Reaching Holiday Shoppers with digital out-of-home (DOOH)

With holiday spending expected to increase by 7% in 2024, brands need to consider new, innovative advertising methods to reach their target audience. Despite common misconceptions, 72% of retail sales occur in person as opposed to only leveraging online shopping. This makes digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising more important than ever, allowing advertisers to influence consumers while they are making purchasing decisions. 

Crafting an omnichannel marketing strategy for holiday shopping is essential. According to a Kantar study with GroupM, consumers find DOOH to be more effective than other mediums when learning about products and brands. 

When utilizing DOOH in your omnichannel marketing mix, the study found that:

• Using DOOH and mobile ads together drives 69% more store traffic
• Combining DOOH with TV ads drives 55% in brand lift
• Pairing DOOH with social ads leads to 50% higher brand recall

The American Time Use survey measured the amount of time people spend doing various activities every day. Using this data, let’s map out a ‘day in the life’ of an average consumer and see how DOOH comes into play.

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Kickstart your day: capturing holiday shoppers in the morning

The alarm clock rings; it’s 7 a.m., time to start the day. The average American drinks a cup of coffee before beginning any task. Where does this take us? For the 51% of people who purchase a cup of joe at least once a week, we’re headed to a coffee shop. 

While customers are getting their morning coffee, advertisers can display their ads on the screens on digital urban panels strategically positioned inside and outside of the storefront.

• Smartify: dual-sided digital urban panel screens located in high-traffic city centers. Smartify ensures high-vicibility both in-store and among pedestrian audiences walking by. With over 1,600+ screens across 21 DMAs, Smartify delivers more than 918M+ monthly impressions.
• Corner Media: stunning 55" inch digital urban panel kiosks in key markets such as Los Angeles, California, Washington, DC, and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Reach holiday shoppers through multiple screens in key locations with Corner Media—like L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, DC for example. With more than 12+ screens and a large spectacular, brands can strategically deliver strategic messaging to drive in-store traffic or website visits.

Leveraging these networks and their expansive urban panel inventory, we can use DOOH to capture consumers’ attention and remind them to tackle holiday shopping first thing in the morning.

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On the Road Again: Reaching shoppers on their commute

Coffee in hand, it’s time to head off to work. Whether catching a train or jumping in a car, the commute is a pivotal time to influence consumers while their attention wanders. 

Screenverse offers many different venue types to reach commuters. Some of the following include:

• Screenverse + Apparatix: a collective of 1,700+ digital billboards across 80 DMAs. Available under a single deal ID, the Screenverse + Apparatix billboard network allows advertisers to reach key audiences in hard-to reach locations.
• FuelMedia: reach holiday shoppers on the go with gas station advertising. FuelMedia TV is one of the largest full-sight and sound programmatic video OOH networks in the country with over 8,000+ screens and 230M+ monthly impressions.
• EOS Linx: target shoppers with hybrid and electric vehicles through EV charging stations. EOS Linx's 75" inch digital displays are located in high-traffic city centers, gas stations, hotels, and major retail centers
• SOMO: position your brand in front of millions with SOMO, New York City's largest digital taxi top network with 4,000+ screens on 2000 taxis.

Explore additional DOOH transit venue types with Screenverse. 

The average American arrives at work by 9 a.m.—at this point, they probably have already seen multiple DOOH ads. Studies show that 74% of people take action on their phone after viewing a DOOH advertisement. Reaching target audiences early in the day increases the chances of them rearranging their schedule to fit in an impromptu holiday shopping trip after work.

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Midday breaks: engaging holiday shoppers during lunch 

The clock strikes twelve, and it’s time to head out and pick up lunch. Maybe they hop in a car, on a subway, or simply take a walk—regardless, this is another point in the day for advertisers to reach consumers. 

For those working in major cities, consumers encounter a variety of digital screens with holiday advertisements, which influence them to scan a QR code or visit a nearby retailer. For advertisers, leveraging screens in high-traffic areas is beneficial during the holiday season, especially when a primary motivator for buying gifts is convenience.

