-year. This might come at a steep price for smaller retailers however because of increased competition among merchants in the form of aggressive discounting, free shipping and other promotional offers. With holiday sales accounting for as much as 30 percent of total annual revenue for some businesses, it's time for e-commerce merchants to up their game.