Rock, Paper, Scissors: Research Says Print Beats Mobile

rockpaperdigitalAs retailers face the digital ad meltdown, new research shows that print’s better at driving purchases than mobile ads or shopping apps.

This news might not have Target turning Cartwheels, but recent research shows that retail print ads reach more consumers than mobile ads, email or shopping apps.

“The first study, from Fluent, examines the reach of various marketing channels in the context of consumers’ favorite retailers,” writes the staff at MarketingCharts.

The study suggests “that retailers’ print ads (39%) have a broader reach with consumers than retailers’ mobile notifications (31%), email newsletters (31%) and mobile shopping apps (30%).”

Marketing Chart’s own survey found similar results that support these findings, saying that the “continued reach of print advertising is supported by primary research.” The article notes  that “roughly 1 in 5 consumers had noticed a specific advertiser in the prior week when reading a print magazine (22%) or print newspaper (19.9%).”

“Those figures were on par with the share of respondents who had recalled seeing an advertiser when using a social network (20.5%), despite social media’s far broader weekly reach,” the article continues.

As more ad industry insiders say pffft to digital ads and more consumers install ad blockers, this kind of research is massively important as advertisers try to figure out “what now.”

The research is clear that a multi-channel approach with a strong print component drives retail recognition and purchase in the digital age.