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HOLIDAYSHOPPING

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In the short time between November and December, retailers expect to make 30 percent of their annual revenue.*

It’s no wonder, then, that the holidays are also some of the busiest times for marketers.

To make sure your winter is merry and bright, here are some tips to help create a solid holiday marketing campaign.

Usage of the Tapad Device GraphTM over time for the retail industry.

Q1 2016 Q2 2016 Q3 2016 Q4 2016 Q1 2017

Winter is Coming: Be Prepared

In the short time between November and December, retailers expect to make 30 percent of their annual revenue.*

01*Source: NRF.com “Holiday Forecasts and Historical Sales”

02

2010 2012 2014 2016

0%

10%

20%

30%MobileDesktop

Share of Average Time Spent per Day with Select Media by U.S. Adults (eMarketer’s, “Storytelling in Sequence”, August 2017)

While mobile is important, a precise cross-screen strategy is the secret to delivering a truly successful holiday campaign. Why?

The average consumer owns 3+ digital devices.

50% of consumers converted on a device different from the one on which they started their research.*

90% of multiple device owners switch between screens to complete tasks, using an average of three different combinations every day.**

Even if most consumers start their research on mobile in-store, they are most likely to complete the purchase at home on a tablet or desktop. Mobile may be dominating, but to truly connect with your audience, cross-device is key.

Mobile is Merry, but ‘Tis the Season for Cross-Device

Looking back on 2016, there was a stand-out trend that we will see continue into 2017: mobile dominates. Brands are making it easier to browse their websites on mobile, and more consumers do research in-store on their phones.

*Tapad proprietary data **Source: Think with Google

Sleigh Ride to a Successful Holiday Campaign

Identify, Connect, Communicate and Measure with cross-device at the center of your strategy.

How do you reach the right audience with the right message, at the right time, across every device?

03

1. IdentifyKnow your audience

2. ConnectAt the right time,

across every deice

3. CommunicateSequence yourcreative to tell acompelling story

4. MeasureIdentify meaningful analytics — online

& offline

04

Holiday shoppers go far beyond demographics or location. Knowing who they are is important, but equally so is knowing who they are shopping for across every device.

Make sure you have a partner who understands your audience’s contextual behavior year-round and on all of their devices, so you are getting the full picture of their intent and lifestyle indicators.

This is especially important when there is a new audience to understand, such as the emerging Self-Gifters. According to the National Retail Federation, Self-Gifters differ from Gift Givers in a couple ways.

Identify:

Make Your List, Check it Twice

Gi� Givers:

Very focused on what they want and create lists.

Spend less time on the site and have a smaller basket.

Care less about the price, and more about getting the perfect gift.

Self-Gi�ers: Don’t feel guilty about treating themselves if the price is right, so they spend more time researching to find the best deal.

Open to recommendations, so retailers should create calls to action for shoppers to “treat themselves”.

However, just knowing what defines a Gift Giver vs. a Self-Gifter is not enough. With the right partner, you can get a much more thorough, cross-device understanding of who they are and how their contextual behaviors differ.

IDENTIFY CONNECT COMMUNICATE MEASURE

Understand your consumer's journey and behaviors across all of their devices to get a complete picture of who they are, who they are shopping for, and how you can deliver a meaningful campaign. Know the person behind the data and don't take their actions for granted.

Identify:

Unwrap Audience Insights

I am a female31-45 years old

I have sizable expendable funds, I earn >100K

I am looking for the easiest way to purchase gifts

I have a list of products and will pull the trigger when I find it for the right price

I am busy and have a family

20% OFF

I am a female21-29 years old

I have sizable expendable funds, I earn >60K I am looking for online coupons to save some money

I look up products on my phone but buy on desktop

I like to stay up-to-date on the latest fashion

05

Gi� Givers“I have to buy gi�s and...”

Self-Gi�ers“I love shopping and...”

IDENTIFY CONNECT COMMUNICATE MEASURE

06

Connect:

Plan While the�ermometer’s High

Holiday Research vs. Purchasing Timeline

BeforeSeptember

September October November Decemberfirst 2 weeks

Decemberlast 2 weeks

17%

8%

13%

8%

25%

17%

More than half began research in October or earlier — only 33% began making actual purchases in that timeframe.*

33%36%

11%

27%

2%5%

Begin Researching Begin Purchasing

Research PhaseConsumer is starting to shop around and make lists.

