It goes without saying that this year’s holiday shopping season and overall seasonal celebrations will be unlike any other we’ve experienced. There is a myriad of things that are going to impact how people shop, when and where people shop, and the availability of items they’re shopping for. 

We know that there will be certain difficulties associated with this year, but there is still a lot of opportunity for brands. According to eMarketer, nearly 48% of US shoppers are still planning to spend the same amount on their holiday shopping as they did in 2019. 

Yes, this year will be challenging for brands and they will need to rethink some of the ways and the channels in which they are hoping to reach and connect with their consumers.

We’ve put together a few smart tips to consider when planning your holiday ad campaigns this year, whether it be to increase in-store visits or traffic to your online e-shop. 

 

Tactic 1: Use an omnichannel approach to generate store visits

We know that time spent with mobile has surged during the past 7 months, and mobile remains the key channel to reach consumers. Brands should focus on this consumption shift and leverage mobile as the primary device in their drive-to-store efforts, but combining multiple channels can help boost foot traffic.

It has been found that brands have seen a 3x higher visit rate when combining mobile with (D) OOH. This year it will be crucial for brands to reinforce their messaging with their consumers and a cross-screen approach; adding OOH or desktop to your media mix will be key to driving the in-store visits that can really impact your bottom line. 

 

Tactic 2: Leverage location data to maximize store visits on major shopping days 

Reaching consumers at the most opportune time is going to be a great way to urge them into your store this season. With dynamically optimized creatives, you can drive consumers on the spot by integrating the address of the nearest store and, to maximize the chances of visits, guide your potential customer with a store locator.

With hyper-local location targeting, you can identify shoppers who are near your store so they choose your brand for their purchases. Locala’s Dynamic Catchment Area tool also allows you to target consumers within a short walk or drive time to your location, so you can help limit their public transportation time. 

Using these strategies on the major shopping days like Black Friday and Super Saturday will help you to effectively reach your target consumers at the right time to drive those in-store visits. 

 

Tactic 3: Drive traffic to your online store where physical locations are closed

As we know, this year, consumers will be shopping differently. According to eMarketer 71% of US adults plan to do more than half of their holiday shopping digitally. Promoting your online store will be an essential part of driving your holiday sales, especially in areas where your physical stores might be closed or at limited capacity. 

By developing creatives that drive to your eshop you can help supplement the in-store visits that might have been impacted by consumers looking to shop online for gifts. You can also work with our team to create custom ads that offer convenient shopping experiences like buying online, picking up in-store to provide the consumer with seamless opportunities to purchase from your brand. 

 

Tactic 4: Maximize brand recall with impactful creatives

At Locala, we know that the format of the ad can be just as important as the actual message, which is why we have a library of proprietary and innovative formats. Powerful and tailored creative ad units can have a truly impactful effect on users and can convert them to make a purchase.

An effective way of doing this is to use a format that can create an exciting effect and sense of urgency, such as a countdown to a specific day, sale, or product launch. With the Countdown format, you can spark a consumer’s interest, which can have a big impact this holiday season. 

On the day of the event, you can leverage the Real-time format to remind your consumers that it’s time to shop, an ideal way to create moment marketing campaigns for timed promotions. 

We know this holiday season is going to be different, but at Locala we are committed to supporting brands do their best to get back to business amid this time. If you would like to hear more about how we can help boost in-store foot traffic for your business, please get in touch at contact@s4m.io