However, with the digital revolution, the landscape of retail media has evolved far beyond its traditional confines. Particularly in recent years, there has been a significant uptick in its prominence, drawing increased attention from marketers across the board. Some projections even suggest that by 2028, revenues from retail media advertising will outpace those from TV advertising.
So what exactly is retail media advertising, and why should stakeholders with adventure brands pay close attention to it? This article serves as a guide, offering insights into the essence of retail media and uncovering some of the wide-ranging advantages and opportunities it presents for performance outdoor brands.
What is retail media advertising for hunting, fishing, camping and hiking brands?
Retail media advertising for outdoor enthusiast brands entails harnessing the assets, spaces and insights of outdoor-industry retailers to engage consumers at the critical point of sale. In the 21st century media landscape, campaigns orchestrated through retail media networks extend across the digital and physical realms of retailers, leveraging their data and resources to amplify the impact of active lifestyle brands’ advertising endeavors.
In the digital sphere, envision retail media as advertisements encountered while browsing online outdoor gear stores, including sponsored product listings, banner ads or highlighted search results. In the physical domain, outdoor enthusiast brands might strategically position their products on shelves or at checkout counters in brick-and-mortar stores through retail media investments. Whether online or offline, these campaigns enable brands to target shoppers actively seeking products akin to their offerings, thereby enhancing sales and brand visibility. By showcasing products to consumers already poised to make purchasing decisions, retail media campaigns facilitate conversions by capitalizing on shoppers’ purchase intent.
Further, retail media advertising for adventure brands may encompass tapping into retailers’ first-party shopper data. This valuable resource enables brands to craft more precise and pertinent advertising initiatives across retailer-owned platforms as well as external channels like social media platforms, email campaigns, digital billboards or third-party websites.
The key advantages of retail media advertising for performance outdoor brands
Retail media ads offer a host of advantages for outdoor-focused brands, owing largely to their proximity to the point of sale and utilization of first-party retailer data. Here are some of the top benefits that active lifestyle brands can expect to harness by tapping into the retail media opportunity:
- Targeted audience reach: Retail media platforms enable advertisers to reach highly specific audiences based on shopping behaviors, demographics and interests, ensuring that adventure brands’ ads are seen by the outdoor enthusiasts most likely to convert into customers.
- Contextual relevance: By being integrated within the shopping experience, retail media ads resonate more with outdoor adventure consumers, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion by aligning with their interests and needs.
- Engagement with high-intent shoppers: Outdoor enthusiast brands can connect with consumers actively seeking outdoor gear or already in the buying mindset via retail media networks, resulting in higher conversion rates and a better return on investment for their advertising efforts.
- Data-driven optimization: Retail media platforms provide in-depth analytics and insights into campaign performance, empowering hunting, fishing, camping and hiking brands to refine their strategies and allocate budgets more effectively to maximize impact.
- Competitive edge: Leveraging retail media enables performance outdoor brands to outbid competitors for prime ad placements, capturing the attention of potential customers at crucial touchpoints and gaining a competitive advantage in the market.
- Seamless integration: Ad formats on retail media platforms seamlessly blend with the user experience, creating a non-disruptive environment that enhances brand perception and drives engagement among active lifestyle enthusiasts.
- Performance-based pricing: Many retail media platforms offer pricing models based on measurable results, such as pay-per-click or pay-per-action, ensuring that outdoor enthusiast brands only pay for tangible outcomes like clicks, conversions or impressions.
- Increased brand awareness: Consistent visibility across outdoor-focused retail media channels reinforces brand awareness and recognition among outdoor consumers, fostering greater brand loyalty and trust over time.
- Synergy across channels: Retail media campaigns can complement broader marketing strategies by integrating with other digital channels, such as social media or search advertising, to create a cohesive and impactful omnichannel approach.
- Collaboration opportunities with retailers: Collaborating on retail media campaigns fosters stronger partnerships between performance outdoor brands and retailers, providing access to exclusive audience data and co-branded opportunities that benefit both parties and drive mutual success in the adventure lifestyle market.
Top retail media opportunities for active lifestyle brands
In today’s retail media landscape, several dominant players stand out for outdoor lifestyle-focused brands, offering lucrative opportunities for them to connect with their target audiences. Here are some of the leading retail media networks that active lifestyle brands can leverage:
Amazon
Amazon’s retail media network, Amazon Ads, reigns as the nation’s largest, capturing approximately three-quarters of the market’s ad revenue share. With millions of daily shoppers browsing and purchasing products on Amazon’s platform, the potential for advertisers, including outdoor enthusiast brands, is vast. Amazon Ads offers a diverse range of ad formats, such as sponsored product ads, sponsored brand ads and display ads, allowing adventure brands to prominently showcase their products throughout the Amazon shopping journey.
