ECOMMERCE ANALYSIS

Brands and media owners: the blurring of the lines

In the first-party data era, brands are becoming audience owners in their own right. Nowhere is this clearer than in retail, where retail organisations are monetisng their valuable shopper audiences with advertisers via retail media networks. But brands are discovering that customer data is both a reward and a responsibility...

Why Amazon Ads is outgrowing its own shopping sales

As Google and Meta lose their grip of online ad dominance, Amazon is emerging as the biggest beneficiary – even as its own e-commerce business reports no growth.

Reply hazy, try again: driving efficiency in marketing to win when uncertainty looms

In unstable times marketers can take action to combat tightening budgets and intense competition to create more impactful campaigns.

Amazoogle: the pairing you didn’t know you needed

Amazon and Google are rivals in many respects, but marketers can strategically combine their benefits to support a customer-focused marketing plan

Pitching SEO investment to the C-suite when times are tough

Search has evolved to become an important tool for overall business growth, adding value by enabling brands to spot future trends early and anticipate consumer behaviour.

China’s answer to ChatGPT? Alibaba refuses to be left behind in the global AI development race

Tech giant produces a generative AI chatbot of its own - will China have the edge on more regulated Western markets? We spoke to AI experts for the implications…

More measurement, fewer cowboys: CTV must learn from past ad tech eras

Consumer privacy, transparency and accurate measurement must be at the heart of any personalised, programmatic CTV activity as the technology advances further.

Why product information is the key to better customer experience

Amid the ongoing economic uncertainty, marketers need to make optimal use of marketing tech and timely personalisation to help their business thrive.

Are you a performance marketer… or a ‘Chief Dot Connector’?

Last week, an 800-strong audience at PM Unlocked welcomed a new type of event for London – with a rallying cry that performance marketing is breaking out from the bottom of the funnel.

Female leaders on how diversity closes the skills gap

Only one in four C-Suite leaders are women. How can the growing tech and performance marketing industries pave the way for change?

Trusting consumers over influencers: what trends will shape brand marketing in 2023?

With the economy's tight grip on marketing budgets, what can marketers do to reach new and loyal customers?

Super Bowl LVII review: Disney dominates, co-branding needs tinkering and M&M’s recovers a near disastrous fumble

One for the animal lovers and the nostalgia-seekers, Super Bowl LVII saw a seemingly endless stream of adverts and PMW has put together a recap of everything you need to know.

The AI balancing act: 3 tips for a successful D2C strategy

Getting the right mix of automation versus the human experience can help you prevent fulfilment problems damaging customer experience and loyalty. But when do you need the human touch, and when is it best to deploy AI?

Automation: the saviour to busy shopping periods

At the start of what will be a challenging year, retailers would be wise to develop an automation-first strategy to enable peak performance not only now, but all year round.

“Everything has become performance”: Skai’s Michelle Urwin on the retail media revolution

As branding and performance roles become ever more entwined, a new approach to marketing is starting to emerge. Enter the ‘Head of Connected Performance’...

Building a travel marketing strategy for a turbulent 2023

Despite rising living costs and a looming recession, UK consumers are still showing an appetite for travel. But travel brands must now appeal to a new type of consumer: one who’s more conscious about their holiday spend.

Marketing for an economically uncertain Christmas

Customers still want Christmas, so how can marketers “keep festive and carry on” and capitalise as we come close to closing out the season?

Four marketing trends for the holiday season

A look at what retail brands can expect from their shoppers over the festive season, and how they can get ahead of their competitors with smart shopping offers.

Money can’t buy you love – but can it buy you loyalty?

Waitrose reintroducing its free coffee offer as part of its loyalty scheme shows a smart move to help incentivise non-card holders to sign up. What are the vital ingredients for a subscription service to be successful – and how can brands use them to up aa valuable consumer currency: their retention?

Netflix versus… Peloton? Why ad-funded tiers disrupt the whole subscription industry

From gym memberships to recipe boxes, they may not realise it, but subscription services are competing with each other for survival as consumer spending gets tighter. But a strong customer engagement might just help them navigate a brutal winter of cuts ahead ...

