Seasonal Retail Advertising Case Study: Turning Digital Reach Into 3,593 Verified Store Visits

How a multi-channel summer advertising campaign drove measurable foot traffic across 12 retail locations in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

For a seasonal fireworks retailer, the selling window is short. Every day leading up to the Fourth of July matters, and advertising needs to do more than generate awareness — it needs to get people through the door.

Performance Digital developed a multi-channel campaign using streaming audio, targeted display advertising, digital out-of-home and email marketing to reach local shoppers at key moments throughout the buying season.

The result: 3,593 verified store visits attributed to the campaign at a cost of $7.31 per visit.

Campaign Results

Campaign Snapshot

Industry: Seasonal Retail

Markets: Eastern Nebraska & Western Iowa

Primary Goal: Increase retail foot traffic and local sales

Campaign Dates: June 17–July 4, 2025

Locations Tracked: 12

Tactics: Streaming Audio, Targeted Display, Digital Out-of-Home & Email Marketing

Measurement: Digital engagement and verified foot-traffic attribution

The Challenge

Driving Store Visits During a Short Seasonal Buying Window

Seasonal retail businesses have a unique marketing challenge: there is very little time to capture customer attention and turn it into a purchase.

For this campaign, the goal was to reach potential fireworks shoppers throughout the Omaha-Council Bluffs market and surrounding communities while buying interest was increasing ahead of the Fourth of July.

Awareness was important, but the campaign ultimately needed to answer a more meaningful question:

Did advertising actually help bring people to the retailer's locations?

The Strategy

Reaching Shoppers Across Multiple Moments of Their Day

Performance Digital developed a multi-channel strategy designed to keep the retailer visible as consumers moved closer to making their Fourth of July purchases.

Streaming Audio

Streaming audio helped reach consumers while they were listening to music, podcasts and other digital audio content.

The campaign generated more than 300,000 streaming audio impressions, with average completion rates exceeding 95%.

That meant the vast majority of delivered audio ads were heard through completion, giving the retailer strong exposure during a highly competitive shopping period.

Targeted Display Advertising

Display ads reached consumers across mobile and desktop devices throughout key geographic markets.

Targeting focused heavily on Omaha and Council Bluffs while also reaching audiences across additional surrounding communities.

Display advertising generated hundreds of thousands of impressions and helped drive users to the retailer's website while reinforcing awareness ahead of the holiday.

Email Marketing

Three targeted email campaigns were deployed throughout the promotional period.

Audience targeting incorporated geography, age and relevant consumer search behaviors, helping the retailer reach people showing potential interest in fireworks and local summer activities.

Timing was intentional, with messages delivered as purchase intent increased leading into July 4.

Digital Out-of-Home

Digital out-of-home placements added another layer of visibility in high-traffic areas throughout Omaha and Council Bluffs.

Unlike click-driven channels, DOOH helped reinforce the retailer's presence while potential customers were already out in the market and closer to making a purchase.

The Results

3,593 Verified Visits Across 12 Locations

The campaign generated 834,456 impressions and 4,715 clicks, providing broad exposure throughout the retailer's key markets.

But the strongest result came from foot-traffic attribution.

Across 12 tracked retail locations, 3,593 store visits were attributed to audiences exposed to the digital campaign.

With an average cost per verified store visit of $7.31, the campaign demonstrated that targeted digital advertising could do more than create online engagement — it could help move customers into physical retail locations.

Why the Campaign Worked

Multiple Channels Created Consistent Visibility

Rather than depending on a single advertising platform, the campaign reached consumers through email, websites and apps, streaming audio and physical digital signage. That helped keep the retailer visible across multiple points in the customer journey.

Timing Matched Consumer Demand

The campaign ran during the most important purchasing period of the year for the retailer, with advertising activity increasing as the Fourth of July approached.

Local Targeting Kept the Campaign Relevant

Advertising was concentrated around communities where customers could realistically visit one of the retailer's locations.

Measurement Went Beyond Clicks

For a brick-and-mortar retailer, website traffic isn't the final goal. Foot-traffic attribution allowed Performance Digital to measure whether audiences exposed to the campaign ultimately visited a physical location.

A Note About Foot-Traffic Attribution

Verified visits represent measurable campaign-attributed foot traffic based on audiences exposed to advertising and later identified at one of the tracked retail locations.

As with most advertising attribution, not every influenced customer can be directly connected to a specific exposure. Some consumers may see an ad and later visit through another device or without creating a trackable attribution event.

For that reason, reported store visits represent measurable attributed activity rather than every customer who may have been influenced by the campaign.

Digital Marketing for Seasonal & Multi-Location Retailers

Seasonal businesses don't have months to wait for advertising to gain momentum.

Performance Digital builds targeted campaigns designed to reach consumers during critical buying windows and connect digital advertising with measurable business outcomes.

From programmatic display and streaming audio to digital out-of-home, email and foot-traffic attribution, we help retailers understand not only who saw an ad — but what happened next.

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