Jim Mahoney’s Post

🚀 11 Must-Know Walmart Advertising Strategies for Better Conversions! 💡 Do you know the average Walmart customer spends over $2,500 annually across in-store and online purchases? With more than 240 million consumers shopping through 10,593 Walmart stores worldwide each week, it’s a goldmine for e-commerce sellers! But listing your products on Walmart is just the beginning. To truly stand out and maximize sales, a well-crafted advertising strategy is essential. 📈 In our latest blog, we dive into 11 actionable strategies to help you boost your Walmart ad performance and skyrocket your conversions. Here’s a quick peek at some of the strategies you'll learn: ✨ Define Clear Business & Campaign Goals: Whether you're aiming for brand awareness or higher sales, ensure your campaign is aligned with your business stage and goals. 🔄 Optimize Campaign Structure: Learn how to group products, set bids, and minimize wasted ad spend by creating well-organized campaigns that give you more control over bids. 🤖 Master Automatic & Manual Campaigns: Discover the power of using the right mix of automatic and manual campaigns to target high-converting, niche audiences. 💰 A/B Test for Success: Experiment with different ad placements and strategies to uncover what works best and fine-tune your campaigns for even better results. 🏆 Get the Walmart Pro Seller Badge: Boost your credibility and conversions with Walmart’s Pro Seller Badge—showing customers your brand’s top-notch service and product quality. 💥 Use Variant Bidding for Personalized Ads: Capitalize on this new feature to promote top-selling variations of your products and drive higher conversions. 🎯 Bid on Brand Keywords: Secure your brand’s presence and prevent competitors from hijacking your traffic by bidding on your own branded keywords. Walmart’s retail and digital dominance gives sellers a unique opportunity to engage a vast audience. But to get the best results, you need to be smart with your advertising strategy. Read the full blog to unlock all 11 strategies and start driving more sales from your Walmart ads: https://lnkd.in/gTprWka2 #WalmartAds #EcommerceGrowth #WalmartSellers #AdvertisingStrategies #DigitalMarketing #Ecommerce

The below article from AdExchanger, written by Anthony Vargas, is a really worthwhile (and short) read. Vargas writes, "Retail advertisers aren’t just dealing with fragmentation across retail media networks and inventory types. They’re grappling with how to make retail media fit together with all the different pieces of their campaigns. And they’re learning that focusing too much on the bottom of the funnel can clog the whole system." ---- Now, this isn't necessarily a new realization or sudden change for those of us in the space who have been watching this happen for years. But still, to this day, it's not uncommon for me to engage with brands, or even agencies, that measure their entire full funnel paid media investment by ROAS. Of course I understand it. ROAS is clean, it's easy to understand, it's easy to report up to the C-level or the board/investors, and it doesn't leave any wiggle room or gray area. As humans, we like that certainty, that clarity, that feeling of "correctness" which is difficult to dispute. Perhaps an inconvenient truth of digital media buying in 2024 is that there is *not* a singular *best* way to do things, that each brand will have their own unique measurement needs, and those needs may change over time, and how we are used to measuring efficacy will change as both the market continues to fragment and what is deemed important shifts with it. This isn't good or bad. It does makes things "harder", in that you can't templatize measurement the way that we maybe used to. But it is necessary. As the author puts it, "in a fragmented retail media marketplace, the best strategy just might be having many different strategies."

Elevating Your Advertising Strategy for Retail Sales - Shifting your advertising strategy to drive retail sales rather than direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales requires a different approach. Focus on Reach and Frequency: - Without conversion tracking on Meta/Google due to in-person purchases, it's essential to prioritize key performance indicators (KPIs) around reach and frequency. Ensuring a high percentage of your total addressable market (TAM) sees your ads multiple times keeps your brand top of mind for potential buyers. Aim to target each consumer around three times per week to maximize brand recall. Manage Traffic Costs: - Given the emphasis on traffic, it's important to monitor industry benchmarks for cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) and cost-per-click (CPC) on your chosen ad platforms. Efficient management of these costs is crucial to maintaining a cost-effective campaign. Refine Audience Strategy: - For retail advertising, a more narrow interest-based audience is beneficial compared to the broad targeting typically recommended for D2C. With no conversion data to optimize, a focused approach allows the algorithm to better target potential customers. Ensure Incremental Sales: -To confirm that your advertising efforts are driving incremental sales, analyze retail data to identify comparable markets. Implement a test-and-control methodology by adjusting spend in one market and comparing the results to a control market. This helps measure the true impact of your campaigns. Leverage Additional Platforms: - Utilize platforms like Walmart DSP or Instacart for better conversion tracking and customer insights. These platforms allow for tracking within their ecosystems, providing valuable data to enhance your overall strategy. Adapting your advertising strategy for retail sales involves a blend of targeted reach, cost management, and strategic data analysis to drive tangible results. What else do you incorporate with a Retail Sales based strategy? #performancemarketing #marketing #advertising