One of the standout features of advertising on Amazon is its robust targeting capabilities, enabling advertisers to reach consumers based on their purchase history, search behavior and demographics. This helps ensure that ads placed here are delivered to highly relevant audiences, maximizing their impact. In addition, Amazon provides advanced analytics and reporting tools that furnish advertisers with valuable insights into campaign performance, facilitating real-time optimization and maximizing return on investment for hunting, fishing, camping and hiking brands seeking to capitalize on this retail media powerhouse.
Tractor Supply
Tractor Supply Co., renowned for its extensive network of rural lifestyle retail stores, has emerged as a formidable player in the realm of retail media. Leveraging its robust physical presence and digital platforms, Tractor Supply offers a highly attractive opportunity for active lifestyle brands to connect with their target audiences. Through its retail media network, brands can tap into the loyal customer base of Tractor Supply, comprising outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts such as hunters and anglers, as well as farmers, ranchers and homeowners with a penchant for outdoor activities and adventurous lifestyles. With a diverse range of advertising formats, including in-store signage, digital displays, email marketing and sponsored content on the company website and mobile app, Tractor Supply provides adventure brands with various touchpoints to showcase their products and engage with customers. In addition, Tractor Supply’s deep understanding of its customer base and their purchasing behaviors enables precise targeting, helping ensure that ads resonate with the right audience at the right time.
Bass Pros Shops
An iconic destination for outdoor enthusiasts, Bass Pro Shops boasts a robust retail media network that offers prime opportunities for active lifestyle brands to reach outdoor-loving consumers. With a vast footprint spanning across the United States, Bass Pro Shops attracts millions of visitors annually to its flagship stores, including the renowned Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World locations. Through its retail media network, performance outdoor brands have the chance to showcase their products to a highly engaged audience of hunters, anglers, campers and other outdoor adventurers.
Bass Pro Shops offers a diverse array of advertising channels, including in-store displays, digital signage, email newsletters, and targeted promotions on the retailer’s website and mobile app. Additionally, the company’s extensive events and sponsorships, such as the Bassmaster Classic and NASCAR partnerships, provide brands with unique opportunities for exposure and engagement. Leveraging Bass Pro Shops’ deep understanding of its customer base and their outdoor passions, brands can also tailor their advertising efforts to resonate with this dedicated community, helping drive brand awareness and foster customer loyalty.
Home Depot
A household name in home improvement and outdoor living, Home Depot offers a sizable retail media network that presents compelling opportunities for outdoor lifestyle-focused brands. With a vast network of stores across North America and a strong online presence, Home Depot attracts millions of homeowners, DIY enthusiasts and outdoor aficionados. Through its retail media network, active lifestyle brands have the chance to showcase their outdoor products to a diverse audience of customers looking to enhance their outdoor spaces.
Home Depot provides various advertising channels, including in-store displays, digital signage, email newsletters, and targeted promotions on its website and mobile app. Additionally, its expertise in home improvement and outdoor projects allows outdoor enthusiast brands to align their advertising efforts with seasonal trends, helping ensure maximum relevance and impact. Leveraging Home Depot’s extensive reach and customer engagement, outdoor brands can effectively connect with homeowners and outdoor enthusiasts, driving brand visibility and sales in the competitive outdoor market.
TBA Outdoors: Your expert retail media resource
Could your outdoor enthusiast brand use the help of a team of outdoors-obsessed marketing professionals to elevate your retail media efforts — and rev up your results? At TBA Outdoors, we’re here to help you create and implement a retail media strategy that will reach the right audiences just as they’re actively seeking offerings like yours … and subsequently increase conversions to grow your active lifestyle brand’s revenues.
Further, our fully integrated marketing firm boasts a team of seasoned specialists (and outdoors fanatics) who can cover all aspects of marketing for your hunting, fishing, camping or hiking brand. That includes social media, web design, consumer research, e-commerce, brand strategy, creative, SEO, analytics, public relations and much more — all in one place. And as certified brand strategists, we can also help you with the big-picture adjustments sometimes needed to put your outdoor brand on a course to long-term success.
To get started with professional guidance ranging from a simple website analysis to a comprehensive strategy tailored to boost your outdoor brand’s overall performance and identity, contact us today.
