Advertising campaigns to increase sales for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day – a day where couples can lavish each other with affection and gifts and show each other how the truly feel. Now, many people will believe that these sentiments should be shown at all times of year, not just on Valentine’s Day. Well we say; why not capitalise on the fact that people want to buy presents for one another at this time of year?

Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days in the ear for the exchanging of flowers, chocolates, teddy bears and other gifts and these sales of these products climb every year. Basing your advertising campaign around this day can help you see an increase in sales for products relevant to the day. Digital advertising in particular offers some of the best opportunities for Valentine’s Day themed advertising campaigns – this is ideal for chocolate companies and flower delivery services.

Traditionally, Valentine’s Day advertising has mainly been focused at men purchasing gifts for women, however, as times change so do trends in buying which is why many advertising campaigns are beginning to be aimed at the female demographic.

A Valentine’s Day advertising campaign is all about knowing which groups of customers to target. Studies have shown that, surprisingly, people that are most likely to receive the most Valentine gifts are teachers, children and mothers. Gourmet Ads can give you the ideal platform to aim your products at specific target audiences.

Everyone loves a Valentine’s Day deal, so whether your company sells flower deliveries, chocolates, or bottles of champagne, Gourmet Ads can help you place your advert so that it will reach your desired consumer.

Valentine’s Day deals range from chocolates and flowers to gourmet dining options

If you own a restaurant or hotel, deals might include discount prices for anyone attending your establishment on Valentine’s Day – free bottles of wine or desserts or perhaps something similar placed in a hotel room will sound appealing to anyone who wants to do something special for their loved one on Valentine’s Day.

This time of year doesn’t just have to revolve around going out for food. Couples love sentiment, and if someone wants to treat their loved one to something truly special on Valentine’s Day, they may consider an even or activity. Going to the theatre, sipping cocktails in a classy bar, or even kayaking or abseiling might make for the person present for the right people. Activities placed alongside various dining options could be the perfect valentine’s package for someone.

For all the lovers that want to cook a romantic meal for their partner, advertisers can use Gourmet Ads to promote “Meal for Two” deals at a discounted price. Gourmet Ads’ large network of sites means that packages such as this and other discount deals can reach your target customers and could potentially increase sales of specific products.

So use Gourmet Ads to offer great deals all in the name of Valentine’s Day and you will generate interest which ultimately means more sales.

Advertising Valentine’s Day Specials is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Advertising Trends for 2012 from Gourmet Ads

For the past 4 years, and as the year comes to a close, I’ve looked forward to the future trying to predict what the Advertising Trends for the year ahead will be. Looking back I think for the most part I’ve predicted the advertising trends rather well. That said I’ll be the first to say that we’ve got some predictions wrong, but for the most part I think I’ve been on the money. My advertising trend predictions are simply derived from what we as a company are seeing in-market.

So here are our Advertising Trends for 2012

1. Real Time Bidding Budgets to Increase
Real Time Bidding Budgets was something I predicted last year and again it’s my number 1 advertising trend prediction for 2012. Why? Well late in 2011, Gourmet Ads launched our private ad exchange called the Gourmet Ads Marketplace. Since then we’ve had an amazing response to real time bidding and if anything we’ve started to see many more advertisers start buying media like this. As the year came to a close, we spoke to all our major media buying partners and not one of them said that budgets were going backwards. Nearly all of them said they will have many more advertising clients in 2012.

2. Media Buying with Data
Just like Real Time Bidding, we also mentioned Data in last year’s advertising trends. In 2011 the buzz term by Q2 was DMP (data management platform), now if you believe everything you read in the digital press, DMPs will be no longer around in 2012. Then there is the debate of 1st Party Data vs 3rd Party Data and I’m not going anywhere near that.

Our prediction is that digital media buying using some sort of data will grow significantly in 2012. I think it’s the sole motivation for advertisers contemplating a move to real time bidding platforms, i.e. the fact they can pair the media buy up with data and then buy the impressions they actually want at scale. Once advertisers have developed a clear use of their own 1st Party Data sets and can begin to only buy the impressions they want we will see continued growth in data.

