Study: multiple ads lead to conversions

Consumers aren't converting simply because of the last ad that they saw online. According to a recent study, users are more likely to convert when they have seen multiple ads across multiple platforms.

by Kristina Knight

“Overlap across publishers has tremendous implications for an ad campaign’s performance, marketers can no longer ignore the magnitude of reaching consumers across multiple sites,” said Jed Fowler, an analyst with Atlas Institute and the author of the study.

Atlas Institute researchers found that consumers who see ads on at least two different platforms are twice as likely to convert to buying than users who viewed only one type of ad. They also found that roughly 90% of consumers attribute the purchase to something other than the last ad clicked upon before the purchase.

"Most marketers need to plan beyond the last ad seen,” commented Fowler. “It’s critical that marketers review all consumer touch-points to determine credit for conversions.”

Fowler based his report on more than 5 billion ads, 16 advertiser's campaigns and 1.7 million online sales transactions throughout Q1 2007.

For online marketers this is an indication and putting all their eggs in one basket, whether paid search, display ads or email marketing is the wrong approach. For good ROI, advertisers need to diversify those online ad campaigns. Utilizing all online ad forms and correctly targeting the ads to the customer is the best way to increase ROI.