Everything you need to know about
Drive-to-store

Why drive-to-store is essential for modern retail marketing?

Let’s dive into some statistics

62% of consumers will ignore a business if they cannot find it online.

Post covid era has triggered the acceleration of consumption, as the customer will more and more look for the quickest solution to his need. Without a website, social media page, or other type of online presence, stores are likely to be overlooked by the majority of potential customers. In order to remain competitive, an online presence is no longer an option for multi-local brands as well as for stores.

72% of local searches result in store visits within 8km.

Garner's research shows that 72% of people who conduct a local search online will visit a store within 8 kilometers of their current location. This underscores the importance of having an active online presence for local businesses. Relying solely on Google My Business and a well-functioning website is no longer enough. Retailers must now leverage digital marketing technologies to ensure they don't miss out on opportunities in their vicinity.

86% of customers use Google Maps to find local businesses.

Retailers need to optimise their Google Maps presence to make sure potential customers can easily discover their physical locations. This makes it one of the most essential tools for them to increase their chances of staying close to people searching for products and services near them.

28% of all local searches result in a purchase.

This highlights the significant impact that local search has on driving sales for retailers. A comprehensive drive-to-store campaign that leverages the power of multiple channels can help retailers drive foot traffic to their physical locations. As a final outcome, it increases the chances of reaching the correct audience, and drive in-store conversions.

What’s the trend for retail marketing in 2024?

Voice search

The rise of voice search has become a notable new way for customers to search for products and services. Natural language algorithms, in combination with more accurate voice recognition technologies, make users more likely to use their voice for searches, benchmarks, and orders.

The direct consequence in the media mix of retailers is the necessity to refine optimisation for SERPs in order to stay relevant for the user.

The end of paper prospectus

For over 10 years, the dematerialisation of paper prospectuses has been increasingly in the spotlight. After Casino, Franprix, and Monoprix, Michel-Edouard Leclerc announced that his eponymous company, one of the most influential in French retail, would stop printing prospectuses for its stores. This supports a common assumption that all retail stores will have completely adopted digital advertising within five years. Most retailers will likely adopt these initiatives in the next few years.

To keep attracting people to stores from a specific catchment zone, new customer experiences have to be created, as well as new ways to think omnichannel marketing, including new formats, such as audio.

Audio advertising, and the rising market of Audio Ads

With the ever-rising use of streaming platforms, on-the-go content is the most underrated and overlooked opportunity of the moment. With an average listening rate of 93,3%, audio content is probably the most effective ad type for retention and memorization in 2024.

Audio content has the potential to be more engaging and interactive for retailers, providing a unique listening experience that can be tailored to the target audience. This has the potential to strengthen the bond between a brand and its customers.

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How to create a successful drive-to-store campaign?

With the experience of more than 42,000 campaigns, DeepReach unveils here the keys to make sure your marketing goals are achieved.

The role of relevant data applied to physical and digital marketing

A well-designed drive-to-store campaign requires proper targeting. To do this, accurate data must be used for segmentation. We can then identify different audiences by considering factors like demographics, device usage, or behavior patterns. Through this, we can analyse and compare performance indicators and allocate budgets accordingly.

In the past, demographic segmentation was the most common approach to segmenting target audiences, but this has led to many misapplications and subsequent consequences. The decline of third-party cookies and the centralisation of data among major players like Meta, Google, Amazon, and TikTok are all examples of how a lack of proper segmentation can cause major issues. However, geographic segmentation has proven to be a powerful alternative and has been at the core of some of the most successful marketing strategies.

By using this approach, marketers can create more targeted campaigns and better understand the customers they are reaching. This allows them to more accurately identify their target audience, ensure their campaigns are tailored to the right people, and optimise their campaigns for maximum success.

Agencies may rely on traditional methods to tackle this challenge, but they often face many obstacles. By embracing the power of geographic segmentation and leveraging emerging technologies, online marketers can create more effective and efficient campaigns that drive results.

The copy-creative duo at the service of performance

Localised communication is essential for connecting to the physical market, such as product availability, opening hours, shop launches, etc. At the heart of drive-to-store marketing lies the ability to deliver dynamic content, relevant visuals, and pertinent information from the local store.

Research suggests one in two internet users can be influenced by custom ads. In the post-pandemic era, customer proximity has become a vital factor for business success, especially when the entire experience is tailored to them.

By ensuring an ad offers this perfect mix of a relevant copy, adapted visuals, and customised information tailored to their vicinity, your stores are likely to experience a significant increase in performance.

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Different, yet complementary strategies

Google

• Leverage the opportunity of snippet features for vocal search
• Stay on page on Google My Business
• Capitalise on reviews
• Advertise on Google Ads

Meta Ads

• Capitalise on location targeting for Facebook and Instagram
• Make the most of retargeting
• Don’t overlook lead forms

Snapchat

• Capture a younger audience (70% -35 years old)
• Create targeted campaigns based on the location and profile of Snapchatters
• Take benefit of the many personnalisation options that offer the platform

Audio ads

• Capitalising on listening (98% listening rate)
• Test 15 or 30-second digital audio ads on many platforms
• Develop a wide thematic inventory to target intentionists
• Capture an emerging trend (+22% investment 2022) → cf IAB barometer

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