ECRM: Retail circular advertising trends, December 2014

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in December 2013 vs. December 2014 and noted trends occurring across top retail chains. CVS used longer but fewer December circulars, increasing circular pages by 18%. The CVS Christmas Clearance Sale circular was not seen in 2014. Walgreens cut two December 2014 comparable circulars accounting for the 22% drop in circular pages. CVS added a large “THROW THE PERFECT PARTY” promotional block on the inside front page of the 2014 holiday week circular featuring snacks, cookies, coffee, ice cream and sparkling cider.

Lowe’s Home Improvement had a 34% boost in December average ad blocks per circular. Best Buy used shorter and denser December 2014 circulars averaging 36% increase in ad blocks per page on 32% less pages. Best Buy did add a 2014 Christmas Eve circular featuring “ACCESSORIZE YOUR HOLIDAY GIFTS” Buy 3 or More featured items and Save $5-$30 on inside front pages. Items featured were Beats™ headphones, iPhone® 6 cases, Beats™ portable speakers and tablet accessories. Target grew average ad blocks per circular by 13%; Sears saw this metric grow by 17%.

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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 over 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.