ClickZ Indie Agency News Newsletter | 💘 eCommerce Strategy and Consumer Engagement

PLUS: Amazon trials sending shoppers to brand sites—what this means for eCommerce

Author

Nandini Sehgal
February 13, 2025

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Welcome to ClickZ Indie Agency News, your essential newsletter for marketing agencies and eCommerce professionals.

Editor’s Pick 🌟

MARKETING SPOTLIGHT
How Seraphine Unlocked 13X Growth in Pinterest

Seraphine, a leading maternity brand, harnessed full-funnel measurement to unlock huge revenue and efficiency gains.

The key? Identifying opportunities in underutilized channels.

With Fospha, Seraphine saw that Last Click had massively undervalued Pinterest, capturing just 3% of their conversions from the channel.😲 They scaled Pinterest rapidly and saw incredible returns: ROAS nearly doubled and channel revenue soared by 13X. 🎉

This story isn’t unique – Fospha’s latest research shows that 12-23% of a brand's budget should be spent on underutilized platforms like Pinterest, Snapchat, and YouTube for optimal efficiency. 🎉

Ready to unlock your brand’s growth potential?

Sector Spotlight 🎥

DIGITAL COMMERCE INNOVATION

Amazon's latest strategic move tests redirecting app users to brand websites for unavailable products, enhancing consumer engagement and retaining market share. This presents new avenues for eCommerce strategies, especially for brands utilizing "Buy with Prime," offering Prime benefits. The feature is currently undergoing U.S.-based trials, encouraging industry adaptation.

AFFILIATE STRATEGY SUCCESS

Carhartt's strategic maneuvering during the 2024 Cyber 5 holiday period exemplifies a paradigm shift in eCommerce marketing. Navigating economic pressures and competitive noise, Carhartt leveraged an astute affiliate strategy with January Digital and Impact, setting a new industry benchmark. Strategic elements included:

- Deploying a full-funnel approach to maximize revenue streams and enhance customer engagement.
- Sophisticated publisher segmentation and analytics for optimized resource allocation.
- Strategic partnerships with Rakuten and Capital One to bolster campaign objectives.

Remarkable outcomes were achieved:

- Impressive year-over-year revenue growth and a surge in new customer acquisition.
- A 16% enhancement in conversion rates alongside burgeoning loyalty program involvement.
- The fusion of data-driven methodologies and targeted incentives ensured precision in campaign delivery.

ECOMMERCE DYNAMICS

Metapack's report dissects eCommerce's transformation, spotlighting dominant marketplaces, burgeoning social commerce, and heightened consumer expectations. Adaptation is imperative; focusing on speed, personalization, and customer-centric strategies is crucial to success. Brands investing in seamless digital integration on social platforms will secure a robust foothold in the competitive eCommerce landscape.

STRATEGIC COLLABORATION

McDonald's and Stormzy's campaign exemplifies a strategic pivot to digital-first engagement, leveraging his signature meal to drive consumer interaction. Emphasizing high-impact visuals and unique events, this initiative turns Stormzy's favorite order into a marketing triumph, offering insights into innovative strategies for enhancing brand presence and consumer connection in the digital commerce sphere.

FANDOM ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

Experience12, a leader in pop culture marketing, skillfully bridges fandoms with brand engagement in a digitally fragmented era. By leveraging live events and authentic connections, the agency pioneers strategic marketing, emphasizing cultural relevance and audience understanding, while expanding globally to remain at the industry's forefront.

DIGITAL COMMERCE INSIGHTS

In an evolving eCommerce landscape, data-driven digital marketing agencies are crucial for developing strategies that resonate with consumers and drive success. Key focus areas include:
- Strategic Decision-Making: Agencies use data analysis to inform decisions, scrutinizing consumer behavior to craft strategies that maximize engagement and conversion in digital commerce.
- Precision Targeting: Sophisticated segmentation allows for deeply personalized marketing approaches that enhance consumer interaction and campaign success.

Maximizing ROI is achieved through analytics-driven performance tracking and budget optimization. Agencies emphasize:
- Continuous Optimization: Leveraging real-time analytics and iterative testing to maintain agility and capitalize on market shifts swiftly.
- Consumer Engagement: Analyzing consumer pathways to design campaigns that build loyalty and foster brand advocacy.
Addressing the complexities of data privacy and compliance, agencies must prioritize ethical data usage to maintain trust and legal conformity.

Influencer Corner 📣

How real-world data drives brand advocacy

The best marketing connects, educates, and drives action. These campaigns prove it:
🔹 Heinz tapped into Dutch food culture with ketchup-flavored sprinkles, turning local insights into innovation.
🔹 IKEA reimagined its iconic bag to promote sleep health in Singapore, aligning product with purpose.
🔹 LinkedIn x UEFA made female role models visible, proving that representation drives change.
🔹 Malibu tackled alcohol-related drownings, using Tom Daley’s influence to turn awareness into action.
Understand your audience, tap into their reality, and create emotional connections. That’s how you build advocacy.

Lara Acosta on LinkedIn: My most important personal brand rule: tell your story.

People don’t just buy products—they buy from people they relate to or aspire to be like. That’s why storytelling isn’t just a personal brand strategy—it’s a playbook for businesses too.
Educational content earns trust, but stories of transformation, lessons, and values build connection. Consumers care about what a brand stands for, not just what it sells.
Brand story is your differentiator, and tell it.

Optimization Hub ⚙️

MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

Valentine’s Day marketing isn’t what it used to be. This year, brands ditched clichés and delivered campaigns that sparked conversations—some through cultural influence, others by flipping the holiday on its head.

From SKIMS tapping into the power of fandoms to LEGO redefining Valentine’s gifting, and even brands like Publix celebrating love beyond romance, these campaigns prove that standing out requires more than heart-shaped products.

ClickZ breaks down the smartest Valentine’s Day strategies, including the rise of Anti-Valentine’s campaigns and last-minute marketing tactics that still drive results. Which brands nailed it? Let’s dive in.

AI FUNDING BOOM

Voyantis, an AI-powered growth platform, raised $41M to transform marketing through precision scaling. With Intel's backing, it optimizes customer acquisition by integrating predictive AI, enhancing lifecycle value, and reducing costs. Its insights reimagine digital marketing, promising sustainable growth with strategic, data-driven decision-making for high-value customer retention.

PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISING

Programmatic advertising is evolving with key trends shaping 2025: AI enhances personalization and predictive bidding; data privacy and transparency are prioritized; CTV and OTT growth offers targeted ads; contextual targeting and sustainable practices gain traction. These strategies enable marketers to deliver efficient, relevant, consumer-first campaigns.

Social Media Marketing

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