ECRM: Retail circular advertising trends, November 2013

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in Nov. 2012 versus Nov. 2013 and noted trends occurring across top retail chains. Last month, Toys “R” Us experienced a decrease of more than 65% on the page count and ads per circular metrics. For the month of Nov., however, the toy retailer completely reversed course with year-over-year increases in page count and ads per circular accompanied by a very minor decrease in ads per page. Toys “R” Us continued to follow the same general pattern of themes for its circular releases as well, with a focus on gaming consoles in the week preceding Black Friday, followed by a toy-focused circular for the Black Friday event itself. Additionally, promoted store opening times were three hours earlier this year: 5 p.m. Thanksgiving night versus 8 p.m. last year. Other retail chains in traditionally Black Friday-focused channels did not see quite as drastic of a change. Electronics, mass and department stores were surprisingly stable, with no major increases year-over-year and only a moderate dip in ads per circular at Fred Meyer and Kohl’s.



Outside of the month’s Black Friday focus, Kroger experienced a large shift in circular density via a 44.4% decrease in circular page count accompanied by a 46.7% increase in the number of ads per page. This shorter, denser approach to the circular is similar to the shift in strategy observed at Home Depot in prior months. Lowe’s continued its recent trends within the home improvement channel as well, with its comparatively lengthy circulars.

About ECRM’s Business Intelligence

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.