C-store network generating average lift of 26 per cent

September 19, 2008 by Dave Haynes

Note – client of my masters

New England-based Digital Promo Network is one of not enough companies that does proper research and, more to the point, shares it around to help advance the industry as a whole.

DPN just released some new research that paints a very encouraging picture of what happens when screen networks are established in c-stores.

Digital Promo Network has announced the preliminary results from a one-year study of point-of-sale sales data collected from their 400-store c-store-centric network, which includes 240 stores equipped with networked digital screens and 140 control stores. The network reaches major and minor DMAs on the east coast. The results measured for advertised products across multiple categories, showed sales increases of up to 88 percent. When averaged, advertised product dollar sales rose 26 percent while product volume increased 18 percent. DPN plans to release actual category data and the applied methodology prior to NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores).
 
The POS data for products advertised on digital screens was correlated with advertising schedules and then compared with POS data for the same products in control stores. The sales uplift data analysis was made on the largest sample of c-stores to date.

Those are really nice numbers and the methodology, using POS data and control stores, means this isn’t puffed and buffed up, but real.

Of course, this does NOT mean that putting screens in stores is an automatic slam dunk. MOST of the companies that I see doing this do a bad job, with screens that are placed too high, in the wrong position, are cluttered, and on and on. But if you get it right, it has an impact that can resonate well with both the brand advertisers and venue owners. 

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