Consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers often struggle to measure the return on investment (ROI) of promotions, especially for in-store purchases, which still account for about 80% of sales despite growing e-commerce. To address this, Ibotta launched LiveLift, a campaign measurement and optimization tool designed to drive incremental sales and enhance performance marketing.
LiveLift analyzes billions of transactions from over 80 major retailers using Ibotta’s platform, including Walmart, Instacart, and DoorDash. It compares statistically matched groups of consumers exposed to campaigns against those who are not, establishing baseline sales and measuring promotional lift.
The tool has been piloted by Kimberly-Clark, Hain Celestial, and notably Liquid Death, the beverage brand that experienced a 19% sales increase and a 23% rise in daily units sold during testing. Benoit Vatere, Liquid Death’s Chief Media Officer, called LiveLift a “no-brainer” for its ability to optimize promotional spending towards incremental sales.
LiveLift’s Broader Impact
Ibotta plans to expand LiveLift with enhanced measurement frequency and optimization features. The platform aims to provide precise insights comparable to digital marketing, enabling CPG brands to efficiently scale national promotions.
“Marketers have expected precise measurement in digital marketing but lacked similar capabilities for digital promotions,” said Bryan Leach, Ibotta’s CEO. “LiveLift helps brands reinvent promotion strategies to drive incremental volume with greater control and efficiency.”
For Liquid Death, traditionally focused on top-of-funnel marketing without major media spends, LiveLift offers a way to guide consumers through the funnel via temporary price-reduction promos, boosting incremental revenue.
Vatere noted challenges with uncontrolled promotions reaching customers who would have purchased regardless, increasing costs unnecessarily. LiveLift helps target truly incremental buyers.
This rollout follows Ibotta’s recent partnership with Circana, leveraging Circana’s Household Lift measurement and AI analytics. Circana studies show Ibotta campaigns deliver strong incremental sales exceeding category benchmarks.
Liquid Death values LiveLift as a vital part of its lower-funnel strategy, particularly given its smaller budget compared to larger beverage competitors.
“The biggest issue with smaller brands is assuming a smaller budget means only focusing on the lower funnel. The mix needs to remain consistent; dollar amounts will vary,” Vatere said.