After a difficult 2020 holiday season, the retail industry is expected to rebound this year. While retailers will be watching closely how sales fared during Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, business experts believe holiday shopping will at least approach levels seen before the pandemic.
But, with the COVID-19 virus still a reality and with concerns over the new Omicron variant, some shoppers could be hesitant to return to in-person shopping. To entice shoppers back to stores, retailers are transforming holiday shopping into an exciting "experience" and they're leveraging DOOH promotions to do so.
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"We've had several partners capitalize on Westfield's premium physical assets while utilizing the power of the Westfield Network to heighten awareness, including Netflix's 'Army of the Dead,' and upcoming experiences with
The Afterpay AR holiday hunt features two-dimensional "hidden helpers," placed throughout the shopping center. Each stop unlocks a 3D character, which includes a special retail promotion redeemable on site.
"Today, there is an obvious acceleration in online spending but there is also a tangible shift away from credit cards — just like 2008,"
"The AR experience is also about supporting retailers during the busy shopping season," he said. "After a customer completes a phase of the scavenger hunt, they receive a discount code for one of the participating retailers, ultimately driving traffic to their in-center locations."
Hello Sunshine, another featured promotion, includes a pop-up store for Witherspoon's book club that includes merchandise and activities.
"Here shoppers will be able to pick up RBC's latest Gift of Reading box, any of Reese's book picks, and a curated collection of over 30 female-led, book-positive brands and gift ready products," Miller said.
2020 holiday season shifts priorities
While the pandemic took a toll on retail shopping during the 2020 holiday season, it did allow retailers to step back and think about how they're reaching consumers.
DOOH advertising was especially hit hard as businesses shifted their ad dollars to other mediums. Miller said another change occurred as more campaign transparency and real-time reporting affected how retailers used DOOH. Westfield embraced the shift by unveiling an "impression guarantee" on its digital campaigns.
"We also used this time to promote our privacy-respectful anonymized video analytics platform, which provides a unique ability to target creative and capture live data in real time for in-market optimization, to answer the needs of our partners," Miller said.
The rise in QR code usage, according to Miller, was also an emerging trend during the midst of the pandemic. She said QR codes can drive consumer engagement from DOOH ads to mobile screens.
While consumers stayed away from stores in large numbers last season, retailers are banking on shoppers returning to in-store experiences after missing out a year ago. Retail experts believe there are specific aspects of going to physical stores that can't be replicated through online shopping, such as trying on clothes, for instance.
"There's still a demand for in-store shopping, so we want to be there to help retailers maximize the success of this channel as much as online,"
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