Why investing in brand during the priming stage is crucial in digital commerce

In a world increasingly driven by algorithms, is it worth investing in brand building? In a WARC Exclusive article, Mudit Jaju, Global Head of Ecommerce at Wavemaker, the media agency network, outlines the findings of an extensive study which presents a strong case that, yes, brand communication does indeed matter in an e-commerce dominant world.

About the study

A comprehensive study across 13 countries and 21 categories by Wavemaker (referenced in a new WARC white paper, Rethinking brand for the rise of digital commerce) looks at how and why people buy and explores the role brand investment plays in today’s e-commerce-first world. The study found brand building improves online purchase consideration: building strong bias before a consumer begins an online shopping journey massively improves a brand’s odds of being considered before purchase: by 14x.

Key takeaways

• Nearly two thirds of online buyers were arriving on e-commerce sites with a strong bias towards a small number of brands. To influence active stage behaviour, investing in brand building in the priming stage is vital – to drive not just salience, but priming bias which has such a powerful effect on both consideration and purchase.
• Priming bias is crucial, but it is also critical to achieve effective visibility on the e-commerce platform/s. If a shopper cannot find you, they cannot buy you.
• Working across the whole of the purchase journey creates better results. Knowing and understanding which touchpoints matter to your consumer is critical to how we think about the interplay between branding and conversion/performance media. The two should not be detached from each other.
• It’s crucial to have a view of the purchase journey that synchronises across the priming and active stages of the customer journey. An example from an OTC brand is discussed.

Key quote

“The only way in which brands win is by planning across the entirety of the purchase journey and not in individual silos”.