Google has officially entered the Retail Media race - and retailers need to tread carefully. Let me share some context, before I share my reservations Just in case you missed it: "Google launched a closed beta in Search Ads 360 (SA360) for off-site retail media campaigns. Lowe’s is already one of its beta partners- they are going to launch their first retail media offering on Google Search and Shopping." Source - https://lnkd.in/dgTj3gHt Seems like a logical step for Lowe’s - no RMN worth its salt should lack off-site advertising capability And Google is right there to help them - a deal that was meant to be. However, it’s not as innocuous as it seems. Here’s why - For off-site retail media to work, cross channel attribution needs to work. Essentially, advertisers need to know the clicks, product views, add to carts, orders, revenue and ROAS they got because of off-site ads run on Google vs onsite ads run on retailer’s platform. Secondly, campaign optimization also needs to happen continuously, so that shoppers are seeing ads of products they are likely to purchase To enable the above mentioned activities, any RMN would have to share buyers’ post click, on-platform behavior with Google. Why is it a matter of concern for retailers though? Because sole proprietorship of data on buyers’ on-platform behavior is what makes a RMN valuable. Imagine every RMN sharing their buyers’ on-platform behavior with Google. Google would again know everything about your shoppers, and be able to trace them across the internet. Partnering with RMNs makes a lot of sense for Google, it gives them access to the ‘Holy’ first-party data - which they need after the demise of third-party cookies. But, by giving up control of on-platform shopper behavior data, RMNs are inadvertently going back to pre-retail media times- when advertising was monopolized by big tech. Does that mean RMNs have to choose between off-site advertising & giving up control of data? NOT AT ALL.  At Osmos | The Omnichannel Commerce Media Operating System, we ensure that RMNs can enable off-site advertising without sharing any on-platform behavior data with the Googles and the Metas of the world. Learn more by visiting the link in comment. Please DM me if you want to know how we make it happen. #retailmedia #offsite #retailmediaadvertising #audiencesharing #retailmediaoffsite #google #sa360 #lowes #retailmediaoperatingsystem #osmos

Favorite so far: 10. The Third Wave of Digital Advertising’s Next Three Waves: Part 2 Most looking forward to: 🥫 What the World’s Top CPG Advertiser is Getting Right—and Possibly Wrong—With Its Digital Advertising Strategy Agree with John Reiss to mix things up on the content length as people have different preferences so having both long form and short could help! If you haven't subscribed, I recommend that people consider it as will be worth it. Maybe a sweet 16 bracket of Retail Media Networks and/or CPG RM execution would be interesting to put together for audience to participate.

🚀 And they're off! Google and Lowe's team up! 🚀 Another groundbreaking development in Retail Media that marks a significant leap forward for brands and retailers alike. Google has recently launched a new offsite Retail Media solution in a closed beta phase, with Lowe’s stepping up as one of the inaugural testers. This move signifies a monumental shift towards leveraging the vast potential of offsite advertising, particularly on prominent platforms like Google Search and Shopping. Why This Matters: Expanding Retail Media Horizons: This initiative allows brands to effectively engage with a retailer’s audience beyond the retailer's own platforms. It's a strategic move, especially as they navigate the landscape post-third-party cookies. Privacy-Centric Approach: Google's solution is designed with privacy at its core, offering a way for retailers to share first-party data with brands in a manner that respects consumer privacy. This is particularly relevant in today's environment where data privacy concerns are paramount. Self-Service and Control: Transitioning from a managed service model to a self-service option, this solution aims to provide brands and agencies with greater control and transparency over their advertising campaigns. It's a significant step towards scalability and efficiency in Retail Media campaigns. Implications for Retailers and Brands: Precision Targeting: By utilizing first-party data, brands can reach high-intent audiences with more relevant advertising, potentially driving higher conversion rates. Enhanced Campaign Measurement: The introduction of closed-loop reporting at the brand, campaign, or SKU level enables a direct correlation between ad spend and sales, allowing for more informed campaign adjustments. Broader Reach and Visibility: As this solution rolls out, the ability for brands to manage campaigns across multiple retailers from a single platform will streamline operations and amplify reach. Looking Ahead: With plans to incorporate additional campaign types and build out unique Retail Media features in SA360, they're on the cusp of witnessing an evolution in how Retail Media campaigns are executed and measured. Final Thoughts: As the Head of Retail Media at Landmark Group, I see Google's new offsite Retail Media solution as a pivotal advancement that aligns with our vision of driving more personalized, efficient, and privacy-conscious advertising in the retail space. It heralds a future where brands and retailers can collaborate more effectively to deliver compelling advertising experiences that resonate with consumers and gives the current suppliers in the Offsite space something to think about! Stay tuned for more insights and updates soon! #RetailMedia #DigitalAdvertising #Innovation #Google #Lowe’s #Dataprivacy #1stpartydata #offsiteadvertising https://lnkd.in/d3sAddRY

𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮, 𝗔𝗱𝘀 + 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 // 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 It’s been two months since I launched Media, Ads + Commerce and I’ve published 10 articles exclusively under the banner of my Substack newsletter (+2 additional op-eds in ADWEEK and WARC). If you haven't subscribed yet, here's what you're missing: 1. The Retail Media Flywheel: Media, Ads + Commerce 2. 2024 Will Be the Year of _______ in Retail Media 3. Five Up-and-Coming RMNs Built for the Retail Media 2.0 Era 4. How In-Store Advertising Works 5. “Captivate + Activate”: A New Playbook for Commerce Media Networks 6.  Is ROAS Digital Advertising’s New Display Ad CTR? 7.  The Creator Era is Here: Feb. 11, 2024 – Present 8.  The Shopification of Instacart 9.  The Third Wave of Digital Advertising’s Next Three Waves: Part 1 10. The Third Wave of Digital Advertising’s Next Three Waves: Part 2   I have 30+ article concepts in my current pipeline that also really have me excited. Without giving too much away, here is what's ahead: 🥉 Which Yet-To-Be-Launched Commerce Media Network Will be a Top 3 RMN in 3-5 Years 🍪 Why Retail Media is the Solution for the Post-Cookie World 💥 A New Class of Supercharged RMNs That’s Ready to Emerge 🎰 The Most – And Least – Valuable Ad Units in Digital Advertising 🧗  The Specialty Retail RMNs That are Ready to Ascend 🥫 What the World’s Top CPG Advertiser is Getting Right—and Possibly Wrong—With Its Digital Advertising Strategy 🛒  How In-Store Retail Media Can Go from $300 Million to $30 Billion 🎲 The Variables that Predict RMN Viability and Scale 📺 Determining Once-And-For-All Whether Retail Media is “Retail” or “Media” My average article to date has 1,500+ words and ~7 charts. They are in-depth articles that require some time and attention--by design. But I’m also considering incorporating some shorter articles (~500-600 words, and 2-3 charts) into the mix. If you have an opinion on the current style of article, or if you want me to mix things up a bit, pls LMK in the comments. Also feel free to chime in with your favorite article so far, and/or any topics you’d like to see me cover in the future. Thanks for reading!

With retail media gaining so much of the digital ad landscape, ad giants like Google and Microsoft are building out their own retail media tools. Associate Director, Media, Brad Turner's take: "This greatly improves the ability of retail-first brands to reach the end-customer when and where they're actively shopping. Brands will have more influence over the entire customer journey with this tool and its data, allowing them to spend retail dollars more wisely." In fact, Lowe's is starting to test this with Google. Take a look: https://lnkd.in/gVnA9xK8 #ads #media #marketing

Accelerating Growth: A Tale of Strategic Dominance on Amazon Executive Summary This case study delves into our remarkable performance on the Amazon marketplace, contrasting the months of April and May 2024. By dissecting key metrics and strategies, we aim to get the catalysts propelling our growth trajectory and identify opportunities for further optimization. Highlights of Exponential Growth Order Explosion: Our order volume skyrocketed from a modest 13 in April to an impressive 50 in May, signaling a successful scaling of our Amazon presence and product appeal. ACOS Mastery: Our Advertising Cost of Sale (ACOS) plummeted from a staggering 63% in April to an exceptional 21% in May, showcasing our prowess in targeting the right audience cost-effectively. ROAS Supremacy: Our Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) soared from 1.5 in April to an outstanding 4.60 in May, implying that for every €1 invested in advertising, we generated a remarkable €4.60 in revenue, underscoring the efficacy of our campaigns. Growth Catalysts Campaign Optimization: Adjustments to our advertising campaigns in May, potentially focused on targeted audience segmentation, bidding strategies, and ad creative, contributed significantly to the substantial reduction in ACOS and improved ROAS. Competitive Pricing Strategy: Implementing a dynamic pricing approach, we regularly monitored competitor prices and adjusted our pricing accordingly, ensuring a competitive edge while maintaining healthy margins. Promotional Prowess: Targeted promotional campaigns and strategic discounts during peak shopping periods boosted sales volume and attracted new customers, amplifying our brand visibility. Roadmap to Continued Dominance ACOS Optimization: While the decrease in May's ACOS is remarkable, we remain committed to further optimization by leveraging campaign performance data and refining our targeting and bidding strategies. Order Volume Acceleration: Explore strategies to exponentially grow order volume, such as introducing new product variations (different materials, colors, or sizes) based on competitor offerings and customer demand. Customer Engagement Excellence: Implement tactics like social media marketing, influencer collaborations, and engaging with customer reviews to enhance brand awareness, foster customer loyalty, and drive repeat purchases. Our performance in May 2024 showcases our strategic prowess and ability to adapt swiftly to market dynamics. By capitalizing on our advertising expertise, competitive pricing strategies, and promotional tactics, we achieved remarkable growth and optimization on Amazon. Moving forward, we remain steadfast in our pursuit of continued dominance. Through relentless optimization, product line expansion, and customer engagement initiatives, we aim to maintain an industry-leading ACOS, accelerate order volume growth, and cement our position as a formidable force in the Amazon marketplace.