What really happened on Black Friday? The insights (and numbers)

The lead-up to the cyber weekend was more cautious than in previous years, but according to our experts – and the results they’ve seen – sales in big ticket electronics made up for more muted interest in other sectors, while the USA soared ahead of the UK and Europe.

7 ways e-commerce businesses use alternative data

Staying competitive in the ecommerce landscape requires agility and flexibility to pivot business strategies and adjust to changing consumer preferences and economic conditions.

Six things performance marketers need to know about Japan

A bigger economy than Germany, but a shrinking population makes Japan a unique market - but one full of opportunities. Read the PMW bluffer’s guide to the country from our marketing experts working in the region.

How brands can strike the right tone during this festive season

New data from Kantar reveals that only 18% of consumers strongly agree they’re looking forward to Christmas ads, down 5% from last year. How can brands engage with their audience amid the current economic turmoil?

“Agencies aren’t asking the right questions”: living in an expectation economy

The mobile phone has an expiry date and customers are expecting more than ever. How can marketers keep up with consumer demands and the tech to solve it?

How brands should tailor their marketing approach this Christmas

To truly engage consumers, it doesn't just come down to price points - it's vital that each individual consumer is served the ad iteration that will be the most relevant and meaningful to them, especially in the current climate.

Some brands are spending less on performance… isn’t that the whole point?

From eBay to Airbnb, a clutch of household names are heralding a branding renaissance as they cut back on performance channels. Should other brands follow suit?

“Q3 was always going to be tricky for advertising giants”: Meta, Google and Amazon results with expert predictions

What next for performance marketers amidst the daily-changing landscape – it seems – in the world of adtech? The scale and reach of Meta et al are never in question, but will marketers see better returns in their adspend?

Why it’s time to enhance dynamic ads on social networks with product data

Social commerce is on the up and marketers are allocating budget to respond. It’s likely dynamic ads will be the ones leveraged, but these can often lack visibility and control – so how do marketers ensure that their investment reaches its true potential?

Beautiful, functional or hands-on? CMO James Gordon on why Karcher is powering up performance marketing

As house-trapped nesters turn into cash-strapped consumers, Karcher is combining modern first-party targeting with smart brand storytelling to clean up any wasted ad spend.

The devil’s in the data: 5 best Halloween marketing campaigns of all time

Roll over big data, it's time to do the monster maths. PMW creaks open the vaults to resurrect some of the best data-driven marketing campaigns from spooky seasons past…

“Brands can’t afford the risk of a spray and pray approach to campaigns”: 25 marketers on the outlook for adspend

After the news that adspend forecasts are downgraded for this year and next, marketers reflect on the need to embrace emerging technologies and measure and account for every penny of spend, while making sure they don’t blink in the face of uncertainty.

The end of the line for returns?

Is the cost of living crisis the final straw for free returns? Here’s how retailers can balance customer satisfaction with their bottom line...

Six things performance marketers need to know about China

China will generate over one quarter of all global consumption growth during the next decade. But access to this lucrative audience doesn’t come cheap. Read PMW’s bluffer’s guide to the region from our experts inside the country.

Prime Day 2.0: “the pressure to make a splash will be great”

Eight marketers highlight how the industry can get their best foot forward ahead of next week’s new prime-time Christmas shopping event.

Eat, drink and give subscriptions: why retailers are shifting their payment models

The majority of us love the festive holidays – so why don’t we subscribe to it?

Sustainability, cookies and recession: a time of challenge and change reflected at DMEXCO

There were noticeable differences at the two day expo conference this year. With some big names missing and less exhibitors, what were people really talking about?

The cookiepocalypse is nigh (again)!

The era of third-party online data is coming to an end… So what’s next for digital advertising – and how can you future-proof your business?

Ditch the pitch: 7 tips for marketing to Generation Z

They want businesses to help solve their problems, not try to sell them stuff. So how can marketers ensure this huge segment of the population is included in their sales strategies?

Winter is coming… Now is the time to rekindle loyalties so supply chain battles won't take you by surprise

Retailers are entering a time of uncertainty, but solid consumer relationships make excellent allies. What can brands do to ensure their customers can access what they need?

