The websert (online insert) program’s key differentiation from most banner ads is its post transaction positioning. Webserts do not distract buyers from their primary objective, but they do present targeted offers to qualified buyers with credit card in hand. Here are a few data points from the public domain that can shed some light on these programs:
- The price is right. The mode CPM is $36.00; that is the cost per 1,000 impressions—not clicks.
- Depending on the product category, you may find some wide ranges in seasonal impression volumes. For example, the projected monthly impressions for the Care-A-Lot Pet Supply Websert Program are pretty consistent, ranging from 18,000 (August) to 30,000 (November). However, the range for Brookstone’s Websert Program is 10,000 (February) to 90,000 (December). Some data cards note average monthly impressions only, so make sure you ask for the detail when assigning budget.
- The most commonly requested banner formats are GIF and JPEG. Some programs require specific dimensions (i.e. 145 x 100 pixels) and a maximum file size (i.e. 30K), while others provide multiple dimensions to choose from.
- The average list popularity index (LPI) for seven active websert programs was 93 on a scale of zero to 100. The popularity index is based on how often these programs are added to mailer recommendations.
Websert programs have potential because they enable the presentation of a relevant offer at the right place and time, but only time will tell the true measure of their effectiveness.
Tags: banner ads, care-a-lot, digital insert media, Insert Media, insert media trends, websert, webserts