UPDATED: Super Bowl advertisers 2024 e-commerce ROI

Super Bowl ads are the most expensive single advertising investment a brand can make with the average 30-second spot costing and estimated $7 million this year.

While viewers can expect to see ads from the typical players ranging from beer companies to auto manufacturers to snack brands, this year’s advertisers include multiple brands whose primary audience is women, including NYX Professional Makeup and Etsy which are making their Super Bowl debuts this year as well as returning advertiser Elf Beauty.

With our daily revenue tracking available for thousands of e-commerce sites and refreshed first thing every morning, Grips will be among the first to see if the super-sized investments that these brands are making have resulted in any measurable ROI.

Keep reading to learn about three Super Bowl advertisers this year that Grips will be keeping our eye on and check back often for updates. Be sure to sign up to be notified whenever Grips has updates to share on this and other e-commerce topics.

Etsy started 2024 off in need of a boost. Grips reports that global revenues on Etsy.com were down 1.8% year-over-year in Q4 and up just 0.7% in the US. On top of that, the company recently announced staff cuts equal to 11% of their workforce. Will a Super Bowl ad help them turn the corner? The company seems to hope so.

Their first Super Bowl ad for the 18 year-old company will promote Esty’s new Gift Mode tool, an AI-powered tool aimed to match shoppers with customized gift ideas based on their preferences.

This isn’t the first time football fans have been shown the new tool. In fact, it was previously highlighted in a spot during the AFC Championship game last Sunday January 28th. Grips data shows no change in revenues on thus far, including on the Sunday and Monday immediately after the AFC Championship spot. In fact, sales have been stable since the start of the year.

SUPER BOWL UPDATE: 

On Super Bowl Sunday, Etsy.com posted the lowest US revenues for a Sunday since New Years Eve. In fact, sales were 6.5% below average compared to a typical Sunday since the start of the year. And the news gets worse. On Monday, the day after the Super Bowl, Etsy had its worst Monday since New Years Day with revenues coming in at just $27 million, roughly 12% lower than the 2024 Monday average.

While other Super Bowl advertisers may see a lift in sales via offline and partner sales, Etsy.com will only see the benefit online. With absolutely no sign of a lift in sales since the start of the year, Etsy’s Super Bowl ad looks like a major bust at best and a drag at worst. 

etsy.com daily revenue November 13, 2023 – February 12, 2024

esty.com daily US revenue November 12, 2023 – February 11, 2024

Cosmetics company Elf Beauty made its Super Bowl debut last year when beauty tycoon and international superstar Rihanna performed during the half time show. And they’re back again with a 30-second national ad where the brand is expected to highlight its top selling product of last year, the Halo Glow Liquid Filter.

If Elf Beauty succeeds in driving additional e-commerce revenues from the Super Bowl ad, most of it will go to Elfcosmetics.com which accounted for 69% of the brand’s total US online sales in Q4 2023. Interestingly, Elf Beauty’s DTC share is on the decline as it expands partnerships which include Gap, Ulta, Target and more. In fact, in Q4 2023, Elfcosmetics.com accounted for 72% of their e-commerce sales.

Less than a week before the Super Bowl, Grips had not detected any major increase in revenues on Elfcosmetics.com. However there was a short-lived bump in revenues when the company released a 1:40 second star-packed “you’ve been summoned” teaser on Tuesday January 30th. On the day the teaser released, Grips saw an 18% increase in revenues versus the prior Tuesday and a 24% WoW increase on Wednesday January 31st. However, since then, sales remained been steady.

SUPER BOWL UPDATE:

Elfcosmetics.com not only failed to see a bounce in sales as a result of their ”Judge Beauty” Super Bowl ad, sales on Super Bowl Sunday were the lowest of any Sunday since the week before Thanksgiving. In fact, sales were a full 19% below average since the start of 2024. Furthermore, there was no Monday morning bounce as sales on the day after the Super Bowl were the lowest of any Monday since New Years Day coming in 7% below the 2024 Monday average. 

Can Elf turn things around in overtime? The clock is ticking, but Grips will continue to update this chart for the next few days in the off-chance that Elf sees a delayed reaction. If they don’t, however, it’s possible that Elf execs will decide to stay on the sidelines next year.

elfcosmetics.com daily revenue November 13, 2023 – February 12, 2024

L’Oreal-owned NYX Professional Makeup will commemorate its 25th anniversary with its first-ever Super Bowl commercial. In the 30-second spot, NYX will be featuring their viral Duck Plump Extreme Plumping Gloss.

NYX has all the energy of a Super Bowl team rushing onto the field after wrapping up a successful Q4 where DTC revenues in the US reached $4.47 million, a 74% increase over 2023. This is due in-part to the viral success of the previously mentioned Duck Plump gloss as well as their Fat Oil Slick Click, both of which were behind a spike in sales immediately after Christmas. (See chart below.)

If NYX has success with their first foray into Super Bowl ads, Grips will see it first. In the weeks and days leading up to the big game, however, DTC e-commerce sales were trending downward, including in the days immediately following the 15 second teaser featuring Cardi B that was released on Thursday February 8th.

SUPER BOWL UPDATE:

While Super Bowl Sunday showed only a slight boost in revenues (sales were 4.6% higher than the 2024 Sunday average), NYX lived up to its reputation for “plumping power” as sales positively soared the day *after* the Super Bowl. Grips reports that sales on NYXcosmetics.com reached $121,000 on Monday. By comparison, that’s the best single day that NYX registered online in over six month, including Black Friday which it beat by more than 11%. To put it into perspective, Monday’s revenues were more than 2.5 times higher than their average daily sales dating back to July 19, 2023 (when Grips began reporting daily sales).

Does the roughly $67,000 in additional revenue justify the investment in Super Bowl ad? Definitely not based on DTC sales alone…at least not yet. But stay tuned, there may be some surprises ahead.

nyxcosmetics.com daily revenue November 13, 2023 – February 12, 2024

Staying on top of your rival’s promotional successes (and flops) and estimating their ROI is key to staying competitive. Grips delivers daily revenue reports every single morning for thousands of e-commerce sites giving leadership the insights it needs to assess competitive threats and opportunities as well as their promotion’s impact on market share.

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