PayPal encourages Australians to ‘shop off the beaten path’ this Xmas in latest work via Isobar

PayPal Australia has launched its second annual Christmas campaign, Shop Off The Beaten Path, a fully integrated, mobile-first campaign via Isobar Australia, which follows the success of the inaugural 2016 campaign. The online portal, which will this year host hundreds of Australian retailers, will surface unique and bespoke ideas for gift-givers this festive season.

Shop Off The Beaten Path was inspired by the insight that Christmas shopping, with its high expectations, large crowds and demands on time, can lead to shopper fatigue and angst.  In response to this angst many Australians resort to buying the same, predictable presents each year because they run out of time, inspiration or energy.

Research by PayPal surveying 1000 Australians shows that 3 in 5 of us know what we want for Christmas, and we’re dropping more present hints than ever (60%), however 68% of us don’t get the gifts we are hinting at.

The Shop Off The Beaten Path portal

PayPal’s Shop Off The Beaten Path aims to address this, by helping Australian shoppers connect with Australian merchants offering a range of unique, bespoke and memorable gifts. The portal connects shoppers with hundreds of unique Australian retailers based on specific criteria – for him, for her, for the kids, or for all. With gift categories from bespoke to beautiful and active to trending, Shop Off The Beaten Path will help the time poor and less inspired Aussies find the perfect gift this Christmas. Retailers on the portal span design outlets such as Assembly Label, to experience sites like Adrenaline.com.au.

This year sees the Shop Off The Beaten Path portal optimised with smarter search functionality ensuring it is easier to shop by theme and type of gift. The portal has also been expanded, with a larger roster of businesses, including vendors that were popular last year and newbies that make the portal offering even richer. And with 72% of people shopping on their mobiles, according to the 2017 PayPal mCommerce Index, campaign has also been optimised primarily for mobile shopping.

Says Elaine Herlihy, marketing director at PayPal Australia: “This year, we have taken Shop Off The Beaten Path to the next level – making it bigger, better and, above all, injecting more emotion. We’re urging Aussies to ‘be a better giver’ – encouraging them to remember why they are giving a gift in the first place. We are also using data and real insights to show how they can do this via our unique portal that connects them to great Aussie businesses to find a gift that’s really worth giving AND receiving.”

The portal is also designed to help showcase and champion Australian merchants in an online environment- where 71% of Aussies will be Christmas shopping this year, according to recent research conducted by PayPal about Australian shopping habits this holiday season.

Says Herlihy: “Our research shows us that merchants are struggling with the pressure of the Christmas period, with two in three citing that they feel stressed in the lead up to the festive period. The highest area of stress is around maximising revenue (31%). We are committed to supporting businesses of all sizes this Christmas, and our dedicated portal gives businesses a chance to showcase their unique brand to Australian consumers and get their products under Australian Christmas trees this festive season.”

Live Selects with Matt Okine

This year, PayPal extended the campaign to include a more emotive call-to-action, encouraging us to “Be a Better Giver” this Christmas. As part of this, PayPal introduced a Facebook live stream called “Live Selects”, featuring Aussie comedian and actor Matt Okine. Live Selects was broadcast on Sunday 3rd December and featured Matt being challenged to complete his Christmas shopping in 60 minutes from local merchants at Bondi Markets, who will also feature on the Shop Off The Beaten Path portal.

The live stream, which garnered 123k views directly on Facebook, and a further 100k views through a strategic Daily Mail partnership, amplified through a successful pre-stream ‘Get Facebook Reminder’ call to action, with 13.5k organic views. Overall, this element of the campaign saw a View-Through-Rate of 46%.

Data-driven approach

Using smart technology, coupled with creative media placements, the socially-led and solely-digital campaign is underpinned by a data-driven media strategy. PayPal-owned customer data combined with the company’s advanced understanding of mobile purchasing habits have been used to ensure Shop Off The Beaten Path resonates with Australian shoppers and is tailored to consumer habits.

Says Tom McMullan, associate creative director, Isobar Australia: “It’s rare you get the chance to improve on an already successful campaign, so we’re stoked to be helping Australians Shop Off The Beaten Path again. Plus, with the updates we’ve made based on last year’s learnings, we think PayPal Australia is on track to have its best Christmas ever for the second year running.”

Examples of some of the retailers that shoppers can find on Shop Off The Beaten Path this gift-giving season include:

• Scandi design store, Luumo, which features Swedish-inspired furniture, fashion and jewellery
• Personalised jewellery from custom jewellery site Silver Stamp
• Practical yet beautiful activewear from StyleRunner
• Bespoke, quirky gifts from Hard To Find
• Male grooming and fragrance from Mr. Fresh
• Moose in the Moon’s curated collections of non-toxic and super-cool products for babies, kids and parents
• T-Leaf Collections, which focuses on capturing our photographic memories in physical formats for the home

Client: PayPal Australia

Media: Vizeum Australia