Peak season is officially underway. Running from November through to the January sales, it’s the busiest time of year for brands. And it’s a period that’s becoming more and more important according to Imogen Beri, head of social media at John Lewis: “Customers are spending more time and energy thinking about what they want to purchase in that time frame,” she says. “And so for us as a brand, we want to make sure that we’re there for them in a highly relevant way.”
To do that, John Lewis’s strategy is underpinned by a “dynamic test and learn approach”, which Beri says begins at the start of every year. This year, John Lewis ran a test using Meta’s Advantage+ shopping campaigns, an AI and machine learning tool designed to help brands “reach valuable audiences with less setup time and greater efficiency.” The retailer saw some “really compelling” results, says Beri: “We were able to reach 20% of a new audience and we achieved 70% higher return on ad spend when we used this type of campaign.”
When it comes to AI’s implementation within marketing strategies, Beri says it’s important to see it as an enabler, as opposed to a driver. “Our marketing strategy still needs to be driven by customer insight and driving towards our business objectives…and AI is an amazing tool to help us deliver that.”
Watch the video for more tips on how to go into the peak season with confidence – and insight into how John Lewis pulls off its highly anticipated Christmas ad.