How to lean into DOOH advertising this holiday shopping season
As Black Friday and Cyber Monday edge closer, DOOH offers a powerful way to capture the attention of shoppers, drive foot traffic, and boost sales. Continue reading to find out why and how you can maximize your DOOH advertising strategy this holiday shopping season.
The aroma of pumpkin spice lattes is in the air, which can only mean one thing: the holiday shopping season is upon us. We've already begun to see stores line their shelves with winter decor, and behind the scenes, brands are putting the final touches on their holiday ads as they look to draw in Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers with deals and steals on this year's must-have goods. But the holiday shopping season is about more than just big discounts; it's also about forging connections with consumers, who are often more receptive to promotions and new products this time of the year.
In recent years, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have evolved into enormous opportunities for retailers worldwide. Last year, a record-breaking 200.4 million shoppers participated in what's become a five-day shopping affair that runs from Thanksgiving Day to the following Monday. To this end, we expect to see holiday ads soon begin to sprinkle the internet, TV, connected TV, and out-of-home (OOH) venues that target budget-conscious shoppers on the hunt for the best deals as they continue to feel the impacts of inflation.
While many of these ads have been planned for months, programmatic digital OOH (DOOH) technology provides the flexibility to leverage your remaining 2024 budget to augment campaigns with DOOH ads or, if you haven't planned any, execute them on the fly. It enables brands and agencies to capture the attention of shoppers at key moments across the purchase journey, which can ultimately help you maximize the holiday rush by driving foot traffic to stores and enhancing brand perception. We expect more brands to look to the medium this year for these reasons, among others, so we've compiled a list of tips to maximize your holiday campaign with DOOH.
Attract and engage audiences along the shopper journey
Holiday shopping habits have drastically changed in the last decade as more consumers opt to spread purchases out over a longer period to alleviate monthly budgeting stress. In fact, 2023 NRF data revealed that 59% of shoppers begin their holiday shopping by early November.
With the proliferation of e-commerce sites, today's shopping experience spans online platforms and physical storefronts; shoppers seamlessly move between both when researching and making purchases. For instance, over Black Friday weekend in 2023, 121.4 million people visited physical stores, while 134.2 million shopped online, according to NRF research. To capture this blended shopping experience, brands must develop advertising strategies that reach consumers across both physical and digital spaces, and DOOH advertising, as part of a larger omnichannel strategy, plays a pivotal role in engaging across the path to and at the point of purchase.
DOOH complements omnichannel strategies by driving awareness of online promotions. Ads in high-traffic locations can encourage consumers to visit websites or apps, while shoppable DOOH ads with QR codes provide a direct and easy path to purchase. Coupling DOOH with retargeting amplifies its impact, allowing brands to reconnect with consumers online after seeing an ad in the real world. A recent OAAA and The Harris report found that 74% of mobile users took action after seeing DOOH ads, proving its effectiveness in driving digital engagement.
Increase foot traffic in-store and more
While online shopping has gained momentum, in-store experiences remain essential, especially during the holiday season when shoppers might be looking for purchase inspiration. DOOH advertising on the path to and at the point of purchase provides a unique value proposition, enabling brands to engage shoppers as they travel between stores, as well as when they're exploring available merchandise. Placing ads near retail centers, malls, high-traffic streets, transit hubs, and even EV charging stations can inspire store visits, especially if the signage location is near a physical storefront. Canadian Retailer Holt Renfrew, for instance, drove 400,000 store visits using programmatic DOOH.
DOOH is also ideal for promoting time-sensitive offers, which Vericast's 2024 Holiday Retail TrendWatch found that 38% of consumers are most interested in. 56% of participants also cited the holiday season as the best time for sales. Programmatic DOOH can display real-time updates on exclusive deals, creating urgency for shoppers to act quickly and visit stores.
Use digital retargeting to your advantage
Digital retargeting is essential to reconnecting with the audiences you've targeted online, and OOH is an ideal medium to use as your anchor or launch point, as evidenced by an OAAA and Harris Poll. It found that 74% of research participants acted on their mobile devices after viewing DOOH ads, from completing an online search (44%) to directly visiting the website advertised (38%) to engaging with the brand on social media (30%). Such seamless follow-up can ensure greater relevance with shoppers across the various channels they interact with daily and fuel greater interaction with a brand.
If a shopper enters a sports venue, for instance, surrounded by billboards on which a brand advertises, the brand or its media buying agency could easily employ mobile retargeting to serve timely digital ads to that audience online or via mobile devices later. The strategy reinforces the initial OOH impression and ensures the brand and its product are fresh in the shopper's mind as they browse online. Seeing that mobile e-commerce now drives more than half of all online sales, it's a highly effective approach that can increase the likelihood of conversion, especially during the holiday season.
As Black Friday and Cyber Monday draw closer, it's evident that DOOH advertising offers a powerful way to capture attention and boost sales. The medium, especially when used in an omnichannel implementation, can drive foot traffic, raise awareness for limited-time deals, and integrate with digital strategies, making it a prime ingredient for any holiday campaign. Using mobile data and retargeting, brands can stay top-of-mind throughout the shopping journey, ensuring strong in-store and online engagement. If you haven't already, now is the time to consult with your DSP provider to explore curated OOH audiences, inventory, and contextual locations that make the most sense for your holiday OOH campaigns this season.