Blog / Insights
Back-to-school is usually a call for parents and students to go shopping. This year, however, has been different. The economy is having a dramatic impact on consumers, especially parents. According to the August Yahoo Omnibus study, 81% of parents noticed a rise in prices for back-to-school items in the last six months, leading them to change their shopping behavior. In fact, 72% of parents are taking steps to combat inflation in multiple ways, from cutting back on non-essential spending and switching brands and retailers to joining loyalty programs, and more.¹
But all the news isn’t gloomy. Our survey shows that 83% of parents are optimistic about the future.²
With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, advertisers should ask what back-to-school learnings they can apply to the holidays to capitalize on consumer optimism, capture attention, win back loyalty and drive sales to bring holiday cheer and business success.
An easy place to start preparing for the holidays is with Yahoo Preferred Network, our native ad marketplace where advertisers can reach 82% of the U.S. internet population across premium content and exclusive Yahoo placements at every step of the customer journey.³
Use attention-catching creative to capture more moments of a consumer’s time
Once you’ve reached people across the nation, how do you get them to pay attention to you? In our overstimulated media landscape, this is an ongoing challenge. It’s why more marketers are paying attention to attention metrics. Our joint research with Omnicom Media Group agency OMD Worldwide and leading attention researchers Amplified Intelligence found that combining the right formats in the right environment and context relevant to each audience is critical.
The study shows that our Moments ad formats, also known as interscroller native ads, are the most effective format in slower-scroll, highly immersive environments. This is the case regardless of the product or service being advertised (product category), delivering 3.3 seconds of active attention – 30% higher than the 2.5-second minimum for active attention.⁴
Tips to optimize Moments ads for the holidays
- Always be data-driven: Within the Yahoo DSP, you can choose from a wide array of exclusive audience segments to reach the right people in the right moments. For example, with Yahoo Search keyword audiences, you can target people who are actively searching for the products you sell. Recently, we saw searches for gift ideas for kids grow +81% week-over-week.⁶ This is just one illustration of the growing population of high-intent audiences that advertisers can reach in preparation for the holidays.
- Maximize share of voice: We offer flexible buying methods, including takeover options that provide you 100% share of voice on top sites like Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, and more. Our survey found that almost 9 out of 10 parents say the content they view guides their purchase decisions this year, with the number one content being tips on how to save.⁵ Yahoo will have plenty of that content during the holidays. Pro tip: Book takeovers early, as key dates sell out quickly.
- Adapt to changing shopping behavior: Almost 74% of shoppers are looking for more coupons/deals/promotions.⁷ Use the Countdown feature to build anticipation for your sales or deals.
- Get closer to the point of purchase:
- Create an instant shoppable catalog experience with Touchpoints. They enable users to learn more about individual items or parts of an ad by tapping on pins.
- Dynamic Product Ads (DPA) enable retail advertisers to run their entire product catalog with Yahoo Moments ads to direct audiences to the exact products consumers are looking to buy. Plus, we make activating DPA easy; you can use the same assets from other ad platforms to get started quickly.
The holiday countdown has begun
Back-to-school season didn’t live up to its traditional potential this year. Now’s the time to apply what you learned and employ new strategies to win with holiday shoppers. Moments ads are a joyful way to start. They’re data-driven, grab the attention of budget-conscious consumers and offer fresh ways to get you noticed. All the ingredients for holiday joy and growth.
To learn more about Moments ads and how they help you connect with shoppers, let's connect today.
¹-², ⁵,7 Yahoo, Omnibus Study, August 2022
³ Comscore Media Metrix ® Multi-Platform, Total Audience, Custom-defined Top 100 properties including Yahoo (and Microsoft Partnership), Total Unique Visitors/Viewers, June 2022, U.S.
⁴ Omnicom Media Group agency OMD Worldwide, Yahoo and Amplified Intelligence, “Attention In Context Research” 2022.
⁶ Yahoo, Internal data, October 2022.
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