Blis recently attended the annual Online Marketing Rockstars conference (OMR) in Hamburg. OMR, is the leading event of its kind in Europe, attended by over 50,000 digital marketing enthusiasts, 400+ exhibitors and 300 speakers. The 2 day event is the place to be to meet start ups, established marketing pros and gain insights from this quickly evolving digital marketing industry. The trendy nature of this event gives it more of a business festival vibe than your standard industry trade show, which is why it is quickly gaining interest and a reputation as THE event to attend for digital marketers in Germany.
From Clicks to Bricks
One theme that was strong during the keynote sessions was highlighted by Google which was around the importance of digital in driving footfall into stores for retailers. They stated that 90% of retail sales still happen in brick-and-mortar stores, but most buying decisions are influenced by digital marketing. Google shared that they are seeing consumers search for a product on Google, watch a product review on YouTube, or look for the nearest store on Google Maps.
The industry challenge that still remains is in effectively driving consumers to a physical store. In terms of measuring and extrapolating foot traffic Google shared that they use a combination of physically mapping POIs and panel data.
We’ve all heard it being said that we need to start measuring the metrics that matter, clicks and impressions only go so far, but how many incremental new customers are actually walking into retailers store/showroom/dealership, etc. as a result of seeing their ads – this is hugely powerful.
Retailers need to adopt a strong digital strategy to effectively drive footfall into stores and can benefit from using location data platforms such as Blis to amplify awareness, ROAI and product sales. By adding real-world intelligence to their marketing campaigns, retailers can increase the influence that digital has on driving foot traffic into stores.
The year of mobile is now, finally!
‘The year of mobile’ has long been taunting us, with each year pledging to be ‘the mobile year’ however the focus on mobile as a digital channel and as a way to interact, attend and purchase at OMR was evidence enough that mobile is most definitely here.
OMR operated this year via it’s own app where you could scan other delegates’ badges to connect with them (you could then easily export those emails via click to export). The app also included an overview of your spending during the business festival (all via a chip on your wristband), your schedule, location maps and much more. This digital approach showcased how mobile can make processes much more seamless and easy, which can be the same when applied to digital marketing campaigns.
Innovate to win
The conference also highlighted how innovative the digital industry is and how important it is for companies to innovate in order to grow. Digital marketing is now under the microscope more than ever in terms of data collection, data storing, data usage, ROI and the ability to truly impact a brand’s bottom line.
Overall I found the OMR event to be a very insightful event and enjoyed meeting innovative companies and brands looking to make the most of their digital marketing efforts. I hope to see you there again next year, at the Blis stand!
Sabrina Vetter, Senior Sales Manager, DACH
