As paper catalogue distribution declines, digital channels have become essential for driving traffic to physical stores.
However, to maximise their impact, retailers must implement best practices that optimise digital strategies.
According to Brendan Straw, Country Manager Australia at Shopfully, retailers face a dual challenge: increasing store visits while gradually transitioning from paper to digital. “It’s not just about digitising printed brochures but about leveraging the right tools to engage consumers at key moments in their purchase journey,” explains Brendan.
The full potential of Drive to Store campaigns can be unlocked with these six strategies designed to turn digital engagement into real-world foot traffic.
Know and activate your own audience
Before launching any digital campaign, a well-segmented and high-quality database is crucial. “Retailers must ensure they have the right tools in place to collect and manage customer data with consent, both online and in-store,” says Brendan.
To achieve this, encouraging mobile app usage, strengthening loyalty programs, and training store teams in data collection can make a significant difference. The more insights retailers have about their customers, the better they can personalise communications, increase engagement and drive store visits.
Gain presence on consumer smartphones
The mobile phone has replaced the mailbox as the primary consumer touchpoint. “Previously, a catalogue would reach every household in an area. Today, retailers need a well-structured digital media mix to reach the right consumers at the right time,” explains Brendan.
Retailers should focus on three key audience segments:
- Consumers with high purchase intent (pull audience): Those actively searching for product information or promotions. The goal is to appear where they seek information, such as price comparison platforms and marketplaces.
- Consumers with latent interest (push audience): Those who may not be actively searching but can be influenced through brand awareness campaigns, ensuring they think of the retailer when they need to buy.
- Last-mile shoppers: Consumers near a store who can be engaged through geolocated strategies such as SMS, push notifications, or programmatic advertising with dynamic formats.
Personalise and segment to the maximum
Hyper-segmentation is key in Drive to Store campaigns. A Shopfully and NielsenIQ study (2023) reveals that including the store’s address in the campaign can improve performance by 23%. “National campaigns no longer generate the same impact.
It is more effective to target each group of consumers with messages adapted to their location,” explains Brendan. In addition, this approach allows retailers to demonstrate to their franchise networks or establishments the effectiveness of digitisation compared to traditional methods.
Offer relevant and personalised promotions
The success of a campaign doesn’t depend on increasing discounts but on making them strategic and relevant. “Retailers can use purchase behaviour data to offer personalised promotions based on consumers’ interests and habits,” said Brendan. This not only boosts conversion rates but also preserves brand value and avoids unnecessary margin erosion.
Adapt messaging to the right channel
With the decline of paper catalogues, retailers are diversifying their communication channels. However, simply transferring printed materials into digital formats is not enough. “An email, push notification, or SMS cannot convey the same information in the same way,” emphasises Brendan. Testing different formats and optimising creatives for each channel is crucial. “For years, the paper catalogue was highly effective, but today, interactive digital formats such as dynamic carousels offer far better engagement,” he adds.
Measure results and optimise campaigns in real time
Unlike traditional print, digital campaigns offer real-time performance tracking. However, retailers should look beyond basic KPIs. “Retailers can measure ad engagement and correlate it with in-store traffic, even without using tracking pixels,” notes Brendan. Additionally, ensuring that the in-store experience aligns with campaign promises is critical.
“Driving traffic is just the first step. If a consumer visits a store and the advertised product is unavailable or the shopping experience is disappointing, conversion potential is lost,” he warns.
Success in Drive to Store campaigns goes beyond merely shifting promotional content from paper to digital. Retailers must leverage technology to deliver targeted, personalised, and efficient consumer engagement strategies – maximising store traffic and driving conversions into sales.
Here’s Shopfully’s State of Shopping 2024 Report
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