3. Mobile Advertising to Grow
During Q3 in 2011 we started seeing questions on both the advertiser and publisher sides regarding mobile advertising. We had advertisers asking about inventory and publishers asking about demand ( which is always great). When publishers in the food space are asking our publisher team about mobile advertising because their building an App or dedicated mobile site, then 2012 will be all about mobile. We saw during 2012 a number of supermarkets launch iPhone and Android apps which have been highly successful with consumers. See Woolworths in Australia which have a great mobile app. As a company we too have invested in mobile. Our development team is currently working on the RecipeBridge Mobile site which is scheduled to be launched in January 2012. Mobile content aside, I wonder if we’ll see better quality mobile advertising from advertisers in 2012. It does seem that text ads are still the main type of creative used on mobile devices.

4. Branded Recipes
During 2011 we saw a major advertising trend from food manufactures and some supermarkets seeking to integrate their branded recipes on our network publisher sites. I would say nearly every RFP we received requested some sort of recipe integration as part of the media plan. We believe this is only the beginning for Branded Recipes. Observing this trend, Gourmet Ads developed our own platform for branded recipes on RecipeBridge.com, where we add all the recipes of a brand into the RecipeBridge site. Then when people search for a recipe such as “fondant recipe” then brands with fondant recipes will be displayed alongside other recipe sites, where consumers can then click through to the brands website for the ingredients, cooking method and presentations.
Early in 2012, Gourmet Ads will be announcing the launch of our Brand Solutions on RecipeBridge to help brands get more exposure for their branded recipes to household grocery buyer.

5. Video Advertising
Video Advertising for the digital advertising industry in 2011 was huge. If you don’t think it was you’ve been on another planet. I recall sitting @ Digiday New York in November and watching the “State of the Industry on Digital Video” report and being amazed by nearly every statistic being presented. This is why I’m adding it as an Advertising Trend in 2012.

Why the huge recent growth in Video Advertising? There are a number of answers why. It’s so very similar to buying television and advertisers (and their advertising agencies) understand how to buy TV media. Engagement rates are consistently solid (notice I didn’t mention click through rates). Creative is rather standard now. Most video advertisers are using a 15 or 30 second pre roll video together with a 300×250 Companion Ad using either VAST or VPAID formats. We’ve also seen in 2011 more non linear advertising solutions come to market.

For Gourmet Ads, Video Advertising was the fastest growing section of our business in 2011. We’ve seen huge demand from advertisers and we don’t think this will subside anytime soon. We believe that video based revenue will increase significantly for the company over the next year or so. That said, there are still lots of challenges for video. Lack of quality video inventory is one. We’ve worked hard to build a large collection of Cooking Videos on Tastydays. The second is the technical requirements needed to setup a publisher to accept video pre roll ads. We have made some great progress with our own video hosting platform for publishers, but more education is required.

6. The 300×600 Ad Size
There is something to say for big things and the 300×600 is one the largest display ad sizes available with many calling it the “half page ad unit” Not only from a creative aspect is there lots of room to get the message across, but in our testing we’ve seen engagement rates from 3 to 10 times better than regular display sizes.
Over the past 6 months we’ve slowly started to see more advertisers ask for the 300×600 size and given the great performance of the unit, we believe that in 2012 will see more advertisers using this size.

7. Vertical Ad Networks will Continue to Grow
As I had predicted last year, there was plenty of consolidation across the digital advertising ecosystem. We saw video companies acquire other video advertising companies, we saw ad networks acquire other ad networks and major web portals continue buying investment that make sense them. What we didn’t see was any acquisitions of Vertical Ad Networks in 2012.
Many in the Digital Press predicted that Vertical Ad Networks will die a slow death, which really cracks me up. Gourmet Ads which just focus on Food Advertising are very much alive and kicking. We’ve seen amazing growth again this year and are looking forward to continued growth in 2012. I’m often talking to my peers at other vertical ad networks and all report solid growth and revenues. Gourmet Ads in 2011 strengthened our inventory by investing in RecipeBridge and I know other networks have been quietly acquiring more web properties and inventory which they can call their own.
So yes, I’m predicting that Vertical Networks will continue to grow in 2012.

7. CPG Brands to Increase Budgets

Again an advertising trend we mentioned last year and the year before. We saw a number of new advertisers in the CPG space in 2011 and we’re already seen new brands at major CPGs advertising for the first time. That said we would like all CPGs to start using online. In 2011 we started to see CPGs run longer campaigns, compare to previous years where they were just concentrating on Q4, then going dark for the rest of the year.

