• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, January 31, 2012

For marketers, few questions loom as large as the connection between their on- and offline efforts. That's why data exchange eXelate and Nielsen Catalina Solutions are ramping up efforts to help CPG brands connect the dots.

In late 2009, Nielsen combined its media data with Catalina's shopper insights to formNielsen Catalina Solutions. Then, in early 2010, Nielsen partnered with eXelate to further explore consumer behavior.   

This latest effort helps brands reach consumers with more relevant digital advertising based on actual in-store purchasing behavior. 

"Teaming with eXelate allows us to increase the online consumption of our most valuable assets, our data and advertising effectiveness analytics," said Mike Nazzaro, CEO of Nielsen Catalina Solutions. "eXelate gives us technology to centralize and easily package, price and promote our high-value data across multiple channels.”   

What is most important, according to Nazzaro, is that Nielsen Catalina's analytics can help CPG advertisers achieve their digital advertising ROI goals by helping them reach audiences based on actual purchase data.

For example, as Nazzaro explained, this data is both at the category and brand level so marketers can reach people who buy cereal based on specific brands, volume and other purchase-based definitions to deliver ads to the most valuable customers.

As such, Nielsen Catalina Solutions aims to accelerate the audience buying and selling process by using eXelate's platform infrastructure. Additionally, eXelate's platform will centralize privacy protocols, such as consumer profile preferences, opt-out and Do Not Track functions, and extend these preferences when integrated with Nielsen Catalina Solutions. 

Supporting their efforts, new research clearly shows that online engagement positively impacts consumers’ offline buying behavior.  

Indeed, visitors to CPG brand Web sites buy 37% more in retail stores than nonvisitors to the brand sites, according to a new study from Accenture, comScore and dunnhumbyUSA.

Published this week, the study also found that visitors to CPG brand Web sites are valuable and frequent buyers of the brand in retail stores -- completing 41% more transactions than non- visitors. As a result, brand Web sites are able to attract heavier-than-average brand buyers.

Web site visitors are also heavier buyers within a brand's product category -- spending 53% more category dollars than nonvisitors, according to the research. The length of time that visitors spend on a brand's Web site was found to be a key determinant of their likelihood to buy the brand in retail stores, according to the research, which was based an integrated panel of 1 million U.S. Internet users.