Holidays 2021: How to Reach New Shoppers This Holiday Season

After a year unlike any in recent memory consumers are eager to return to normal and more open to new shopping experiences US holiday retail is forecasted to rise nearly 3 and ecommerce sales are predicted to jump 113 to 20688 billion2 On top of that 40 of customers predict they will shop more this year than in 20203According to our research 57 of people say they are not tied to shopping with their usual brands and more than 60 say they want to try new brands and new stores4The 2021 holiday shopping season provides a golden opportunity to connect with savvy shoppers open to new products and experiences Here are seven ways brands can seize this momentEngage customers with new experiencesYour customers are looking for new things to buy and new ways to buy them More than 80 of shoppers would like to see 360degree views of products before buying and nearly 75 want to discover new products by window shopping at virtual storefronts5From AIdriven content feeds to shopping experiences enhanced by augmented reality AR technology can help transform the customer journey and make brands stand out More than 63 of shoppers see the benefit of being able to place objects in their space virtually which helps drive consideration for your products6 In 2020 AR ads produced a 38 engagement rate and a clickthrough rate of just under 47A powerful example of how brands can engage customers in a new way is RYOT Studio39s fully 5Gpowered campaign for Verizon39s 5G Holiday Market Shoppers used their mobile devices to step into a holidaythemed Verizon store where they could interact in AR with phones watches and speakers Guests tapped spun rotated and purchased products on the spot As part of this special digital engagement RYOT developed a gift guide article and custom videosEntice shoppers with great dealsWhile 44 of shoppers say they39ll be spending more around the holidays this year they remain price sensitive8 Nearly half identify themselves as bargain shoppers and 57 say brands that offer the biggest discounts will earn their loyalty9 When it comes to saving money 83 of shoppers say finding deals and budgeting are important this holiday season10Offering budgetfriendly options this holiday is a smart strategy for turning shoppers into buyers Brands can stand out during the holidays by offering discounts in creative ways that draw attention There39s no beating content when it comes to connecting with viewers According to research two thirds of users would rather learn about products through content rather than through traditional methods11A new study by Verizon Media MAGNA and IPG Media Lab finds interactive ad formats engage hardtoconvince audiences Interactive ads grabbed significant attention with Native advertising formats leading to a 6 increase in brand favorability and purchase intent versus standard video ads which only increased 312The more relevant helpful and beautiful a native ad is to a platform39s audience the more engaging it becomesWork with a partner that can help you develop remix and amplify your message using your assets all within the DSP Integrate your products and resurface viewed items that a shopper has browsed reminding them of what they39ve been looking at and giving them an incentive to buy Verizon Media39s inhouse creative team can help you reach the customers you need this holiday season Check out the showcaseCapture attention on screens at home and instoreIncluding omnichannel screens for holiday promotions is crucial to reaching and influencing new shoppers Tap into these customers through premium CTV supply that can be enhanced with audience engagement through shoppable QR codes that drive audiences to take actionThrough Verizon Media and partnerships like VIZIO brands can maximize performance and access unique insights to drive targeting incremental reach optimization and measurement across platformsAs the world moves forward reaching shoppers out of their homes will be more important than ever Digital outofhome DOOH advertising is a marketing channel where advertising is run digitally and dynamically in public spaces such as on billboards in waiting rooms movie theaters bus depots and stores According to eMarketer DOOH marketing spend is expected to increase by almost 20 next year yet over half of the advertisers we recently surveyed said buying DOOH is difficult13 Verizon Media39s omnichannel DSP provides an allinone platform for DOOH forecasting reengagement and omnichannel measurement With our exclusive partnership with Cooler Screens and other premium screen owners you can meet your customers when they39re primed to buy like in shopping plazas and grocery stores Check out even more DOOH insights hereMake it easy for shoppers to discover new productsPeople need help making the right gift choices for their loved ones More than 40 of shoppers surveyed say brands that make it easy to discover the perfect gift and simplify the purchase process will earn their dollars14Highimpact commerce content promotions such as editorial sponsorships help drive awareness and brand sentiment while gift guides can boost discovery and move your products from awareness to consideration Recently we helped bring Walmart39s quotDays of Dealsquot campaign to life Featuring the best home upgrades of the season our RYOT Studio created branded shoppable articles and custom sponsorships that turned these household items into musthavesConsumers are also more interested in shopping at smaller businesses while 69 want to buy from brands that align with their values15 Your brand can expand its