How to boost the conversion rate in the Home & Garden industry by 76.17% using weather-based marketing?

About the client

The client is a global premium garden and patio equipment manufacturer, actively operating in 19 markets in Europe, the USA, Australia, and developed economies in Asia, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, and Central America.

Their product range includes various options like charcoal, gas, electric, and intelligent grills to fit any grilling style. Their top model is a premium choice, perfect for those who value quality and durability, while entry-level grills are more affordable. They also offer a wide selection of accessories, including carts, covers, tools, thermometers, cleaning products, and even grilling courses, giving customers everything they need for a complete grilling experience. Notably, their marketing and sales are highly seasonal, with peak activity from March to July.

Challenges

The initiative for the campaign came from our team, driven by a desire to test something more unconventional. The idea was simple: since the product is part of the home & garden industry, sales should naturally increase during warm, sunny weather. Inspired by weather-based marketing, we suggested showing ads only during ideal weather conditions to boost clicks and sales. The client embraced the idea and agreed to test it in two key markets: the UK, with its unpredictable, rainy weather, making it a great testing ground, and Germany, the brand’s most significant sales market. The campaign was run through DV360, using real-time weather data to activate the ads.

A significant challenge during the campaign was the reliance on specific weather conditions for activation, such as clear skies and a minimum temperature threshold. Initially set at 15°C in April, this limit had to be adjusted frequently as the weather warmed up; by July, it had increased to reflect seasonal changes. These ongoing adjustments required constant monitoring and quick responses. The short testing periods caused problems, with campaigns sometimes not starting as planned or running intermittently. This inconsistency made it difficult for the algorithm to optimize properly, leading to performance issues and necessitating additional adjustments to keep things on track.

Goals

Weather-based marketing leverages the concept that weather changes can impact what, when, and how people shop. Research shows that people are more likely to shop on sunny days because they’re in a better mood, and decision-making comes more easily. For instance, a study from INFORMS found that mobile ad response rates are 1.2 times higher and 73% faster on sunny days than on cloudy days, while rainy days slow response times by 59% (INFORMS).

Sunlight can also encourage higher spending—studies show people are willing to pay up to 37% more for tea or 56% more for a gym membership when exposed to sunlight (Business2Community). Using this knowledge, we designed a campaign for our client targeting the UK and German markets to align ads with optimal weather conditions, thereby boosting engagement by reaching customers when they’re more likely to shop.

We wanted to test this idea without expecting specific results, but we did hope to see some connection between those studies and how our campaign performed. After trying this solution, our primary goal was to see if those studies hold in real-life situations like ours.

The campaign also focused on building brand awareness without specific numerical goals, prioritizing visibility and long-term recognition over immediate metrics.

Solution

Utilizing advanced tools and strategies, we collaborated with our client to refine their Weather-Based Marketing campaigns. The OpenWeather API provides real-time weather updates every 2 to 4 hours, offering detailed data on temperature, cloud cover, and rain probability. This data was integrated with a custom script from our analysts and Google API, enabling a seamless connection to Display & Video 360. This setup allows campaigns to start or pause automatically based on current weather conditions. We only used weather-based marketing when the weather outside was nice. The creatives used for this campaign were identical to those used in the control group.

We also conducted A/B testing to measure the effectiveness of weather-based campaigns against a control group with standard ads. Key metrics like CTR and conversion rates helped evaluate the strategy’s success. In the UK, highly unpredictable weather made targeting challenging, requiring us to focus on centralized geographical locations. We adopted a more detailed approach in Germany, dividing campaigns across 16 regions (lands) for more accurate weather-based targeting.

Dynamic adjustments were essential, such as raising the minimum temperature threshold as the seasons warmed up to better meet customer expectations. These strategies demonstrate how leveraging weather data and analytics can refine ad targeting and improve results, even for premium products with longer purchase cycles.

In the UK, we split the country into four regions: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Campaigns were triggered by “Clear sky” or “Few clouds” conditions and a minimum temperature of 17°C, aimed at boosting interest in outdoor products like grills. The campaign ran from April 22 to May 17, 2024. Three top-performing audience groups from a standard campaign were used with consistent creative materials. However, poor weather during testing limited sunny days, affecting performance.

In Germany, the campaign was tailored to regions such as Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Berlin. Specific weather conditions, including “Clear sky,” a minimum temperature of 17°C, and “no rainfall,” were set as requirements. This approach allowed for a direct comparison between Weather-Based Marketing and the original campaign, which ran continuously regardless of weather. To streamline management, each region targeted one high-performing audience group, ensuring simplicity and control. The campaign ran from May 13 to May 31, 2024.