• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, March 16, 2021

In a sign of retail optimism and innovation, retail video impressions increased 63% year-over-year in February, driven by a 212% jump in programmatic audience buying and a 159% increase in connected TV, according to data from the Innovid iQ dashboard. 

Retail brands’ doubling down on CTV and programmatic shows that “the modernizing of the industry isn’t just taking place at the store level,” comments Stephanie Geno, Innovid senior vice president of marketing. “Retailers are embracing digital capabilities to reach their shoppers and building unified experiences across all touchpoints and channels.”  

Overall video impressions rose 35% in comparison with last February. 

By device, CTV impressions grew 62% overall, followed by mobile (23%) and PC (3%). 

All verticals saw impressions increases. Beyond retail, the categories showing the largest YoY gains in the month were automotive (+57%), CPG (+55%) and telecom (+54%). 

Total video impressions in financial grew +23%, pharma grew +30%, and telecom grew 54%. 

CTV impressions saw substantial increases in automotive (95%) and CPG (104%), as well as in retail, in February. 

Among publishers, social led in impressions growth (+52%), followed by digital (+42%), programmatic (+26%) and broadcast (+24%). 

Other trends: 

Between December 2020 and February, automotive CTV and mobile impressions grew 88% and 52%, respectively, and financial CTV impressions rose 38%. 

Over six months (September 2020 to February), CPG CTV impressions grew 107%. 

Telecom has prioritized omnichannel strategies, with strong impressions growth in TV (+129%) and mobile (+91%) in the past six months.