Today's struggle for some marketer's - ad targeting. Marketers are trying to find the right way to reach shoppers at retail with relevant content that influences their purchase decisions online, and now in-store. Can it be accomplished effectively in-store? The overall goal with ad targeting in-store (the same as it is online) is to deliver relevant content to shoppers that influence their purchase decisions. It’s letting your shoppers know you understand their wants/likes/needs. They feel understood. They appreciate your effort to know them. They buy your product.
Dunkin Donuts’ attempt includes a digital screen at the cash register that delivers ads to you as you make your purchase. For example, as I approach the register with my cup of coffee, I’m served an ad to purchase a donut. But, aside from my current purchase, Dunkin Donuts knows nothing about me AND I’ve already done my shopping. Is this ad targeting in-store, or just a fancier up-sell? Isn’t serving me an ad at register the same as asking me if I want fries with my shake?
Had Dunkin Donuts been able to truly target a message to me based on an understanding of who I am as a customer, they would have known that they could sell me a lot more than one donut. Donuts are my weakness. Load me up!
Let’s take my example Dunkin Donuts experience online. I’m a registered user. Dunkin Donuts knows my name, my email, where I live and my purchase history. I can sign up for emails offers and they can track my activity. When I visit the site they can give me content to pre-order donuts at my local store. All of my customer data is together online and they can leverage it effectively. That’s right on target!
Each time I log on, they can deliver ad content specific to me, my purchase habits (lots of donuts) and the action they would like me to take next. By providing relevant offers specific to my purchase habits they can accomplish their goal of getting me to buy more.
Off-line “ad targeting” as Dunkin Donuts is defining it doesn’t have all of the customer data together…yet. Until it does, it will remain a traditional at register up-sell and not effective ad targeting.
