Spar

122% increase in omnichannel ROAS

Due to hyper-personalised omnichannel campaign
View the case

Convenience formula for every moment of the day

Being where people need you. Based on this proposition, SPAR facilitates customers in their day-to-day business. With more than 480 independent stores, the convenience formula meets the needs of customers across the country and in a variety of locations. In smaller towns and inner cities, but also at petrol stations, on university campuses and in recreational areas. SPAR wanted to bring their proposition even closer to the consumer by reaching relevant customers at the right time with online advertisements. Even if those customers eventually visit a physical store. Below you can read how we managed to do this.

Awards
Best digital omnichannel strategy(nominated) - VIA Programmatic awards 2021 Best PPC B2C campaign- Dutch Search Awards 2021 DSA Grand Prize - Dutch Search Awards 2021

Spar

Meet the client.

With 13,000 stores in 48 countries, SPAR is one of the largest food retailers in the world. In the Netherlands, SPAR has more than 480 stores across five different store types, which are run by local entrepreneurs. All stores carry a sophisticated and fresh range for every moment of the day. This makes SPAR a true convenience formula that meets the needs of customers at any time of the day.

Visit SPAR website

Strategy

Linking online and offline.

In order to achieve the goal of 'always being present online at the right time with relevant customers', we have taken SPAR's proposition and the customer journey as a starting point. Based on this, we have developed a digital strategy that focuses on the local recognisability of SPAR that aims to incentivise consumers to switch to SPAR. Both online and offline in their local store.

Hyperlocal
SPAR's local entrepreneurs distinguish themselves from large price fighters in the market through service and quality. We wanted to use this as a spearhead to attract consumers to the stores of local entrepreneurs. It turns out that the closer a person lives to a store, the greater the willingness to go to that store. We wanted to respond to this by targeting the locality of a store, but also by making bid adjustments when people are close to the store. With this we wanted to increase both store visits and conversion rate and increase the effectiveness of advertisements.

Research shows that the CTR of a banner with personalized elements increases by up to 65% compared to a non-personalised banner. User tests at Adwise confirm that personalized ads work better. Elements such as photos or names are recognised, which ensures more engagement.

Full Funnel
With the customer journey as a starting point, we wanted to organize all touchpoints of the customer journey for local recognisability and personalisation. In doing so, we continually capitalize on the distinctive character of SPAR's local entrepreneurs, with which we aim to give customers a sense of recognisability and a personal approach at every stage. By seamlessly connecting all touchpoints, we guide customers from start to finish in their personal journey to a purchase; online or offline.

Omnichannel
We chose Snapchat, Google Search Ads, a personalized website, display retargeting and Waze as channels. We wanted to offer inspiration in the preliminary phase through Snapchat with sponsored stories and make a true experience of the store visit. We showed localized Google Search Ads to people actively searching for groceries. Subsequently, we have personalized the website so that visitors get a personalized experience during the entire customer journey. We then retarget these customers through display with localized banners. A local approach with synergy between multiple channels. Finally, we actively approach users searching stores with ads in the Waze navigation app. With over 1 million Dutch users, Waze offers a great platform to activate people to visit SPAR locations along motorways, for example.

WiseFeed location matching tool

Implementation

Of hyperlocal targeting with WiseFeed.

In order to personalize the banners and target them hyper locally, the input of SPAR entrepreneurs must be linked to the location where the user is at that moment. This link was difficult to create within Google products. That is why Adwise have developed a tailor-made “location matching tool”: WiseFeed. This tool matches Google location IDs with the closest SPAR location and converts postcode claim areas into Google areas of interest. This is carried out on a daily basis to ensure that new branches or relocations are properly implemented. This way, the information in the feed is always up-to-date. The output of this tool is linked in real time to the studio within the Google Marketing Platform stack, in which the targeting and personalisation is continued in a dynamic studio profile. By using this tool, the distance from the customer to the store is determined and the targeting adjusted accordingly.

WiseFeed links 4,000 locations to more than 500 stores within half a second and stores the results. This saves us a lot of manual and time-consuming work.

Snapchat

Inspiration in the preliminary phase.

People around the stores were targeted through Snapchat with sponsored stories with a CTA that incentivised them to visit the store, so from online to offline. Customers were sent a code to be scanned in store that opened a filter on Snapchat. As a result, people moved from offline to online again. The filters contain a cup, a donut and a sandwich. In addition, GEO filters have also been used based on the store location. The lenses were shared among the target group, which further increased the reach.


