ClickZ Indie Media Pulse Newsletter - 09.05.2024

PLUS: Boutique PR firms' surprising rise and AI's ecommerce makeover at UntilGone.

Author

ClickZ
September 05, 2024

Specialty Bites 🍪

In August 2024, TikTok and Amazon teamed up for a seamless shopping experience directly within the TikTok app. This timely partnership, coming just before the Q4 shopping season, leverages TikTok's massive user base and Amazon's e-commerce dominance.

But how will it impact brands?

A major challenge for brands is measuring the halo impact of social media interactions on Amazon sales, as Amazon's data exists in a walled garden and relies on a last-click attribution model, potentially overlooking external contributions that drives product discovery.

The partnership highlights the need for more holistic marketing measurement solutions as the line between social media and e-commerce blurs.

The report, in collaboration with Raconteur, offers insights from marketing leaders on prioritizing investments and measuring ROI. It explores relationships between CFOs, CMOs, and the board, emphasizing brand building and AI's potential. A survey of 1,000 leaders highlights strategies for optimizing budgets and securing buy-in during tight financial times.

Boutique communication agencies are thriving by offering tailored, in-house solutions, contrasting with the struggles of traditional PR firms. These smaller agencies, like Shean Communications and ASB PR, emphasize flexibility, cost control, and personalized client relationships, enabling them to expand and succeed in a competitive market.

Google and Meta have long been dominant in the sector. But with Amazon upping its ad-serving efforts, and TikTok making billions from advertising, the share of the two big players is diminishing. Meanwhile, Reddit is refining its ad strategy and Snapchat has posted recent promising results following an overhaul of its ad business.

All this while the industry as a whole is still recovering from the difficult days of 2022, when tech companies laid off thousands of employees amid high inflation and overlapping cost-of-living and supply chain crises.

Richard Bell, President of UntilGone, leverages AI tools like Google Gemini and Google Cloud for Retail to enhance product descriptions, personalised emails, and search functionalities. These innovations have significantly boosted efficiency, customer engagement, and revenue, demonstrating the transformative power of AI in eCommerce.

Valpak rebrands Clipper Magazine into Clipp.com, consolidating ten magazines and one website for a streamlined customer experience. Utilising My Blue Insights, Clipp targets households with specific offers. Expanding into digital wallets, Clipp connects 40,000 businesses with consumers, enhancing coupon redemption and local advertising efficiency.

ClickZ is a Contentive publication in the DTC Ecommerce division