Specsavers boosts bookings with AI-powered, full-funnel omnichannel strategy

BUSINESS OBJECTIVE 

Testing the impact of a unified advertising strategy on performance 

Specsavers is one of the U.K.‘s leading eye and hearing care retailers, famed for its innovations in eyewear and, of course, its long-running “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” advertising strapline.

Faced with fierce competition, Specsavers’ goal was to increase appointment bookings as cost-effectively as possible. To achieve this, it needed greater visibility into the impact of its upper-funnel brand activity on lower-funnel performance metrics, like cost per booking and cost per action (CPA). This meant shifting away from siloed, multichannel planning and instead embracing an integrated, full-funnel omnichannel approach — one that could unify targeting, optimise delivery, and demonstrate performance gains across the customer journey. 

SOLUTION 

Adopting an audience-first, connected omnichannel approach 

Specsavers ran four full-funnel omnichannel campaigns using The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform, combining video, connected TV (CTV), and display inventory. Each campaign had distinct targeting strategies — such as geographic, contextual, and keyword targeting — combined with specific KPIs tailored to a stage in the marketing funnel. 

To identify and reach people most likely to book an eye test, the team used Specsavers’ first-party data to create a seed audience. This seed represented the brand’s most valuable customers — for example, those who had previously booked appointments — which was then used to enable the platform AI to identify both similar and relevant audiences most likely to convert. This, in turn, enhanced the performance of Koa Audiences, which automatically optimises targeting based on real-time performance signals. 

By connecting the campaigns across channels using the Identity Alliance, the team identified and engaged audiences across CTV, video, and display more effectively. With video player event retargeting, they could follow up video exposures with curated display ads. By using cross-channel frequency control, the team managed exposure and maximised budget efficiencies. To track and measure the influence of branding activity on appointment bookings, Specsavers also implemented our universal pixel on its website. 

RESULTS 

Unlocking cost-efficiency and faster conversions through omnichannel optimisation 

Specsavers’ results showed that connecting and managing brand and performance activity together in one platform significantly improves lower-funnel outcomes. 

The team achieved a 43% lower cost per booking versus common demand-side platform benchmarks and a 62% lower CPA than planned. By being more intentional over how their audience experienced the campaign, they were able to reduce time to convert from 11 to 6 days. 

Cross-channel frequency control unlocked £17,000 in savings, which Kokai automatically reinvested into media — extending the campaign’s reach without increasing spend. 

Ultimately, the test has helped unite Specsavers’ brand and performance teams by bringing greater clarity over the benefit of full-funnel activation and shared reporting on driving performance. Now, the brand team is eager to use seed-based audience strategies and smarter AI optimisation to improve the outcomes of future campaigns. 

Discover how an omnichannel campaign can help you improve cost-efficiency, reach, and conversions. Contact us or reach out to your account manager at The Trade Desk today.