The metaverse: 6 reasons for marketers to jump in now

The metaverse may seem small. It may be overhyped. It may seem alien or dangerous. But it — or some version of it— is likely to be a fundamental part of the future landscape. Here’s how brands are getting involved from the ground-up.

Finding insights in the ‘Feedback Fire Hose’

Relying on manual analysis and human tagging, can’t keep pace with the current customer feedback surge. Here’s how machine learning can help identify human subtle nuances such as sarcasm at scale…

The prescription for subscription growth

With subscription models talk of the town, brands need to be thinking about creating a positive user experience, where short term priorities focus on reducing involuntary churn.

Standing out from the crowd: what makes a winning performance marketing awards entry?

With just two weeks until the entry deadline for the PMW Awards UK 2022, judges from Samsung, Tails.com, RNLI and Reddit reveal what they’ll be looking for in a winning entry, and how the industry’s needs are evolving.

Why supply chain issues are fostering a retail marketing evolution

Many brands are becoming more of a subscription service than anything else as their relationship to retailers fragments. To make sales at scale now requires a more retail-agnostic approach…

Where is performance marketing falling through the skills – and experience – gap?

The skills shortage in the industry – exacerbated by the level of digital and data expertise the world needs now – has been long recognised. But which disciplines are proving the most difficult to source talent for?

Authenticity and UGC – it’s a crowd mentality

Building and protecting consumer trust is essential in today’s marketplace. It’s time for brands to embrace the crowd in the age of authenticity… and user reviews offer a fast-track way to achieve this.

The rise of Retail Media in the performance marketing playbook

With the cost per conversion within walled gardens increasing 27% in just one year, agencies and marketers are progressively seeing retail media as an alternative, transparent and safe way to reach audiences.

Data privacy: staying legal ahead of Google Analytics 4

Unless or until Google Analytics ensures compliance with regulations such as GDPR, here are some key considerations you need to factor in yourself.

5 things you need to hear right now about conversational commerce

With the market set to grow rapidly as more businesses register the benefits, here’s how to get ahead of the game to help your business grow.

Retail media meets CTV: we’ve come a long way from infomercials!

Long gone are the days when you phoned in your order after seeing something you fancy – with retailers joining forces with streamers, what does that mean for brands?

Performance marketing people: eBay Ads gets new GM and Innocent’s social media manager moves on

Promotions at Interbrand and independent podcast agency Acast and a new office for Tug leads to new hires feature in our latest round of performance marketing movers.

Why understanding customers’ delivery personas is key to e-commerce excellence

Consumer online shopping behaviour has changed for good – and retailers need to take note.

Start-up blues: 3 mistakes to avoid with your marketing budget

Find out how to ensure there’s enough left in the pot to actually get your new venture off the ground

'Not the silver bullet': industry leaders on the implications of cuts to marketing spend

Performance marketing experts react to implications of marketing budget cuts in light of Government asks to cut prices to help consumers – and give advice to brands on how spend can be refocused.

Affiliate marketing and its retail revolution – with Rakuten Advertising's Rakhee Jogia

In conversation with Rakuten Advertising’s International MD, Rakhee Jogia, we talk about the revolutionary shifts in marketing, from ‘The Great Resignation’ and sustainability to what Amazon got right.

Measuring ROI: how real-time analytics solves marketing’s greatest problem

When a campaign's success hangs on ROI measurement, marketers cannot afford a data delay. Enter real-time analytics.

Marketers are trying to run before they can walk… and stumbling

The need for speed is tempting some to skip critical infrastructure, introducing inefficiencies and errors that actually only scupper the ability to move effectively, and quickly.

Improve your e-commerce: are you ready to take it in-house?

Moving your operation closer to home needn’t be a headache if you do it with clarity – here are the three stages your journey should take.

How loyalty schemes can help during the cost of living crisis

Consumers want to feel good when they make purchases, but rarely more so than in the challenging times ahead.

