comScore begins tracking offline foot traffic and sales

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comScore is partnering with mobile ad network xAd to begin tracking the influence of digital ads on in-store traffic and sales, reports Adweek.

The companies introduced a new tool for retailers — called comScore Location Lift in xAd — that will measure the impact of digital ads on consumers' actual shopping behavior. Right now, the tool is limited to measuring foot traffic but revenue tracking is expected to be added in the coming months. It also only measures the effectiveness of mobile ads, though ads viewed on desktop computers will eventually be included.

comScore is the latest in a string of companies to offer this kind of tool to retailers:

• Earlier this month, Facebook announced its Offline Conversion API that tracks in-store foot traffic and sales driven by the influence of digital ads. The tool lets retailers partner with a number of in-store systems companies to track store activity, including Square, IBM, Marketo, and Lightspeed. For example, partnering with payment system Square will let retailers see if shoppers actually buy something that was recently advertised in their area.
• YouTube partnered with Oracle in April to track in-store sales of consumer packaged goods (CPG) based on digital ads. Oracle's tool tracks subsequent in-store foot traffic based on views of YouTube's TrueView video ads that play before a viewer's selected video. Prior to the partnership, YouTube parent company Google reported that TrueView video campaigns drove a 61% lift in sales for brands that used this ad tool. Partnering with a third-party analytics program to assess the impact of these ads will lend some helpful validity to such data and provide additional detail. YouTube will then be able to use the figures to attract more brand partners and higher ad spend from existing ones.
• Foursquare launched its own tool called Attribution Powered by Foursquare in February — it allows brands and retailers set up test groups to compare ad effectiveness across channels over a specific period of time. Consumers agree to let Foursquare track location activity at all times. This includes when Foursquare and its sister app Swarm are closed on a user's mobile device. The tool sets up a test group made up of those who are shown an ad, and a focus group made up of those who aren't. It then tracks whether or not those shown the ad visit the related store more or less than shoppers who didn't see it. Brands and retailers can choose specific US Census demographics and a time frame for data analysis. With this tool, companies can narrow in on a campaign's performance across channels.

Tracking offline activity is a good way for brick-and-mortar retailers to gain insight on their digital audience. And it's particularly important for retailers that do not have an e-commerce presence. As e-commerce grows, brick-and-mortars are trying to keep physical retail alive while reaching digital audiences through advertising. Moving forward, we expect to see more tools like these become available to help brick-and-mortar retailers make sales in the digital age.

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