Grills are firing up. Lists are filling up. And somewhere between “what should we get for the cookout” and checkout, there’s a window where CPG brands either show up or get skipped.
What Makes Summer Shopping Moments Different?
Summer shopping moments (Father’s Day, 4th of July, grilling season) are high-intent, time-boxed windows where shoppers actively plan purchases before they buy. Brands that reach shoppers during this pre-shop planning phase, rather than at checkout, see higher conversion and stronger brand switching.
Three CPG brands proved this across June through September, using AdAdapted’s Add-It platform to intercept shoppers while they built lists and browsed options across grocery and retail apps.
Case Study 1: How a BBQ Sauce Brand Reached 96% New-to-Brand Shoppers
Objective: Drive BBQ sauce flavor variety sales across a national retailer during peak grilling season (June–August).
Approach: A Flavor Selector ad let Walmart shoppers browse and add different BBQ sauce varieties directly to their cart, no extra steps required.
Results:
- 96% of engaged shoppers were new to the brand
- 20K+ products added to lists (.27% Add-It rate)
- .50% CTR on Add-to-Cart
Key takeaway: Removing friction between flavor discovery and cart addition drives new-customer acquisition, not just repeat purchases.
Case Study 2: How a Rum Brand Converted 30% of Shoppers From Generic to Branded, While Staying Tied-House Compliant
Objective: Share Father’s Day cocktail inspiration for a premium rum brand within tied-house legal restrictions.
Approach: A compliant retail-selector ad ran on Walmart, Instacart, and Total Wine, allowing shoppers to choose their preferred retailer and add the product directly to their list.
Results:
- 30% of shoppers switched from generic “rum” list items to the branded product
- 8K+ products added (.26% Add-It rate)
- .51% CTR on Add-to-Cart
Key takeaway: Regulatory constraints don’t have to limit conversion. The right format still drives brand switching at scale.
Case Study 3: How a Paper Products Brand Converted 70% of Competitor Shoppers
Objective: Promote a BOGO paper products offer at Publix locations ahead of Independence Day.
Approach: Geotargeted Add-to-List and awareness ads reached Publix shoppers during the holiday planning window.
Results:
- 70% of shoppers had a generic or competitor brand on their list before seeing the ad
- .67% CTR, exceeding industry benchmarks
- 18K+ products added (one click added 3 items via bundle format)
Key takeaway: Geotargeted, time-sensitive offers convert competitor consideration into branded action when friction is removed.
The Common Thread Across All Three Campaigns
Each brand won by doing three things:
- Reaching shoppers during pre-shop planning, not after they’d already decided
- Removing friction between intent and action (one-click add-to-list or add-to-cart)
- Targeting the moment, whether that’s a holiday, a season, or a specific retailer’s shoppers
Ready to build your seasonal tentpole strategy? Book a Meeting with AdAdapted.