The hybrid customer experience: 3 key challenges for companies

With uncertainty around prices, supply chain and shopping habits, investing in a hybrid customer experience model that reaches different consumers in unique ways has never been more important. However, challenges to implementing this strategy are persistent across industries and businesses.

Why performance marketing without a performance mindset isn’t enough in 2022

Different departments taking different actions, each driving towards its own goal, can bring success; but isn’t it better if everyone thinks the same way and heads there together?

Winning the last mile of performance marketing: can you improve your delivery and customer experience?

Along with an increase in sales comes a surge in savvy, as customers start to expect and demand more from their e-commerce.

Lost in translation: is poor localisation costing you customers?

A quarter of consumers are less likely to purchase from brands with poor localisation practices, says a new report.

Coping with the uncertain future of ad automation

A potted history of Google Ads features, plus 5 tips to help you survive and thrive.

Automated vehicle ads are set to put UK dealerships and buyers in the driver's seat

Shopping for a car? Soon you might not even have to leave Google’s search bar to find what you’re looking for.

Shopping scared: fear has a marked impact on how we buy

With one global threat seemingly following hard on the heels of another these days, what does that mean about the way we make purchases?

Why the media industry must take stock of Amazon’s store closures

Its flagship bricks and mortar shops may be slated to bite the dust, but the 260 new till-free grocery outlets set to launch across the UK could change not just how we shop but how we advertise.

Shoppers aren’t convinced by retargeting – here’s how to change their minds

For consumers to be happy to hand over their data they need to be convinced they are getting a fair exchange… and quality over quantity is the key

Use what you know: don’t overlook regionality when planning for context

As the reality of a cookie-less future draws closer, the race is on for brands to learn (and use) as much information as they can about their existing customers.

Beyond the platform: 3 great ways to boost your Amazon sales

It’s not enough just to be in the marketplace… to attract more customers and make them more likely to buy, you need to go further.

How retail media can help advertisers bridge the data gap

With online shopping still booming, can collaboration between advertisers and retailers overcome the new restrictions on data gathering?

Less is more: how does Artfinder maintain its success after 110 percent growth during lockdown?

The online art marketplace saw colourful success during the pandemic as everyone moved their transacting online. As the boom subsided, E-commerce Director Joshna Rughani tells us how they adapted once the high street reopened.

The future of experience: blurring the boundaries between human and tech

With the digital genie stoutly refusing to go back into the bottle, some brands have thrived by humanising their customers’ online experience.

Shared values: the glue that keeps consumers coming back

Why continuing to build emotional loyalty is the key to a good long-term relationship (with your customers)

QR codes and cryptocurrency: is this the future of customer loyalty?

With the use of digital currencies on the rise, they provide a cost-effective, flexible and controllable way to retain customers, via loyalty programmes and add-ons.

The keys to success in today's world: Joanna Lyall, Brainlabs

PMW meets with Jo Lyall, UK CEO at Brainlabs to talk about why connection, experimentation and adaptability are integral skills for performance marketers today.

Supply chain trends: 5 key predictions for the year ahead

The past two years have been turbulent for online retailers: from surging demand to supply chain disruption and now soaring prices, fulfilment models remain under unprecedented pressure. So what’s in store for 2022?

Trouble ahead: cookie phase-out set to catch UK brands on the hop

Less than a third of companies have plans in place, as data management tops list of concerns for marketers.

Turning ‘bye’ into ‘buy’: a marketer’s toolkit for delivering ROI

How to deploy your data in a way that benefits both you and your customers.

Online retail’s worst ever year for growth was actually rather good

Making sense of a very unusual period, via the IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index for 2021.

Retail and data: their three key trends for 2022

This year will bring continued volatility and uncertainty, meaning global businesses need a robust data strategy to adapt and thrive.

5 ways to maximise ROI from your marketing automation platform

Successful campaigns rely on highly targeted marketing, delivering the right message, to the right person or business, at the right time. Here’s how to hone yours and stay ahead.

Supply chain woes: brands have an important role to play

Rather than simply viewing stock issues as a problem beyond their control, brands need to understand what actions they can (and should) take.