Google Ads

Dynamic search ads.

We placed personalized search ads through Google Ads that show users information for the nearest SPAR location. Through WiseFeed we link all locations that Google recognises within its API to the delivery areas of SPAR entrepreneurs. These are provided daily with up-to-date data (company name, address, etc.). That information is the input for Location Aware Ad Customisers in Google Ads. These ad customisers dynamically adjust the ads based on a match between a local branch and the location of the user who initiated a search in Google.


Website personalization

Local landing pages.

In addition to applying dynamic elements in the ads, the landing page is also personalized with data from local franchisees. After the ad click, the website intercepts the query with ValueTrack parameters and shows the corresponding location in different elements of the page. So, after an ad, consumers end up after a landing page that is optimized for each local entrepreneur.


Display

Local campaigns.

In the Display network, we set up campaigns in DV360 that capitalize on the local strength of SPAR entrepreneurs. Banners are dynamically provided with a photo of the entrepreneur, the address and the opening hours. As soon as an impression becomes available, the user's location is matched in real time to the nearest SPAR, after which the correct content is shown.


 

Waze

Campaigns around Spar Express.

The SPAR express branches, which can be found at petrol stations throughout the country, are designed for a specific target group: drivers in the Netherlands. To reach this target group, we have used advertising through the Waze navigation app. We used different campaign options for this such as Branded Pins, Zero Speed Takeovers and Search Ads. The target group within the SPAR postcode claim area is shown dynamic display banners aimed at online shopping at Spar. Banners are displayed in the sales area of the SPAR with information about the local branch, such as opening hours and the address.

Results

Success in all areas.

The strong point of this omni-channel campaign is the visibility within the customer's entire customer journey. All results demonstrate the success of localisation and personalisation that evokes a sense of recognition among consumers.

Snapchat ads and lenses focused on local visibility gained 80,000 impressions. At 300+ seconds the playtime of the Snapchat lenses was ten times higher than the expected benchmark of 30 seconds. The Google Ads campaigns achieved a 59% uplift in conversion rate through localized ad copy versus non-localised banners. On the landing pages we localized, the bounce rate decreased by as much as 82% compared to non-localised pages. A sign that consumers respond well to elements they recognise. We saw the same in the Display campaigns. Compared to standard banners, the personalized banners recorded a 67% increase in conversion value.

Finally, the omnichannel Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) on search ads increased by no less than 122% through the use of localisation. We saw a 50% increase in the conversion rate to store visits. At the same time, costs per store visit decreased by 60%. Double success that convincingly achieved the main goal of SPAR's digital strategy.

Results

in figures.

Snapchat

80.000 impressions and +300s playtime (10 times higher than the expected benchmark)

Google Ads

59% uplift in conversion rate (personalized vs non personalized)

Localized website

82% drop in bounce rate (localized website vs non-localized website) 

Display

51% uplift in conversion rate and 67% in conversion value (personalized vs non-personalized ads)

Waze

203% uplift in ad recall and 175% in navigation lift 

Store visits

50% increase in conversion percentage to store visits, while costs per store visit dropped 60%

Omnichannel return

122% increase in ROAS on search ads due to localization 

What makes this case unique?

Local feeling at a national franchise.

The special thing about this case is the use of channels that strengthen the proposition of SPAR. Through Snapchat we have turned the store visit into a true experience. We used Display to respond to the recognisability of entrepreneurs in local shops. And because the target group of SPAR-express tends to be on the go, we consciously approached it through advertisements in the Waze navigation app.

Based on this advertising strategy, we have succeeded in disseminating the strength of local entrepreneurs for more than 480 branches throughout the entire customer journey. Customers experience the feeling that they are making a purchase at a local store, when it is actually part of a nationwide franchise. A scalable national campaign with a local feel, empowering local entrepreneurs.

This case was nominated for various prizes and was awarded two awards at the Dutch Search Awards 2021 including the DSA Grand Prize for best performance. 

Pauline van Miert, Adwise

Want to localize your brand?

Pauline van Miert, head of display, is here to help .

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Emerce100 Best Fullservice Digital Agency '24

Best Fullservice Digital Agency '24