We have two predictions as an advertising trend in 2012, is that we’re going to see smaller to mid sized companies move to online in 2012 where they can easily compete with large FMCG / CPG companies, possibly more so on a localized / geo targeted basis.

8. Contextual Advertising for Food Advertisers 

Another advertising trend we’ve seen from food advertisers in 2011 is the request to advertise on pages where recipe content is closely related or is contextually relevant. We’re predicting this will continue into 2012 as some advertisers want to only reach the exact target each and every time.

An example of contextual advertising for foods would be say a seafood company running a campaign for salmon and they only wanted to advertise on pages where salmon was being mentioned. Pages might be smoked salmon recipes or grilled salmon recipes. Now this is relatively easy for a single site to provide this type of targeting and Gourmet Ads has a few sites where this is possible. We’re working on contextually being able to target against videos with pre roll video advertising. The challenge has always been one around how much inventory is there.

Rolling in 2012, we predict that companies will use Contextual Advertising for part of their media plan, it might be in two ways. 1. They will allocate 10-20% of the media plan’s budget to contextual to ensure the plan remains relevant, then use retargeting and then general run of food. 2. They will book a 6 or 12 month media plan to “own” the term. I.e. they will own “salmon recipes” in very much like a sponsorship type investment, changing the ad creative when required.

What do you think about my Advertising Trends 2012 Predictions ?

If you’re curious to see what I wrote in previous years they can be seen here ;
Advertising Trends 2011, Advertising Trends 2010, Advertising Trends 2009

Advertising Trends 2012 is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Co-Branding Examples which have embraced this effective trend

We’ve written previously about Co-Branding Advertising, so we thought we’d support that blog with a few Co-Branding Examples.

There are many co-branding examples following this important advertising trend, and a number of companies have successfully employed the technique to promote their brand, build brand awareness, and attract new customers. If you have ever considered using this method, the following are five co branding examples that can show you how well the method works:

• Starbucks’ partnership with home-coffee company Tassimo has led to increased sales of Tassimo coffee and coffee makers by leveraging the power of the Starbucks brand. As with other co-branding examples, the partnership provides benefits to both companies. Starbucks is able to create a new product that increases total corporate revenues, and Tassimo maker Kraft improves product salience to their consumer.
• The GE Profile Refrigerator has partnered with Culligan to provide filtered water to consumers. The partnership is ideal because it is a direct response to the needs of the marketplace and consumers who spend millions annually on filtered water products. The partnership allows GE to leverage its own strengths (providing mid-range to high-end kitchen appliances) while providing Culligan with a new market for it’s replacement filters.
• Shoe giant Nike was one of the first companies to realize the value of co-branding, by pairing with beloved basketball star Michael Jordan in 1984 to create a line of shoes that remains one of the most popular in the industry.  Another benefit of co-branding is the ability for one company to introduce its products to followers of another brand – in this case, Nike was able to sell shoes simply because the Michael Jordan brand already had a loyal following that was willing to try anything the athlete endorsed.  The trend of athletes co-branding with food related businesses is still strong – George Foreman grills and Wheaties are just a few co-branding examples.
• Fast food companies are another one of the co-branding examples that shows how a partnership can work to bring in new customers.  For example, there are a number of fast food restaurants that now share the same physical space as well as advertising together.  Pizza Hut and Taco Bell are one example of how two seemingly disparate products can create a strong partnership. Chicken restaurant KFC has partnered with A&W soda to create joint restaurants that feature a traditional KFC menu combined with A&W brand beverages and ice cream.
• The trend of co-branding has also reached the cooking world, with pairings of favorite chefs and food and beverage manufacturers both large and small. For example, Naked Wines (founded by Rowan Gormley) has paired with “Naked Chef” Jamie Oliver to create a marketing plan that appeals to fans of the cooking show.  Cookware brands have also used co-branding examples to come up with marketing ideas, such as Paula Dean and Rachel Ray’s lines of cookware.

These Co-Branding Examples show the strong presence of co-branding in the market

There are many co branding examples that you may not have even noticed, but take a look around during your next trip to the grocery store.  Partnerships include Lay’s and KC Masterpiece, Coca Cola and Splenda, and Hershey’s chocolate in Betty Crocker cake mixes. These co-branding examples show that co-branding can help companies of all sizes, and you don’t have to limit yourself to products in your market, as companies such as Disney and McDonald’s or Nike and iPod prove.

