As mobile continues its rise as the preferred e-commerce channel, more holiday shoppers are turning to their smartphones and tablets to support buying. Studies show that consumers find mobile ads helpful when making holiday shopping decisions and learning about products and services. But what are the best ad formats to support them?
Native ads, also known as in-feed ads, are built for commerce and work across the funnel!
They are increasingly data-driven, encourage product exploration, and can eliminate steps to conversion. Mobile native formats, in particular, are effective at driving conversions. According to data from Appreciate, brands that ran in-app native ads during the 2018 holiday season saw the highest ROI among their peers. Additionally, mobile native video campaigns have a CTR of 11% on average — 3.7x higher than non-native pre-roll ads.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at 4 ad formats that will help you meet your advertising goals.
Dynamic Product Ads
For retailers, it’s easy to see why DPA native ads are a favorite. DPA ads are not only very visual formats, but they also allow brands to retarget high-intent users based on past shopping behavior, mail subscriptions, search patterns, or abandoned carts.
They offer features ranging from carousel to coupons and are able to turn your holiday promotion calendar into a “deals feed” that dynamically prospects users.
On the customer side, DPA ads deliver value and utility. Shoppers prefer these ads because they can get deals that save them money. And, given the targeting options, DPA ads are seen as useful because they feature the specific products consumers are actually interested in.
Countdown Ads
3, 2, 1… countdowns always drive a sense of urgency.
With 87% of holiday shoppers actively looking for deals and promotions, native ads promoting flash sales with a countdown timer catch the attention of deal-seekers, generate excitement, and help drive immediate purchases.
Countdown ads will be especially important during the shortened holiday season. Whereas in 2018, Thanksgiving fell on November 22nd, this year, the holiday will occur a full week later on November 28th.
With six days less to drive sales, countdown ads can be an effective tool for motivating purchases sooner in a condensed timeline.
Augmented Reality Ads
For retailers, it’s easy to see why DPA native ads are a favorite. DPA ads are not only very visual formats, but they also allow brands to retarget high-intent users based on past shopping behavior, mail subscriptions, search patterns, or abandoned carts.
They offer features ranging from carousel to coupons and are able to turn your holiday promotion calendar into a “deals feed” that dynamically prospects users.
On the customer side, DPA ads deliver value and utility. Shoppers prefer these ads because they can get deals that save them money. And, given the targeting options, DPA ads are seen as useful because they feature the specific products consumers are actually interested in.
3D Ads
Studies have found that 3D ads rank as one of the most appealing formats since they allow shoppers to explore products up close and from any angle. A holiday shopper can take a closer virtual look at a laptop, for example, through a 3D campaign. This leads to a better overall shopping experience and, like AR, promotes confidence in the buyer.
3D and AR mobile native ads both fall under the extended reality (XR) format. XR is already very promising, but it’s poised to take off as 5G wireless rolls out nationwide. 5G can ensure a faster XR experience, without any lag or annoying load times for users. This is why a recent Gartner study found that “retail AR/VR applications of 5G attract the highest expectations for becoming drivers of new revenue.”
With the holiday shopping season approaching, marketers need to leverage mobile campaigns in effective and innovative ways. These five mobile native ad formats creatively connect with consumers, drive meaningful engagement, and deepen brand familiarity. May your brands make a direct impact on your bottom line this holiday season and beyond.