DOOH’s Major Advantage for Advertisers Post-COVID

Despite physical retailers opening their doors to a higher capacity of people, post-pandemic shoppers don’t have the same habits they did before the pandemic. They're spending less time in stores, with 43 percent moving more quickly in stores than they did before COVID-19, according to a recent Quotient survey.

Although advertisers are combatting less time in front of shoppers in stores, they can still form strong connections with consumers through digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising. Previously viewed as a top-of-the-funnel strategy, DOOH has the unique ability to reach shoppers when intent is high, capture consumer attention, create relationships, and drive purchases in-store. As a result, DOOH can be a full funnel strategy impacting awareness, consideration and revenue. As retail locations reopen at full capacity, DOOH is the key to reaching shoppers and driving in-store purchases.

Connecting to the New Consumer With DOOH

Throughout the pandemic many shoppers relied on curbside pickup and delivery in order to minimize the risk of contracting coronavirus and being able to make purchases despite store closures. As consumers return to stores, it’s crucial for brands to form connections with in-store shoppers and potential customers in order to draw them back to physical retail locations.

Despite the fact that in-store shopping won’t return to pre-pandemic numbers overnight, brands are still able to capture consumers’ attention as more time throughout the day is becoming a shopping experience or, as some call it, a shoppable moment. DOOH works well with an omnichannel advertising approach, allowing brands to connect with consumers wherever they are with precision. Deterministic purchase data can now be tied to physical screens which gives consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers and retailers confidence that DOOH is delivering relevant messages at the right time and at the right place to shoppers.

DOOH is able to influence shoppers when intent to purchase is high while also resonating with the right audience outside of retail locations in spaces such as gyms, airports, gas stations and more.

DOOH’s Edge in Retail

Advertisers are increasing DOOH spend as shoppers return to stores post-COVID, but DOOH can be optimally used in tandem with the other omnichannel capabilities. DOOH gives advertisers the power to utilize valuable shopper intent data with exclusive shopper purchase data in order to create strategically targeted campaigns.

Retail media is growing increasingly as retailers discover the value in leveraging their data to reach consumers where they organically are. Through DOOH and other omnichannel strategies, advertisers can measure shoppers’ experiences in real time to optimize their campaigns and better connect in stores and beyond.

This ability to use deterministic purchase data to plan and activate the right screens, and then analyze the resulting ad exposure to identify and measure the attributable sales, is why DOOH is growing in retail. This end-to-end solution had long been missing and is now readily available.

The Ideal Post-Pandemic Strategy for Retailers

Along with the capability to blend seamlessly into the omnichannel journey, DOOH advertising has become increasingly agile in its own right over time. DOOH allows retailers to deliver relevant, real-time messaging to high-intent shoppers during crucial moments and measure the impact of these messages with foot traffic analyses, attributable sales, return on ad spend, and brand awareness.

Giving DOOH an even greater edge, programmatic DOOH messaging can quickly adapt in response to shifting circumstances — which is crucial as shopper behavior is continuously evolving post-pandemic. Through the unpredictable COVID-19 landscape, DOOH has been able to display its agility and adaptability to offer high-intent shoppers the right message at the right time to foster deeper, more meaningful connections. As the shopping landscape continues to change as in-store locations reopen, DOOH will be a crucial tool in attracting consumers at a large scale and forming relationships with shoppers during their time in-store.

Norm Chait is director of OOH Products, Ubimo, a Quotient company. Ubimo is a location intelligence technology company.