ECRM: Retail circular advertising trends, April 2014

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in April 2013 versus April 2014 and noted trends occurring across top retail chains. Toys “R” Us experienced a massive 350% increase in page count year-over-year due to its release of three circulars this April versus one last year. Only a short eight-page “Bike & Trike Trade-in” circular was run last year. This year, the bicycle circular ran in the last week of the month again, but the other two circulars appeared to be a response to the late Easter this year, with a focus on $5 or less basket-fillers.

Lowe’s was the only retailer to see an increase in each metric, with gains of 46.2%, 40% and 108.8%, respectively, in page count, ads per page and ads per circular. Although circular count remained consistent at four year-over-year, page counts dramatically increased, from 12-16 last year to 12-24 this year, with multiple circulars reaching 24 pages. While Lowe’s April circular has been lawn and patio-focused historically, these increased pages allowed for additional interior-focused promotions, especially for paint.

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ECRM’s Ad Comparisons technology captures promotional data from the top U.S. and Canadian retailers in all major markets. Ad Comparisons captures more than 40 metrics for each ad block and provides hundreds of analytic reports to put the advertising data in context. Ad Comparisons takes an individual approach to ensure all data and reports fit the needs of each user.