Co-Branding Examples is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Advertising For Shopping Malls to recreate the “Mall” experience online

Once a destination for shoppers everywhere, the growth of internet shopping and stand-alone retail stores has created more competition than ever for shopping malls, and hence, the importance of advertising for shopping malls. Recent studies have found that shoppers who spend time in retail shopping malls enjoy shopping more and are more likely to make impulse purchases than those who shop online. The right advertising for shopping malls and the stores within can bring those shoppers back and remind them how much they enjoy the “mall” experience.

Advertising for shopping malls takes a number of different forms. The first focuses mainly on getting customers into the mall. There are several highly successful mall “brands”, such as Westfield, Simon, and others who operate multiple large retail mall locations. For these companies, the key lies in reminding customers of the pleasure they get out of visiting a mall.  Shopping at a mall is more than just a trip to pick up an item or two; it is an experience that can be enjoyed by everyone from families to couples and groups of people. Gourmet Ads can use geo targeting to display information, special events, or fun shopping ideas to customers in the same geographic location as your malls.  Whether you have locations in a large number of cities or just a few, geotargeted marketing means that the customers who are likely to visit your store will be the same ones that view your advertising.  Malls that are not owned by a larger corporation can benefit by many of the same marketing strategies as larger chains.

The next type of advertising focuses on a particular store or stores inside of a mall.  There are a large number of retailers whose locations exist almost exclusively within larger malls.  The challenge for these stores is letting customers know that they are out there and that they offer products and services that local customers would be interested in.  Smaller specialty stores in particular can benefit from advertising that lets customers know that they can browse through a selection of products at a local store rather than guessing at what they want from an online store.  Gourmet Ads can design marketing campaigns that will attract customers to your store, whether you sell food or fashion, jewelry or puppies.

Gift cards – an effective strategy in Advertising for Shopping Malls

One are of mall advertising that is often overlooked is the advertising of gift cards.  Many malls already offer gift cards that can be used at any retailer within the mall, but consumers are generally less aware of this type of card than they are of store-specific gift cards.  The increase in gift card spending makes shopping mall gift cards a great opportunity because not only does it promote spending at the mall, it also attracts customers who may not have otherwise come to the mall to shop.  If your mall does not already have a gift card program in place, Gourmet Ads can help you design everything from the promotion to the packaging.  And if you have already decided to sell mall gift cards, Gourmet Ads can help you reach customers and let them know about the fun of shopping at the mall with a gift card.

Despite the popularity of online shopping, there is no experience that matches the fun of shopping at a retail mall.  While customers are looking for products online, they are still interested in shopping trips where they can enjoy the sights and sounds of the mall.  By creating the right advertising for shopping malls, and reaching out to these customers with Gourmet Ads is a great way to boost sales and appeal to a new generation of shoppers.

Advertising For Shopping Malls is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Developing Food Advertising Strategies for your Brand

Advertising food products is one of the oldest forms of advertising – chances are you can remember some food advertisements from your childhood, and if you ask your parents, they’ll remember some too. Even with the growing importance of digital advertising, food advertising strategies remain much the same. Although we rarely develop Food Advertising Strategies for brands, Gourmet Ads concentrates on placing advertising creative on food and recipe websites.

Commonly used Food Advertising Strategies

If you are considering food advertising strategies for your brand, think about using at least a few of the following:

