3 min read
Marketers already have the 2022 holiday shopping season squarely in their sights, hoping for strong sales despite consumer concerns about the economy. And what’s the best way to attract maximum shopper traffic to your place of business this season? Out-of-home advertising (aka OOH)!
As advertising’s most versatile channel, OOH can drive traffic to your doorstep whether your brand sells through brick-and-mortar locations, an ecommerce site, or both. It can even boost your social media-driven sales. That’s a big win for marketers, because shoppers are shopping everywhere now:
- About 76% of American adults shop online
- But 56% of them say they’d rather go to a physical store
Wherever they shop, OOH primes them to buy — 80% of consumers say they have purchased a product or service after seeing an OOH ad.
Bringing joy to the 2022 Festive Season
Back in March, Insider predicted that renewed consumer enthusiasm for in-store shopping would cause a slowdown in ecommerce growth. However, as the Festive Season approaches, it is clear that attracting traffic to your website will be just as important — perhaps more so — as attracting in-person shopping.
Why?
According to Criteo, “shoppers who buy in-store purchase 1.8x more frequently when they also visit the retailer’s website.”
Consumers like physical stores because:
- They serve as a source of inspiration
- They offer a full-sensory experience where shoppers can see, feel, try on or try out merchandise before making a selection
- In-store product availability eliminates worries about back orders or out-of-stocks or delayed shipping
- Earlier “last call” order dates this year will force online shoppers to shop in stores earlier
Consumers like to shop online because:
- Websites also serve as a source of discovery
- It’s convenient – they can shop at any time, from anywhere, saving time
- It’s efficient – easy to find items
The BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store) trend that caught on during the pandemic is here to stay. Strategically placed OOH ads can promote impulse buys to those arriving to collect their online order.
So, if you want to sell online, you need ads that will drive traffic to your website. And if you want to sell in-store, you can sell more by driving traffic to your website.
How does OOH attract and direct all that traffic?
“Can’t miss” visibility
In the past online sellers could focus advertising on key dates such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday or on last-minute deals. Now, however, those periods have expanded into week- or month-long promotions. AKA, retailers must not only capture but keep consumer attention.
While retailers compete for ad space online, look to increase your brand visibility with OOH ads that are in prime locations, long-lasting, and repeatedly visible.
Increase reach and results of digital campaigns
Boost the performance of your digital channels with physical ads. We added billboards to our own Facebook ad campaign here at OneScreen.ai, and got more than 300x lift.
Discovery
OOH introduces brands and products to consumers, increasing likelihood of branded search. In our study of post-pandemic marketing:
- 86% of consumers can recall brands 6 months after seeing an OOH ad
- 77% say they OOH ads introduce them to new brands and products.
Digital displays
Billboards and many other types of OOH media now offer digital displays and/or touchscreens, enabling more compelling ads that include video and audio.
Place-based screens put your ads in context for consumers, making them even more timely and relevant. Because DOOH ads can be implemented or changed almost in real time, they’re perfect for limited-time sales and last-minute promotions to reduce overstocks.
Interactivity
Both digital and static OOH can incorporate interactive features that engage users to make ads more fun, useful and memorable. Interacting with ads establishes a bond with your brand, and it can directly connect users with your website via:
- QR code
- Short, easy-to-recall URL
- Hashtag
- QR code
Augmented reality gives consumers a digital + physical experience – memorable ads that virtually assure visits to your site, or opportunities to “try on” products at home before making online buying decisions.
Mobile OOH redefines “reach”
You can geo-target OOH placements in great detail or take your ad on the road to make eye-catching impressions that reinforce your message and make it more memorable. Mobile OOH keeps your brand and ad top-of-mind with audiences and reminds them to take action to visit your website or store.
Here’s an example of how OOH can double down on traffic generation. Leafly is an online cannabis store directory. Their ultimate marketing goal is to help customers find the nearest shop. To do that, they ran a very successful two-prong OOH campaign. Billboard messaging directed viewers to Leafly’s website and to store locations “just around the corner,” while place-based DOOH ads inside cannabis shops also promoted Leafly’s website.
The Festive Season starts now
More than half of consumers are expected to start their holiday shopping in early November. But Deloitte vice chair Nick Handrinos warns that they are facing higher prices this season.
“This dynamic has the potential to further drive e-commerce sales as consumers look for online deals to maximize their spending. Retailers across channels who remain aligned with consumer demand and offer convenient and affordable options can be well positioned for success this season.”
And there’s no better opportunity than OOH to make that connection with shoppers.