Intersport used Facebook ads to boost its sales both in store and online. This multichannel commerce case study looks at how the Dutch sporting goods retailer enjoyed a 34-fold increase in return on ad spend from dynamic ads, by using attribution analytics tools and a conversion lift study to accurately measure the impact of the campaign.
Case study summary
- Sports retailer wanted to increase sales, both online and in stores
- Ran an always-on ad campaign across multiple dynamic ad placements on Facebook.
- Drove sales conversions with retargeting and occasional ads promoting offers and new product lines
- Achieved €600k in sales attributed to Facebook dynamic ads and 34X increase in return on ad spend
Challenge
The brand wanted to increase sales, both online and in stores. The team also wanted to understand what was driving their sales, so they looked for ways to measure the true impact on sales from specific ads as accurately as possible. These insights about channel attribution could drive a new strategic marketing mix for the sportwear brand. As well as having a comprehensive standalone ecommerce platform, the brand had 18 retail stores across the Netherlands.
Solution
The retailer ran an always-on ad campaign across multiple dynamic ad placements on Facebook. It drove sales conversions with retargeting and occasional ads promoting offers and new product lines.
Multi-channel display campaign
Using media agency Abovo Media, it ran display ads on people’s Facebook News Feed, Instagram feed and Stories, Messenger and Audience Network. The campaign strategy paired relevant dynamic ads with campaign budget optimisation to find prospective new customers, then drove sales with retargeting and occasional ads promoting offers and new product lines.
Audience targeting
The team used broad audiences for ongoing prospecting campaigns and lookalike audiences with interest targeting for promotional campaigns. To create eye-catching ads that would drive discovery and sales, Intersport Twinsport showcased multiple products in the interactive, mobile-friendly collection and carousel formats. The products that people saw in the ads were dynamically selected from the product catalogue, based on their interests.
Having installed the Facebook pixel before campaign activity kicked off, the brand and agency used Facebook Attribution to measure campaign-driven sales across channels and devices.
Conversion-lift study
It also ran a conversion lift study to show the precise incremental value of the campaign activity. Conversion lift is a Facebook ad measurement tool that compares the actions of real people in randomised test and control groups to measure the additional online, offline or mobile app business driven by Facebook, Instagram and Audience Network ads.
Results
Sales grew €600k. Intersport Twinsport measured both in-store and online sales and was able to attribute more than €600k of their sales in the test period (March-October 2019) to Facebook dynamic ads.
It also achieved:
• Sales growth was attributed to Facebook dynamic ads
• 34X increase in return on ad spend
• 7.3X increase in incremental return on ad spend
• 96% saving in cost per acquisition
Intersport was able to get a much better view of their customer’s path to purchase, beyond the last click or till receipt, and into the complex thought process that goes into a purchase of sports equipment.
The client’s view
Paul Segers, Marketing and E-commerce Manager, Intersport Twinsport said that working with Facebook “enabled us to expand our online presence and campaign effectivity. From the start, our Facebook ad campaigns have resulted in skyrocketing online sales that have broken all previous records.”
Why it matters
Last-click attribution is less useful in display and ecommerce environments, as counting clicks may not account for the value created by an impression. By measuring the impact of being exposed to an ad across devices, attribution analytics offers a more holistic view of this campaign performance. And the reward was a 34-fold payback on ad spend.