• It’s Perfect for your Family – While the requirements for this type of advertising have changed slightly, offering a product that is perfect for families is still one of the most often used and most successful food advertising strategies. Advertise that your product is healthy, convenient, and part of a family meal, and consumers will listen.
• It’s Fun! – Similar to the perfect for family strategy, advertising that your product is fun appeals more to children, but has a touch of adult interest. If you can sell a product that is fun for kids to eat but still nutritious, you’ll have an instant audience of mothers and children.
• It’s Exciting! - Sports drink manufacturers develop some of the best examples of food advertising strategies. They advertise that a product is enjoyed in a fun environment with fun people, and they often attract younger customers who are looking for something that is enjoyable to eat or drink.
• It’s a Star’s Favorite! - Endorsements by celebrities and sports stars are still an effective way to bring attention to your product. Food advertising strategies often target younger audiences, and this method in particular is highly effective. You can also consider adding the star’s face to the product packaging to get more bang for your buck.
• It’s a Fact! – Giving your customers facts about the benefits of your product can be another highly effective strategy. You can tell customers about the health benefits of calcium in yogurt, the immune benefits of vitamin C in orange juice, or the benefits of fiber in bread. This food advertising strategy appeals to older customers and those who are looking for health-conscious foods.
• It’s Sweet! – Not the sugary kind of sweet maybe, but it’s one of those things you can enjoy with someone special.  Think of everything from commercials featuring a father and son to those about a couple.  Food advertising strategies that tug the heartstrings are some of the most memorable campaigns.
• It Sounds Great! – Catchy jingles and other sound effects can be some of the most memorable ways to promote a product.  You can probably think of several food product jingles that you sing even when you’re not eating- this type of food advertising is music to your customers ears.
• It’s Cartoony! Food advertising strategies that feature a cartoon character are another kid-friendly favorite. Whether it is one that is designed specifically for your product (think about the Trix Bunny or Count Chocula) or an existing kid favorite, commercial characters are great at doing the advertising leg work for you.
• It’s Cool! Promoting a product as being the type of think eaten by “cool” people can work with everyone from children and teens to adults. Food advertising strategies that aim to catch the eye of teens by suggesting that their product is “cool” are often perfect for products such as soft drinks, candy and gum, and chips or snack items.

Gourmet Ads often works with creative advertising agencies who are very experienced at developing Food Advertising Strategies for brands. They can do everything on the creative / strategy side from the key message, packaging, to instore through to digital food advertising. As such if you’re looking at creating Food Advertising Strategies, please contact us and we’ll provide an introduction.

Food Advertising Strategies is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Are you referencing the Food Pyramid in your Food Advertising?

Many of us remember the US government Food Pyramid from our school days, and food retailers and manufacturers have attempted to educate consumers on the ways that their products can be included in a healthy lifestyle. In 2011, the government released an updated version of the Food Pyramid that reflects our new understanding of how food effects our overall health. But the truth is that consumers still haven’t gotten the message – the number of overweight adults is growing more quickly than ever, and despite their efforts to eat healthier, many consumers still aren’t sure what foods they can include in their diet to help keep weight off while getting the nutrition they need.

For companies that are in the business of food manufacturing and retailing, studying what consumers buy and how they include it in their diets is part of the job. But despite efforts by the government and many food companies to educate consumers, many aren’t catching on to what they should be eating. While this seems like a grim situation for food marketers, it has actually created an opportunity to help consumers live healthier while fattening your bottom line.

Research shows that consumers know what they know about foods primarily due to the marketing efforts of manufacturers. For example, many customers believe that whole grains are a healthy addition to their diet after seeing advertisements that tell them about adding healthy whole grains to their diets. Consumers are also heavily influenced by the people in their networks, and for many consumers, those networks are primarily found online. The primary food preparers in most families spend a lot of time searching online to find new meal ideas and learn about food- and many of them research the latest food trends whether that is organic products, gluten-free items, or anything else. Which is why the Food Pyramid is important.

Its important to use nutritional info from the government food pyramid in your marketing

That’s why creating advertisements that feature nutritional information based on the government food pyramid and displaying them on sites that consumers already visit is an important opportunity for food manufacturers. Since many consumers get their information about healthy eating from the sites they visit, manufacturers can appeal to their desire to eat healthier.

The movement today is toward food that is grown naturally, and ads that reflect the growing process of your foods are likely to catch the eye of shoppers. One idea, used very successfully by a client who produces and sells free-range, organic eggs is to display rich media ads that display why your food is so healthy. Interactive media ads that demonstrate how your product meets the requirements of a healthy diet are another great idea. You can even advertise to customers by educating them about the elements of the food pyramid and how your healthy foods compliment that lifestyle.

Shoppers are looking for products that help them live a healthy lifestyle, but they often aren’t aware of the many ways that they can eat healthier and follow the guidelines set forth in the food pyramid. Advertising to online shoppers using the Food Pyramid is the perfect way to appeal to customers hoping to live a healthier lifestyle and create more nutritious meals for their families.