To inspire upper funnel awareness and engagement, use video and high-impact ad units.

Keep them in the funnel by providing recommendations, as 54% of holiday shoppers said they purchased an item that was recommended directly from a retailer.

Purchase Phase Consumer is ready to take action.

Encourage users to make their purchase with action- oriented content.

Coupons and limited time offers can encourage your consumer to make their decision and complete the purchase.

Don’t wait until the first snowfall to start reaching your audiences. Even though only 33% of consumers start making purchases in October or earlier, more than half of consumers begin their research during this time. As a result, there are two main stages in their path to purchase.

NOVEMBER - DECEMBERSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER

For both phases, using sequential messaging is a must to connect the two into a seamless and compelling story that extends throughout the customer journey.

IDENTIFY CONNECT COMMUNICATE MEASURE

*Source for stats and chart content: NRF’s 2017 Holiday Planning Book

07

Communicate:

Keep Audiences Cozy with a �oughtful Story

To help cut through the blizzard of noise during the holiday season, using sequential messaging is of paramount importance. Sequential messaging helps drive up to 5x better performance*, and creates an engaging and well-designed user journey across every device to drive them from the research to purchase stage.

In order for sequential messaging to work, it must:

Leverage the right creative for each device. For example: if you’re reaching mobile consumers, prioritize vertical video.

Understand consumers’ intent, across every device. For example: Eliminate wasted impressions by knowing who, of the customers who viewed your ad, is actually interested in the product (e.g. completed the video, clicked on the ad, etc.).

2i 1iAD 1 AD 2 AD 3

IDENTIFY CONNECT COMMUNICATE MEASURE

“Sequencing... allows marketers to take advantage of a range of formats and platforms to tell their story to consumers over time in a relevant and respectful way.”

eMarketer’s “Storytelling in Sequence”

*Tapad's proprietary data

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“I found the model I love, now I want to get it at the best price!”

“Ok, I figured out the brand, but which camera model is best?”

“I want to buy a new camera so I can start a photography blog.”

“What brand should I look at?”

Brand specific videoCREATE AWARENESS

CONSUMER

BRAND

Model-specific vertical video about camera’s ease of use

INFORM

Desktop: For buying at home

Mobile: For when consumer wants to compare in-store prices

ENCOURAGE USERS TO TAKE ACTION

10% o�TODAY ONLY!

STORE A

STORE B

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER PURCHASE PHASESEPTEMBER - OCTOBER RESEARCH PHASE

IDENTIFY CONNECT COMMUNICATE MEASURE

Communicate Timeline:

Sequence Your Story for the Self-Gi�er

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Measure:

Illuminate YourHoliday Cheer

In order to accurately measure the success of your holiday campaign:

1. Identify consumers across all devices ahead of time and follow their cross-device path to conversion, such as:

Where did they first interact with your ad?

On which device did they convert?

What was the creative that engaged them and on which device?

2. Manage frequency capping to help maximize marketing spend and reduce waste, and in turn provide more meaningful results.

3. Know how your audience’s offline behavior impacts their online actions, and vice versa. For example, consumers may browse online, but then make the purchase in-store. Or perhaps they are browsing products in-store while comparing prices on mobile, but then make their purchase on their home laptop.

IDENTIFY CONNECT COMMUNICATE MEASURE

0107

Work with a location/transactional partner to understand how in-store behavior and sales drive digital action, and vice versa.

Utilize an online partner to understand consumer behavior across all devices, including transactions, behaviors,and conversions.

Online

O�ine

By taking both online and offline analytics into account, you will get a complete picture of consumer behavior as well as your return on ad spending, which is proven to be higher for offline consumers.

Measure:

Capture the Joy, Online & O�ine

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IDENTIFY CONNECT COMMUNICATE MEASURE

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Now that you know the secrets to a successful holiday campaign, how do you get started?

Find the right identity partner to help you understand your audience, especially the new ones like Self-Gifters, across every device.

Plan around consumer behaviorstarting as early as late September / early October.

Use sequential messaging to tell a seamless and meaningful story, connecting with your consumers throughout the research and purchase phases.

Measure the true success of your campaign by including both online and offline analytics.

Enjoy a Festive Finale

Bundle Up with TapadTo learn how Tapad can help you prepare for the holiday rush, email info@tapad.com or visit tapad.com.