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Afternoon recharge (a.k.a snack time)

It’s now 3 p.m. and they’ve hit the midday rut. Time for a snack break or an excuse to walk around the office and catch up with coworkers. 

Screenverse offers many venue types located inside and outside of office buildings:

• theBulletin: transforms the lobbies in office buildings into dynamic spaces with 5,800+ digital screens and community boards.
• Vertical Impression: position your brand in front of captive audiences with North America’s fastest-growing elevator advertising network. These digital screens are built into elevators in office buildings across the nation, garnering 265 million+ monthly impressions.
• Advana: reach professionals in office spaces, manufacturing facilities, and corporate campuses with 12,000+ digital screens placed in community rooms.

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Evening out: influencing holiday shoppers after work

Finally, it’s 5 p.m. and they’re ready to head out for the day. To unwind, many individuals typically will go out for dinner with their families or grab a drink at happy hour with friends. 64% of people have made a purchasing decision while drinking in the past six months. Here’s how you can reach this audience:

• True Sync Media: an exclusive in-house TV network designed for bars and restaurants, delivering engaging, fast-paced content in 21 major DMAs.
• Touchtunes: the world's largest network of interactive digital jukeboxes with 50K+ screens. Found in bars, restaurants, and sports entertainment venues, TouchTunes connects brands with diverse audiences through unskippable full-screen videos, static images, and custom interactive elements. 

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Heading home: targeting consumers during their commute

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It’s time to head home and unwind before repeating the cycle tomorrow. On the commute home, advertisers have another chance to utilize transit venues, either reinforcing the same message from this morning or introducing fresh creative content. 

DOOH's advantage lies in its flexibility. It enables instant ad updates with a single click to adjust messaging and creative as needed.

Depending on their individual habits, consumers may stop at a grocery store to pick up dinner, go to the gym, stop by the pharmacy, or head straight home. Luckily, there are venue types for all scenarios. 

• Pursuant Health: digital health kiosks positioned strategically across 210 DMA’s in high-visibility pharmacy and major retail locations.
• KeyMe: a key duplication kiosk that is a prominent network in reaching people in major retailers and grocery stores nationwide, offering 1.5B monthly impressions.

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Maximize your reach: connecting with consumers throughout their day

Last holiday season, the average consumer spent $4.2 billion on weekdays and $4.4 billion on weekends. Despite the unpredictability of weekend routines, DOOH effectively reaches consumers in real-world settings by leveraging location data.

While two-thirds of consumers arrive at stores with a checklist, the other third enter stores to shop for the holidays without a plan in place. This presents the perfect opportunity for last-minute influences on purchasing decisions. Fortunately, advertisers can utilize a variety of screens placed inside retail stores and malls and outside high-traffic areas.

• Touchsource: stunning digital urban panel screens that double as mall directories can be found inside and outside major malls and shopping centers in DMAs such as NYC, LA, Chicago, and more.
• Olyns: reach shoppers as they enter a major retailer with Olyns' recycling RVM Cubes with 55” inch digital displays.

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Why DOOH is key to holiday advertising success in 2024

In a time when holiday shoppers are navigating busy schedules and increasingly crowded retail spaces, DOOH advertising offers a powerful tool to reach consumers at every stage of their shopping journey. 

From the morning coffee run to the evening commute home, DOOH strategically places brands in the right place at the right time, capturing attention when people are most receptive. By leveraging high-traffic locations, real-time updates, and location-based data, advertisers can create personalized, dynamic campaigns that influence decisions throughout the day—and even into the weekend.

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Consider integrating DOOH into your marketing strategy this holiday season for its unmatched ability to engage shoppers in real-world settings. Whether reinforcing your message in the morning or capturing impulse buys at the bar, DOOH provides the flexibility and reach needed to make an impact, turning fleeting moments into meaningful opportunities.

With strategic DOOH, brands aren’t just advertising—they’re becoming part of the journey, one screen at a time. Leverage the constellation of Screenverse networks and contact us to learn more about our inventory. 

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