Summer is a distant memory and grocery store aisles are already brimming with candy corns. What does that all mean? That the holidays are just around the corner. Use the insights you can glean from location data to prepare your holiday marketing strategy now and give yourself a gift of your own: a possible bump in sales.
Snowflakes and eggnog may still seem a long way off, but more than half of your customers will have started their holiday shopping by the end of September. According to location data, Millennials will be checking out electronics and mothers will be eyeing the merchandise in department and sporting goods stores. Knowing who your audience is and what they are interested in lets you deliver messages that pay off in-store visits.
Influence shoppers when it matters most
With GroundTruth's mobile location targeting you can reach customers in real-time while they are in a store and mulling their purchases. Being able to do that is almost as magical as Santa knowing what you want for Christmas; last year, 80% of the $691 billion that shoppers spent during the holiday season went to in-store sales. Knowing where someone is and what they are shopping for allows you to reach your most relevant audiences at the very moment they are deciding what to buy.
The key, however, is to know exactly when to deliver that ad. Lucky for you, we do. GroundTruth foot traffic data showed a slight increase in shopping the two weekends before Thanksgiving, a big jump on Black Friday, and a nice bump the two weeks before Christmas. However, a mad rush on the Saturday before Christmas made that day the most heavily trafficked of the season.
Knowing where your customer is on his or her shopping journey also enables you to tailor your message. Whether it’s a last-minute shopper or early bird, real-time location targeting allows you reach these audiences with relevant ads and promotions, such as a last-minute discount for the procrastinator or the lure of loyalty points for the overly prepared. Either way, location-based marketing is must-have for driving brick-and-mortar visits this holiday.
Use location to influence gift purchases
Different types of stores fare better at specific times in the holiday shopping cycle. On Black Friday, look to target people shopping for electronics, luxury goods, clothes, and in department stores - at this stage they're looking for the most expensive items on their lists. By the Saturday before Christmas, shoppers are looking for bargains and focusing on gifts for kids, jewelry, sporting goods, and off-price clothing. You can capitalize on knowing your customer's intentions by increasing the number of messages you put in front of them on high-traffic days. Our Christmas gift to you: Our location data lets you know which brands they plan to shop.
The key is to start reaching out to them early - help your customers help you. Letting your target audience know where you are and what you have to offer is a win-win. You connect with active, high-opportunity shoppers, and they get to tick items off their Christmas list with minimal stress.
Get in the holiday spirit with location data
The insight you get from GroundTruth's location data is a gift not only to you but to your customer as well. With it, you can hone your marketing strategy to each stage of the shopper's gift-buying journey, build your audience even before they start shopping to reach the best pool of potential shoppers, and then send them messages on their mobile devices once they do. The insights into consumer behavior and the ability to give your customers the most relevant message at just the right moment is the gift GroundTruth has for you. Making your customers' holiday shopping easier by giving them discounts and ideas for what to buy at the precise moment they need them is the gift you give them.
Download GroundTruth's holiday strategy guide to learn more.
