Onsite campaigns – using ads to create visibility on the digital shelf
How do I present and place my products online so that they are seen as often as possible? This is the question that many companies in the Beauty-and-Beyond sector are asking themselves. Visibility on the analogue as well as the digital shelf is decisive for enormous sales amounts and also creates awareness for the brand. It is therefore extremely important that one’s own products are well placed onsite.
For this purpose, Douglas offers advertising solutions that include well-performing onsite campaigns. In this article, we explain what these onsite campaigns consist of, how onsite campaigns work at Douglas and what customers can expect from onsite campaigns at Douglas. Enjoy reading!
What do onsite campaigns on Douglas consist of?
Onsite campaigns on Douglas consist of Sponsored Product Ads and Audience Ads. Both have their advantages and start at different points in the funnel. Both types of ads sit directly at the “moment of truth”, which means that the user is already in the shop, i.e. directly at the point of sale.
What are Sponsored Product Ads?
Sponsored Product Ads are located in the lower funnel and directly on the product level. They are sales-oriented and focus on sales and the return on adspend. They are also a booster for the share of voice. Sponsored Product Ads ensure that your brand reaches customers who browse a specific category or search for a specific product. Sponsored Product Ads are present on the product overview pages and on the search results pages.
What are Audience Ads?
Audience Ads are located in the Upper and Mid Funnel. They are intended to positively influence the purchase decision in the relevant target group. They are therefore intended for awareness generation and consideration. However, Audience Ads are not a sales tool. It is about positively influencing the right target group in the right direction. Audience Ads are about inspiration. It is about inspiring relevant users with a view to their shopping behaviour and preferences in a contextual way. Audience ads are especially beneficial for product launches or a complete brand launch to get into a relevant environment.
How do onsite campaigns work on Douglas?
Even though both ad solutions belong to onsite campaigns, Audience Ads and Sponsored Product Ads differ enormously in their execution, funnel section and objective. We explain how they work in detail in the following sections.
How do Sponsored Product Ads work?
Sponsored Product Ads play out on the product overview page. Every second user enters on a product overview page, i.e. via the category and navigation. This influences the visibility and the ranking and the danger of getting lost in the jungle of products decreases enormously. Sponsored product ads run on mobile and desktop as well as in the app. Always-on-campaigns in particular guarantee visibility and enable the best places on the digital shelf.
Sponsored Product Ads work on a CPC (cost-per-click) basis. The awareness aspect and the cost-per-click allow Douglas customers and their companies to secure a constant share of voice. The Overall ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) is *€8.30, which means that Douglas customers invest €1 and get €8.30 out on average. That is an enormous amount. In all beauty categories at Douglas, the ROAS is not less than €3.30. So it is more than reasonable to include Sponsored Product Ads in the strategy.
*Reference period: July to October 2021.
How do Audience Ads work?
Audience Ads are often confused with standard banners. However, this is wrong. Audience Ads are personalised display ads with premium targeting. Audiences are formed automatically by the user signals and the display ad is played out specifically to the appropriate audience to which the user belongs.
While the user is on the website, he or she sends signals that help to find the right audience and thus play the personalised audience ads. They contain a large visual with a clear call-to-action. When the user clicks on the ads, he is redirected either to the brand room or to the product detail page. The brand is free to decide.
The billing model is CPM (cost per thousand contacts), as audience ads are not aimed at sales, but at awareness and consideration. The key performance indicator here is the achievement of visual contacts in the relevant target group. Audience Ads are possible on all category pages in the shop (mobile and desktop). Three formats of Audience Ads on the product overview pages are possible:
- Split Teaser + 2 SKUS: This takes up an entire product line. This means that the customer gets 2 ad units for the visual (for example, user picture, model, etc.) and 2 ad units for the “hero products” that are to be shown. This format is particularly strong in the mid-funnel. It should trigger strong consideration.
- Catalogue Spotlight: It fills only one ad unit, but has the advantage that it fits very naturally into the product lines. The visual should focus on the essentials.
- Showcase Ad: The first above-the-fold format has been available since February 2022. It is also equipped with premium targeting. Like the Catalogue Spotlight, this format is used in the Upper and Mid Funnel. In addition, the Showcase Ad also has a strong awareness aspect.
Use Cases – what can DMS clients expect from onsite campaigns?
Onsite campaigns pursue very different goals. For more detailed insights into the different activations for bestsellers and launches, click here for a detailed blog post. In summary, there are 4 major use cases. These include Always-on-Campaigns, Specific Peak, Innovation and Line Extension:
- Always-on-Campaigns are designed to consistently increase sales.
- In the case of Specific Peak, particularly high-turnover times are used, for example Christmas or Mother’s Day.
- In the Innovation / New in Category use case, completely new product launches are to be carried out in new categories.
- A Line Extension is the case when a brand is already known, but a new product is launched in an already existing line.
Douglas Marketing Solutions also always advises its clients personally and individually. Just contact us or take a look at our blog for more information about our work and the latest industry news. You can also follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date and get to know our team better.
