Commerce media: Win-win for publishers and advertisers

As Commerce Media and conversations around the increase in traffic venture beyond walled gardens, advertisers and publishers are taking a keen interest in this space.

Gopa Menon, Digital Head – Mindshare, South Asia, says that by combining commerce data with AI-based technology, advertisers can create more personalized and targeted ads that are more likely to resonate with consumers. And, publishers are also playing an increasingly important role in commerce media by creating a point of discovery for consumers.

“By integrating commerce and content, publishers can offer consumers a seamless shopping experience that allows them to discover products and complete transactions without leaving the publisher's site,” he explains.

Emily Yri, Vice President, International Marketing, PubMatic, notes that APAC arguably has some of the biggest eCommerce players in the world – from ‘super apps’ like WeChat and Grab to vast marketplaces like Alibaba and Flipkart. Online commerce confers vast amounts of consumer data, which allows advertisers and publishers to better understand their customers’ preferences and behaviour.

“Advertisers are increasing their investment in commerce media as it offers scale, smarter targeting, measurement and delivers their marketing objectives with strong returns in a brand safe environment.  And we’re seeing traditional bricks and mortar retailers increasingly prioritize media as a growth driver for their businesses. Retail media can offer retailers a profit margin of up to 85% (according to an Accenture report), which is much higher than their other revenue channels,” she says. 

Kartik Khanna, Co-Founder, The Starter Labs (Zoo Media) says that for advertisers, commerce media can be an effective way to drive sales by placing products in front of consumers at the exact moment, with the exact requirements they are interested in making a purchase for.

Marketers can also get measurable results to continue running campaigns. Media owners get ad revenue to continue to develop content and experiences to attract audiences, and consumers get richer experiences from trusted marketers and media owners.

“By constantly collecting and applying data about consumer behaviour, along various steps of the media funnel, advertisers can create customized and highly targeted campaigns that reach the right cohorts at the right time,” he says adding that commerce media can also help advertisers build brand awareness by placing their products in front of consumers within relevant content that aligns with their brand messaging, thus creating enriched brand experiences.

Meanwhile, publishers can create additional revenue streams, by integrating commerce into the content, publishers can create new revenue streams beyond traditional advertising as well as enhance the customer experience by providing consumers with a seamless path to purchase products related to the content they are engaging with, in dynamic and customized formats.

“By offering a direct connection to purchase products, publishers can increase user engagement and drive repeat visits. Unlike traditional advertising, which focuses on promoting products or services, commerce media combines content with direct links to purchase products, creating a seamless path to purchase for consumers,” he adds.

With Google pulling the plug on third-party cookies soon, it is becoming important for the brands and advertisers to leverage, grow and monetize their first-party data and look for newer platforms that allow first-party data-based ad solutions.

“The data available via commerce media and the platform AI helps advertisers to identify audiences on the basis of their interests and intent patterns and develop predictive models to accurately target this consumer across each funnel,” says Swati Kardak, Group Account Manager - Media Planning & Buying, SoCheers, adding, “Publishers, advertisers and retailers benefit from commerce media as they get access to data, technology, connection etc created in a self-sustaining system.”

What’s also important in today’s omnichannel landscape is that commerce media provides multiple touchpoints, each optimized for consumers to engage with, from social media ads to sponsored content to affiliate marketing. It, thus, creates a diverse ecosystem that can reach consumers across a variety of channels.

Commerce media provides a win-win scenario for both publishers and advertisers, as it creates a seamless and customized customer experience that can drive engagement, communitization, customisation, and most importantly - revenue, for all parties involved.

As Taranjeet Singh, Managing Director, Enterprise, APAC, Criteo says, “Commerce media powers those moments for marketers and media owners to achieve better commerce outcomes across the entire buyer journey. For marketers, commerce media enables them to reach consumers at a high-intent moment, which leads to a more engaged and receptive audience, ultimately resulting in higher conversion rates and return on investment. Media owners such as publishers and retailers also benefit from commerce media as it provides the ability to sell their advertising and promotions inventory.”

Kushal Sanghvi, Head- India, SE Asia, Citrus Ads, points out that it is the consumer that lies in the fulcrum btween the advertiser and publisher, and so allows a retailer to help navigate consumers through their purchase journey. "What Amazon has been doing for so long, retailers have realised they can now do as well. We work with 200 of the top global retailers, including Tata Group, Target and Tesco," he says, just enumerating the Ts. 

Menon concludes, “Overall, commerce media is a powerful tool for brands looking to reach consumers in a highly targeted and personalized way. By leveraging data and AI technology, advertisers can create ads that are more likely to drive conversions and sales, while publishers can create a more seamless shopping experience for their audiences.”