Measuring online sales and advertising is nowadays rather easy. Even though online shopping is growing steadily, the majority of retail sales still takes place in physical stores. However, measuring the effectiveness of traditional in-store advertising is often challenging.
We asked CMO Juha Mattsson from retail analytics and indoor positioning specialised Walkbase, how to improve the effectiveness of advertising with digital monitoring and analytics.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN IN-STORE AND ONLINE ADVERTISING
For a long time the advantage of online has been the opportunity to accurately measure the consumer behaviour and use the data in order to develop for example advertising. Basically in online stores everything can be optimised in real-time to produce the best possible shopping experience. With Walkbase’s software the same information is now available for physical stores. Walkbase describes their product as a marketing optimisation tool for brick-and-mortars and shopping centres.
HOW THE MONITORING ACTUALLY WORKS?
Walkbase’s technology is based on smart phone WiFi-connections, which enables analysing the flow of people. Therefore, everyone who walk to the store with and open WiFi connection, are under surveillance – but completely anonymously.
According to Mattsson, the anonymous tracking is the easiest to implement and does not require any actions or changes by the customer. Above this, monitoring doesn’t include any privacy issues – much more detailed information is transmitted through the safety cameras of the stores.
Walkbase’s technology makes it possible to not only measure the effectiveness of different marketing campaigns in the store but also to target and personalise marketing for example with digital displays. The software also allows advertising based on customer location, which, however, requires the permission of the customer.
DEVELOPING IN-STORE ADVERTISING WITH DATA
How to improve and develop in-store advertising with digital analytics? According to Juha Mattsson there are three ways:
- Continuous Optimisation
Measuring in-store advertising in real-time enables piloting and optimising a variety of campaigns for small target groups before launching them in every store of the retail chain. In practice, the same idea has been used for a long time online in order to identify the advertisements and headlines that get the most clicks.
Piloting and testing campaigns also sets requirements for the marketing materials, which should be as agile installable and configurable based on the measurements.
- Personalised Reaching
When in-store advertising is done at the right time and the right place, it is proven to be more effective. The same logic also applies to the positioning of the ad – the closer you can have your message to the promoted product, the more effective your campaign will be.
With a versatile marketing material that is suitable for various surfaces the advertising can be installed as close as possible to the promoted product.
- Optimising the whole service
Digital Monitoring also allows the optimisation of the entire business service starting from the opening hours and the presentation of the products to the number of staff and planning of the departments. When the store's service concept is designed based on the consumer behaviour, it has an effect not only on sales, but also on customer experience.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Download our free eBook“6 tips for successful in-store advertising” in order to get more information and some useful tips for effective in-store advertising.
