The e-commerce advertising space continues to grow as companies look to leverage it for brand-building purposes, especially post the growth driven by the pandemic. According to industry experts, creativity will play a big role in strengthening the brand in the space. About a third of transactions of sponsored products happen within three minutes of a click, Patrick Miller, co-president and co-founder, Flywheel Digital, said at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 2022. “What we see now is that platforms want to drive discoverability and increase dwell time. Some of the reasons for the increase in dwell time are that they can better monetise it via advertising on the sites and also build bigger baskets as well as allow customers to find new items. Creativity, as expressed by integration within social things such as brand stores, will allow customers to interact with the brands, discover new products and ultimately drive revenue for both brands and the retailers,” he added further.
For Kara Rousseau, vice president and head of marketing, Walmart Connect, creativity involves leveraging every single customer touchpoint in order to enhance a customer’s journey. As per her, digital touchpoints still matter more than ever despite the fact that 80% of purchases still happen in stores. This is because digital is essential both from a conversion and discovery perspective. “As part of our research, we found out that people were more willing to buy and try different things as certain products were not available because of shortages during the pandemic. We had 90% of the Walmart customers who were more open-minded to trying new brands. And then 50% of those were more likely to purchase them. That’s an opportunity and search becomes part of that,” she stated.
Furthermore, Kaleeta McDade, global executive creative director, Ogilvy Experience, highlighted that creativity is not the asset that we make, 90% of it is the thought. For instance, what problem are we solving for and for whom? Why does someone choose that brand? Why did someone shop? “We can optimise so many things around channels and technology but if we really understand the why and the human condition, that is what makes the difference. People want to associate with brands who have purpose as an agenda and are able to display that,” she explained.
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