reach and gain millions of impressions through your Shopify store Now available for Shopify merchants connect your account to millions of impressions with Yahoo Product Ads Now you can run Verizon Media Dynamic Product Ads DPA that regularly deliver 9x ROAS vs standard native ads16 For a limited time new merchants can receive a 100 ad credit Click here to learn more about this customer engagement toolBoost ROI through personalizationDespite increased concerns over personal privacy nearly 60 of shoppers aged 18to34 say personalized ads help them make purchase decisions17 Smart and personalized shopping experiences captivate consumers shortening the path to purchase across every stage of the purchase funnelPersonalization leverages data to control the conversation and experience of content being delivered to customers throughout their journey across all digital channels amp8212 and even beyond A great way to engage and personalize messages for each shopper is through DPA enabling brands to target audiences based on their unique shopping patterns at key moments throughout the customer journeyDPA powered by the Verizon Media design team are intuitive shopping experiences built for creativity yet are mindful of a user39s specific interest DPA dynamically pulls creative from a brand39s product feed and serves it based on each user39s unique online shopping behavior This enables advertisers to display relevant ads to prospects based on interests or reengage high intent audiences like cart abandonersIn 2020 the mattress retailer Purple incorporated DPAs resulting in a return on ad spend of 70 above its target benchmark across display video and native ad formats Purple now counts money instead of sheep18Encourage safe instore shoppingMore than 75 of shoppers will buy both instore and online this year up 25 vs last year and consistent with 201919 But with COVID19 concerns brands need to make sure consumers can shop safelyTechnologies that enhance contactless experiences are taking off Verizon Media39s Mobile Wallettransform mobile ads into dynamic coupons offers or lightweight branded content saved directly into your consumer39s mobile walletWhen New York City reopened PUMA turned to us to help welcome back shoppers We started by creating a TaptoMap digital unit which consumers used to learn about the store39s opening and could view a direct route to their nearest store location Through our mobile wallet PUMA offered a 10 discount code to a shopper39s digital wallet With a CPM 10x more efficient than past display campaigns and an 88 reduction in costperclick relative to benchmarks PUMA created a relevant valueadd experience that ultimatelyamp8212and safelyamp8212drove customers through their doors20 Check out the case study for more detailsMeasure effectivenessWhether you39re a CPG brand retail tech or auto measuring your impact throughout the campaign is crucialCommerce campaigns typically have goals of awareness brand building new customer acquisition sales and retention The best way to determine whether your ads are achieving these objectives is to tie them to relevant metrics A fully unified crossdevice customer profile in your customer data platform is essentialDifferentiated by 240M direct consumer relationships Verizon Media39s ConnectID solution enables advertisers to buy measure and optimize ads while enabling publishers to manage monetize and navigate audiencesamp8212all without thirdparty cookiesThrough our Inflight Sales Analysis brands get near realtime purchase data insights frequently so you can act on them quickly For example for CPG buyers specifically our inflight analysis capabilities can help brands reach 60 more households experience a 16 sales lift and 77 incremental ROAS21 Plus our new partnership with Catalina enables robust measurement capabilities for CPG advertisers in a cookieless world The interoperability enables advertisers to utilize the interoperability of Verizon Media ConnectID and Catalina CPG shopper intelligence for seamless peoplebased marketing and measurementLet39s get startedWant to reach shoppers at scale this holiday without sacrificing trust or performance Work with a reliable efficient and brandsafe solution that connects you to potential shoppers who align with your brand Work with a partner that provides a better 360degree view of your audience built upon firstparty data direct from millions of leanedin shoppers and customer interactions across search mail commerce content and more Work with Verizon Media Ask us how to achieve your goals during the holiday shopping season and all year long1 Verizon Media Omnibus Report June 20212 Lipsman Andrea eMarketer quotHow retailers can start planning for the 2021 holiday seasonquot eMarketercom 18 February 202136 810 1417 19 Verizon Media Holiday Shopper Attitudes May 202112 Verizon Media IPG Magna quotThe Interactive Effectquot April 202113 Benes Ross eMarketer quotOutofhome advertising is becoming more digitally drivenquot eMarketercom 10 August 2020 emarketercomcontentoutofhomeadvertisingbecomingmoredigitaldriven7 16 18 20 Verizon Media Internal data 202011 18 Verizon Media Omnibus Study March 202121 NCS Offline Sales Impact Study CPG brand H2 2020Click the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of 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Holidays 2021: How to Reach New Shoppers This Holiday Season

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Andrea Wasserman

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Holidays 2021: How to Reach New Shoppers This Holiday Season

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