Anatomy of a digital ad

Shoppers may notice digital ads, but they are not necessarily clicking on, or responding to, them.

That’s according to a new study by Valassis, “Motivating the Dynamic Shopper: Purchase Decisions In-Progress,” which analyzes how digital ads best engage and then motivate customers to take action. Three groups were studied; parents, millennials and Gen X.

According to this data, nearly 55% of shoppers surveyed notice relevant digital ads but don’t click, respond or buy immediately. This is especially true for parents (66%); millennials (62%); and Gen X (60%). So, what motivates these shoppers to move along the path to purchase?

The two top triggers influencing consumers to respond to a digital age are coupons (39%) and discounts (32%) are the top two triggers influencing consumers to respond to a digital ad. Twenty-four percent of all consumers are more likely to respond when seeing an ad both in print and online, increasing to 50% for parents and 47% for millennials.

Marketers should also consider consumer location and device preference to ignite action, according to the report. Today’s dynamic shopper is constantly on the move, yet “home” is the top place where they pay attention to digital ads.

In other findings:

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  Desktops and laptops rank first among devices on which all three groups are most likely to notice or act on a digital ad at home;


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  Millennials, however, notice or act upon ads similarly across all digital devices while at home, with only a four to five percentage point difference in attention paid to ads on desktops versus tablets and mobile phones;


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  At work digital ads are noticed on desktop or laptop by 27% of millennials, and 26% of parents.

“We know consumers seek out offers in both digital and print,” said Curtis Tingle, chief marketing officer, Valassis. “This research supports the need to start with consumers, understand their behavior and deliver an integrated campaign coupled with cross-device delivery to move them along their path to purchase. Having a greater understanding of what motivates today’s dynamic shopper helps close the awareness to activation gap.”