We know that digital has an impact on offline sales. But how can businesses use mobile searches to drive football to brick-and-mortar stores? Discover how Bose stood out in local Search results and increased offline revenue.
The business challenge
Having recently revamped their UK stores to give visitors improved opportunities to try their range of innovative products, Bose asked MediaCom Worldwide to develop a strategy to compel consumers to visit stores to experience their products first hand. Based on the knowledge that a large proportion of searches occur on mobile devices and that many mobile searches are location-related, the team designed a mobile location strategy for the brand’s digital activity.
Research showed that customers navigated multiple touchpoints before eventually visiting and buying in a Bose store. Being present as they made this journey and standing out from the competition required eye-catching ad formats. By studying search queries, the team identified three core shopping personas: price-sensitive customers, premium-benefit-oriented customers, and traditional users. They chose ad formats carefully to be sure of reaching each persona.
The approach
In implementing the strategy across both brand and generic campaigns, MediaCom Worldwide bid on location-related keywords (for example “Bose store London”) and used geo-targeting to increase bids by 20% within a five-mile radius of any Bose store. They included ad extensions linking to the store locator on the Bose website and added location extensions to display the nearest store address and a map within ads.
Google Local Campaigns allowed the team to brand Bose store locations in Google Maps alongside new products and offers. By clicking on the Bose logo, consumers would see a call to action encouraging them to call, save, or get directions to the store, as well as additional information about testing the Bose SoundWear Companion in a store.
To be sure of reaching consumers most likely to be interested in Bose products, the team used remarketing lists for search ads and increased bids for in-market audiences. For instance, they made bid adjustments to show ads to people whose online behaviour suggested they were in-market for products like speakers or wearables.
The results
Bose uses a bespoke formula to calculate the impact of online marketing on in-store activity. Analysis showed that the new strategy increased store visits by 50% year over year and revenue generated from store visits increased by 56%. By expanding the remit of search from an entirely online channel to a driver of footfall to brick-and-mortar stores, Bose managed to accrue additional in-store sales.
The Google Local Campaigns alone drove approximately 10,000 additional store visits at 98% lower cost per acquisition compared to always-on campaigns within the first week. What’s more, the team gained valuable insights about consumer behaviour that could be shared across other channels such as social and programmatic to add value in other teams.
“Bose are a company that thrive on learning and pushing boundaries, and we actively encourage MediaCom to do the same,” says Graham Curry, Global Consumer Marketing for Bose Europe. “Store visits has been a great addition to the metrics we use to continuously optimise and develop our approach to paid search.”
As a next step, Bose plans to keep Google Local Campaigns live in the UK and roll it out in more European markets. They’re also looking to use Store Visit Conversions measurement in Google Analytics and automate bidding in selected campaigns to optimise to a Store Visit cost per acquisition goal.
Key takeaways for your business
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