Food Pyramid Advertising is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

There are various strategies to consider when Advertising Gift Cards online

The use of gift cards has grown to a near everyday occurrence for many families. The sale of gift cards has become a staple of many grocery stores, department stores, and even online retailers. While people are more willing than ever to buy gift cards, the question becomes how to get consumers to buy gift cards from your company.

In the months leading up to the Christmas shopping season, Gourmet Ads partnered with American Express to create an ad campaign aimed at encouraging women shoppers to consider choosing American Express Gift cards. The strategy involved a RON campaign, which was paired with specific retargeting elements which lead to a strong increase in online sales. The same experience and knowledge that worked to create sales for American Express can help you advertising gift cards which you retail.

Gift cards fall into two general categories- store specific (gift cards which may only be redeemed at a single merchant) and anywhere cards (such as American Express gift cards which can be used anywhere credit or debit cards are accepted). Regardless of which type of card you have to offer, Gourmet Ads can help you find the right audience for your gift cards. Our large audience of shoppers who are looking for everything from a great place to eat dinner (restaurant gift cards!) to shopping money for teenagers (anywhere cards!) and gifts (store specific cards!).

Like any other product, advertising gift cards starts by knowing who your audience is

Like any other product, advertising gift cards starts by knowing who your audience is. For example, there is a large demand for rechargeable gift cards that can be used at grocery stores, discount stores, and department stores. Parents give these cards to college age students, use them to track spending, and give them as gifts. Another important category is the growing demand for gift cards that can be used much like pre-paid credit or debit cards. Not only are these great for kids, increasing concerns about the security of online shopping have fueled the market for this type of gift cards. The team at Gourmet Ads can help you design a campaign targeted at the type of customer most likely to buy your gift cards.

Gift cards are also an important impulse purchase item- next time you go to a grocery or discount store, notice how many cards are displayed at the checkout stand. Contact the Gourmet Ads team to find out more about advertising gift cards and driving sales to new heights.

Advertising Gift Cards is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Free Shipping is such a powerful motivator for consumers to purchase

This concept of Free Shipping has been debated since the beginning of internet sales and has driven many marketing and operational decisions. While there are a variety of opinions, supported by anecdotal and empirical evidence, it has become clear that consumers prefer free shipping and base many of their internet purchases on this factor. As the economy has presented increased challenges, online retailers have been forced to consider anything that will allow them to maintain or improve sales.

Retailers have to offer consumers a strong reason to shop online. There are few factors that elicit a stronger reaction than free shipping. In fact, free shipping can be such a powerful motivator that it can cause consumers to act irrationally. David Bell, Wharton Marketing Instructor, has observed that consumers will favor an offer which provides them with $6.99 of free shipping over a $10 discount on the product.

Online retailers spend a significant amount of their resources to encourage customers to shop on their site. According to the data, this expenditure can be undone by shipping charges. The E-tailing Group’s 2008 survey noted that seventy-eight percent of customers reported that the prohibitive costs of shipping discouraged them from making online purchases. Even those customers who have placed items in their online shopping carts can be lost, if shipping charges are added to the bill. PayPal and comScore’s 2008 survey revealed that forty-three percent of customers would abandon their shopping cart if they felt shipping prices were too high.

In addition to serving as a motivation to purchase online, free shipping was also found to determine which retailers consumers would use to make their online purchases. A Forrester Research poll released in 2008 found that seventy-five percent of consumers prefer to shop with online retailers that offer free shipping. A 2008 comScore study reinforced these results when it demonstrated that seventy-two percent of consumers would switch to a different online retailer if their current retailer discontinued free shipping.

Free shipping has also been shown to create a more positive purchasing experience.

Free shipping has also been shown to create a more positive purchasing experience. Debra Miller, from Compete, reported that their Online Shopper Survey showed that consumers rated their shopping experience ten percentage points higher than those who paid for shipping. She also reported that, “high shipping costs were rated as the number one reason why consumers were not satisfied with their online shopping experience.”

As has been demonstrated by the above, free shipping is a factor at every point of the online purchase. In order to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by online shopping, retailers have to review their shipping policies. To maximize the return on an online store, free shipping is essential.

Free Shipping Is Essential is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Women are the target audience for Advertising Cosmetic Products

There is no doubt, that Gourmet Ads is one of the most relevant, targeted ways to advertise grocery, food and wine products to consumers online. However, you may not realize that our audience base that is made up largely of the target audience for cosmetic products, Women.

