Criteo releases ‘State of Ad Tech 2019’ Report

Criteo released the “State of Ad Tech 2019” report which evaluates how today’s marketers can successfully convert audiences throughout each stage of the purchasing journey. Criteo surveyed 901 direct response marketers in partnership with Euromonitor International, to better understand the challenges of converting customers in today’s complex digital ecosystem.

The report results underscore just how fragmented ad budgets have become as marketers look for results across so many different channels. From paid display and social media marketing to content and SEO, we asked how marketers spend their money and which channels are most effective.

Michele Iozzo, Managing Director Middle East & Africa at Criteo said: “Our findings show that marketers have learned valuable lessons when it comes to addressing customers during different stages of the purchasing lifecycle while navigating challenges like multiple channels, and quality and relevance of data. This was also evident in the focus of the AdTech Forum by the ArabNet Digital Summit Dubai on how brands ensure that their digital marketing activities in the region were being optimized.”

These themes will assume even higher significance in 2019 when marketers redistribute their budgets across channels. They will also need to consider strategies such as ad placements, compelling promotions, and personalization to achieve successful conversions.”

Key findings from the report include:

• The Top 10 Channels for Marketers: We asked not only which channels marketers used to reach their customers, but how much of their budget they dedicated to each one. Learn the most popular ad tactics in 2018 – like social media marketing, paid display advertising, and email marketing – and plan for 2019.
• Conversion Metrics are Different Across Different Companies: Marketers have a lot of different ways of defining what makes effective conversion. New revenue (35%), new customer rate (33%), and cost per action (30%) proved to be most popular, but there is clearly more than one way to measure conversion.
• Data Availability and Quality Represent Key Challenges in the Conversion Phase: Nearly half (40 percent) of marketers struggle to find data on the online/offline shopper connection. This negatively impacts brand conversion given the prevalence of omnishopping. In addition, fragmented data makes it difficult for marketers to gain a true understanding of customers and to optimize future campaigns.
• Reengagement Across Web and App Grows in Importance: Reengagement is a critical part of the consumer purchase journey, particularly as the impact of brand loyalty increases. The report revealed that existing retailer customers spend more on average than new shoppers (51 percent) and shopping app customers have high loyalty tendencies (41 percent). Compelling discounts, personalization, innovative ad formats and engaging designs were reported to be three of the most successful tactics for reengagement campaigns.