The future of retail in an increasingly competitive market

As conditions become still more challenging, retailers can improve the shopping experience by merging physical and digital.

The omnichannel approach: the key to campaign success

The new landscape and circumstances entailed by the pandemic have dramatically reshaped marketing, meaning brands may need to take a broader approach than ever.

Beauty is in the eye of the in-person sales

Despite the growth of influencers and AR, in-store is beating social for beauty and personal care. Here’s what performance marketers need to know about shifting consumer habits in a post-lockdown world.

Retail in 2022: 3 key predictions for the year ahead

2021 was marked by economic recovery, tech adoption and rapidly changing consumer demands; but what new trends, challenges and opportunities will this year bring for businesses?

The price of success: it’s time to stop normalising ad fraud

It cost us $35billion last year – isn’t it time we purged bad actors from the dark corners of the internet?

AR you paying attention? Good, then you’re ready to engage with marketing messages

Augmented Reality offers significantly more immersion and engagement than traditional advertising, finds Snapchat-commissioned neuroscience study.

Seven out of 10 marketers more likely to use influencers in campaigns since pandemic

TikTok beat Google as the most popular web domain in 2021 as influencer marketing proved its worth to brands. What can performance marketers learn from next-gen content creation?

The three e-commerce drivers for 2022: platforms, data and creative

A look ahead to how change seems likely to continue apace, as the focus narrows to the endpoint sale.

The Ghost of Christmas future: 15 performance marketers' predictions for 2022

2022 will be a year of crumbling cookies, metaverse melees and Omicron uncertainty. The PMW team has assembled 15 leaders in the UK performance marketing industry to get their predictions and tips for the coming 12 months.

Boris’s Plan B means online retailers need to have a Plan A

Now that Plan B is in motion, retailers need to make sure they are optimising their ad spend to get their products in front of those that are most likely to buy them.

Boxing Day blues: unlocking customer satisfaction (and retention) this holiday season

From faulty gifts to hasty returns, the holiday period is the most important time of year for customer support. Here’s why smart search can be Santa’s best friend post-Christmas.

Strictly come shopping: finale fever boosts online spending

From the glitz and glam of celebrity outfits to dance gear of their own – new insights reveal an opportunity for brands to engage with a nation inspired by Strictly Come Dancing this December.

Online sales: has the peak peaked?

Even if you’re feeling fatigued after Black Friday, here’s how you can make sure your ad strategy remains healthy.

How the death of ‘easy e-commerce’ can empower marketers

The cookie jar is empty, the time of lazy e-commerce is over. Now it’s up to marketers to develop a new strategy to build customer relationships with first-party data.

Breaking into APAC: how performance marketing can unlock local regions... fast

Brand giants from the West are changing their approach to the APAC market: to grow in the region they must focus on local nuance in the data.

Hold the phone: making the most of m-commerce

With mobile now a vital part of any omnichannel experience, is it time to invest in digital tools that can make asset management seamless?

A new world record: global ad spend bounces back, with digital leading the charge

Aided by the e-commerce boom, advertising outstripped a strong economic recovery in 2021 and show no signs of slowing in the year ahead.

Avoiding a nightmare before Christmas: how search data is guiding retail marketing strategies

With search trackers highlighting yet another unusual Christmas sales pattern, how can you make sure you’re ready for Santa?

Dissecting the data reveals big tech’s wasteful secret

AI advertising systems are masking some startling inefficiencies, says AccuraCast’s Farhad Divecha. It’s time to weed them out with a closer look at the data.

Why performance marketing needs to focus on people, not data

As one door starts to close in the world of third-party data, another is opening – a clearer view of what actually makes consumers tick.

What can B2B marketers learn from B2C performance marketing?

Despite key differences including generally shorter sales cycles times and higher volumes, B2C businesses are more used to converting sales in the digital space, and many of their skills are transferable.

Don’t miss out: tips and tricks for optimising Black Friday campaigns

While shop windows and the Argos catalogue used to rule the roost, now Google and Amazon are the kings of retail. People search for products on both platforms, and retailers that appear high up on the search rankings are more likely to drive awareness and sales.

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