While food is important to our audience, they also love to look and feel great. Our average audience member is a woman between the ages of 27 and 55 years old – the ideal target demographic for health and beauty products. Research has shown that the primary grocery shoppers in most households are women, and that mothers are the major decision makers when it comes to shopping habits for the house hold. These same consumers purchase other items during their shopping trips – including women’s interest magazines and health and beauty items. By using Gourmet Ads to advertise products ranging from make up to anti-aging products, you will reach a consumer that is not only your primary customer, but who is also looking for products to buy during her next shopping trip.

Known as cross-marketing, the idea of advertising non-competing products on a single platform is not a new idea. However, with the increase in women who use the internet in search of new recipe ideas, sales on food items, and even online grocery shopping, the possibilities for marketing cosmetics in conjunction with food items have grown. Female consumers are known for making cosmetic purchases while shopping for food items- this is why many grocery stores have a sizeable cosmetic aisle in the store.

Advertise cosmetic products in the same location where women come to find for food

In the same way, Gourmet Ads can help you advertise cosmetic products in the same location where women come to find out more about food. There has been a documented increase in the number of women who use the internet to find recipes and meal preparation ideas for their families, and by using our platform to put your product in front of these shoppers, you will reach a largely untapped resource.

Our trafficking team has dedicated time and efforts into finding out what makes its audience willing to buy a new product. Cosmetic companies can take advantage of this knowledge by booking advertisements that have been proven to encourage customers to click through and find out more about a particular product.

While customers who visit sites that specifically market cosmetics have often already decided what they want to buy, advertising through food-related websites with Gourmet Ads allows you to reach customers who are at the beginning of the product purchasing cycle. By advertising to these consumers, you will build up your brand identification and remind consumers to look for your product as they complete routine shopping trips. If you are Advertising Cosmetic Products and would like to learn more about Gourmet Ads, then Contact Us.

Advertising Cosmetic Products is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

How are you Advertising your Retail Sales ?

All retailers know that there is nothing that works quite as well as a big sale to bring in customers. The problem is, how do you let customers know that you have a great sale happening? Whether you are an online retailer or a brick and mortar store, getting the word out about your sale to bring in customers is a necessity if you want to get the most out of your marketing plan. With the help of Gourmet Ads, we can develop an online advertising campaign which can not only get the word out, you can tell the customers most likely to buy your products about the sale in a way that makes them ready to shop.

The economic downturn has made many retailers a little reluctant to spend money advertising. Although it may be a little scary, the best way to bring in business is to spend money on advertising to get the most out of every sale. After all, if your customers don’t know about your great prices, how will they know when to shop? Whether you are a large supermarket or a tiny retail specialty shop, creating a smart online advertising campaign along with a great sale is the perfect way to bring new customers into your store as well as rewarding loyal shoppers with some extra special deals.

Like any other online advertising campaign, letting customers know about your sale starts with figuring out who your target audience is. Are you hoping to draw in new customers with your sale? Or are you appealing to your loyal clients with a special discount for coming back in? If you haven’t already created some sort of loyalty program that rewards customers for shopping with you, now is the time to let Gourmet Ads design a retargeting advertising program for you. No matter what type of sale you are having, notifying existing and previous customers is a great way to start bringing in visitors.

Once you have decided on what items to feature in your sale, you will also want to think about how to make the most of the customers who come in to check out the sale. This starts by designing your store with a sale in mind- this applies to both retail and brick and mortar stores. Customers who come in for a sale are often in a “buying” mode, and ready to make purchases. Take advantage of this by using cross merchandising and impulse purchases to increase how much customers buy. You will also want to incorporate creative displays, signage, and even multimedia opportunities that will draw customers in and make them want to purchase additional items.

Retailers know that there is nothing that works quite as well as large Retail Sales

When customers come in for your sale, you need a plan to ensure customers become repeat customers. In both online and retail stores, it is easy for a customer to stop by only once. Gourmet Ads can help you create strategies to ensure that customers return to your store as part of a targeted advertising strategy, ie using technology targeting like Retargeting and behavioral targeting. Let Gourmet Ads help you create a comprehensive advertising campaign that will help you make the most of all retail sales campaigns.

Advertising Retail Sales is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.