Maintaining marketing momentum: why performance advertisers shouldn’t lose steam

But brands need not despair. Despite current challenges, Snapchat’s Festive Shopping Season Guide encourages marketers to continue doing their thing in Q5 – a profitable retail season all on its own.

The report’s findings revealed that 82% of shoppers plan to take advantage of sales offerings, but this isn’t the only time advertisers can bolster consumer engagement and improve shopping experiences – they can and should work outside of this timeframe, too.

“This year is going to be different,” explains Shivani Singh, analytics manager at Snapchat. “The tentpole events in the shopping season have changed. It’s no longer about working towards a singular moment or gaining that impression, but about maintaining consistent engagement and interaction with audiences.”

Enhancing the experience

As the best-performing platform for sharing purchases and offering users immersive, enjoyable shopping experiences, Snapchat reaches 75% of 13- to 34-year-olds across 20 countries. And Snapchat’s ads drive up to five times more attentive seconds than on TV or streamers. The platform’s features – including Story Ads and shoppable AR try-on Lenses – enable Snapchat’s 363 million daily active users to enhance their experience and try out items before purchase.

“We’ve seen high spending on Snapchat during key shopping moments like Cyber Monday and Thanksgiving,” says Singh, but she adds that marketers shouldn’t discount being present on the platform outside of specific event dates.

Snapchatters generate more than six billion AR plays and send five billion AR-enhanced Snaps per day, proving the platform’s success at immersing, connecting, and converting its audience. Marketers should take advantage of the platform’s low-cost options, which guarantee high returns. By using the app consistently to leverage purchases, brands can mobilize and get a sense of what works during different periods.

“October, for instance, is a great month,” says Singh. “It’s inexpensive to advertise on Snapchat, and we’ve seen good return on investments and engagement. It’s a time for brands to capitalize and engage with Snapchatters. The cost per mille (CPM) is low, so brands can do awareness testing.”

Consistent engagement

By investing in the right marketing strategy on Snapchat throughout the year, brands can creatively A/B test consumer behavior before prices increase and competition ramps up ahead of those tentpole retail moments in the calendar.

“A lot of advertisers tend to go wrong because they put too much effort and focus into key moments,” explains Singh. “But that’s not how shoppers shop anymore. Snapchatters are constantly engaging with the app and not just buying throughout Q4 moments – like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.”

This diluted approach isn’t a realistic reflection of consumer behavior – in fact, some find shopping during these scheduled events off-putting, as there are often supply chain issues and the hectic retail season can make for an unexpected experience.

If marketers can work to immerse consumers across touchpoints from September through January, their customers are more likely to purchase products – either when they see something in store or purchase an item immediately online or in-app – rather than wait for a discount at a later date.

Combining AR and video in marketing efforts is a guaranteed way to facilitate these purchases. Snapchat’s report revealed that 66% of shoppers use shoppable AR and, because of its reach, ads on Snapchat offer a 34% higher purchase intent than anywhere else.

AR users also tend to spend more money during the holidays, with Snap AR users in 2021 spending $2,742, while non-AR users only spent $1,784. This is the perfect example of how AR provides real business solutions and enables shoppers to feel more confident when making purchases.

Keeping up the momentum

How, then, do marketers go about implementing the right practices to engage their consumers? Singh suggests creating short, direct, and concise creative, being purposeful with sound in AR, and simplifying messaging.

“Get ahead by A/B testing your creative,” she explains. “October is the perfect time to see what works and what doesn’t, or just try out something new. And don’t lose your marketing momentum — keep it going after the holiday season to capitalize on quieter moments like New Year’s.”

Whether you’re making gift ideas discoverable and shareable or offering a try-on Lens to help consumers try on the latest trends, the festive shopping season provides plenty of opportunities for marketers to prepare for gift-giving occasions and convert consumers while offering useful and functional ways to shop, too.

This year, augmented reality is essential for driving brand discovery, engaging consumer purchase intent, and converting sales – all while safeguarding purchases for shoppers. Marketers should consider Snapchat as a key platform to engage with shoppers and leverage AR as a useful tool throughout the festive shopping season – and beyond.