asda

Showing shoppers a web ad on three digital devices results in 60% more store visits than showing the ad on just one screen.

That is one of the key outcomes from a range of experiments on how technology can be used to boost footfall conducted by Asda last year.

The retailer targeted shoppers with ads and promotions across smartphones, tablets, laptops and personal computers between August and October last year.

It then measured the average time between a shopper seeing the ad and deciding to visit a store, the average distance shoppers who saw the ad would travel to visit a store, as well as the days of the week on which the ad drove the highest level of visits.

When shoppers were exposed to ads on three devices, a 59% uplift in store visits was achieved over people who were shown the ad on only one screen. The test also found those who clicked on the ad were 411% more likely to visit an Asda store, while those who saw an ad were 248% more likely to visit.

Ads on mobile devices achieved the highest success rate, with an uplift of 67% in store visits, the test with media buyer Carat North and technology companies Tapad and Statiq found.

They companies said it was the first time the impact of unified cross-screen campaigns on in-store visits had been measured in the UK.

“The initial reason we carried out the cross-device test was to understand what frequency and device mix was the most effective way to deliver consistent footfall to our stores,” said Asda digital media manager Nadia Callaghan.

“The reason we decided to do this now is because we know cross-device usage is growing, so we wanted to understand this trend and how cross-device targeting can be used to increase the effectiveness of our campaigns.”