• by Laurie Sullivan , October 3, 2017

comScore and PlaceIQ have developed technology that measures the increase in physical retail store visits by consumers after seeing an advertisement on television, a mobile device or a desktop computer.

Measuring foot traffic into physical retail stores based on ads viewed by consumers on tv as well as mobile and desktop devices is one of the more difficult attribution tasks. 

Powered by comScore, PlaceIQ PVR aims to support marketers running campaigns for large retailers, automotive, consumer product goods companies and restaurants who want to accurately measure physical visits for cross-channel campaigns. It also can measure the lift in viewability for digital ads.

It's all about bridging the gap between brick-and-mortar retailers and digital advertising with the use of third-party data and location data. The general concept for linking the offline with the online and television isn't new.

For more than a year, companies like Google and Pinterest have offered ways to measure offline sales with online advertisements viewed. These companies match multiple identifiers to one consumer or user, allowing marketers to know when a targeted consumer walks through the door of a retail store.  

The big difference is that PlaceIQ PVR will use location data, and collectively with comScore will connect the links in the campaign.

Marketers will have the ability to view the data that identifies where the increases occur, providing better measurement numbers to compare attribution across platforms and to optimize the amount spent on campaigns.

Steve Ahlberg, senior vice president, advertising products, comScore, believes that today's launch gives marketers access to the third-party data needed to make those connections.