Store Visitation Lift: What It Is and How to Measure It

What is Store Visitation Lift?

Store Visitation Lift (SVL) measures the impact of an advertising campaign on foot traffic to a physical location, such as a retail store, restaurant, or other point of interest. By leveraging mobile location signals, SVL connects ad exposure to in-store visits, giving businesses clear insights into how their marketing drives real-world outcomes.

In essence, SVL answers a critical question for marketers: Did your ad campaign inspire consumers to visit your location? This metric is particularly valuable for businesses relying on physical locations as a key revenue driver.

How to Measure Store Visitation Lift

Measuring Store Visitation Lift involves tracking the consumer journey from ad exposure to in-store visits using precise location-based data. Here's a step-by-step breakdown:

1. Ad Exposure Tracking:

   • Mobile location signals or geolocation technology (such as geofencing, beacon technology, or proprietary tools like Blueprint) identify when and where consumers were exposed to an ad.

   • The "exposed group" is built using mobile IDs or other identifiers to monitor the audience that viewed the ad.

2. Control Group Creation:

   • A control group is algorithmically created using lookalike modeling. This group shares similar characteristics with the exposed audience (e.g., demographics, behaviors) but was not exposed to the ad.

   • By comparing the two groups, marketers can determine the incremental impact of the ad campaign.

3. Foot Traffic Analysis:

   • Measure the number of visits to the physical location from both the exposed group and the control group. This step involves normalizing data to ensure accuracy (e.g., calculating visits per device rather than absolute numbers).

4. Calculating the Lift:

   • The formula for SVL compares the normalized visit rate of the exposed group to the control group: 

   • Store Visitation Lift (%)=Visit Rate of Exposed Group−Visit Rate of Control Group/Visit Rate of Control Group×100

   • A positive SVL percentage indicates that your campaign successfully increased foot traffic.