Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Gaming gives retailers another chance – but they need to act on it

Opinion • Simon Hathaway, September 2021

Outform’s Simon Hathaway shares some of the findings and implications from a recent study into gaming, gamers’ habits, and what it means for brands.

How to analyze the omnichannel consumer decision journey

Article • Alex Zhu, WARC Best Practice, June 2018

Provides advice, research methodologies and step-by-step approaches for mapping the omnichannel consumer journey.

The future of SEO in fashion and beauty

Article • Tasha Amponsah-Antwi, WARC Best Practice, September 2021

E-commerce is causing fashion and beauty brands to adapt their SEO strategies.

The Rise of Retail Media – and what this means for brands

Article • Colin Lewis, WARC Best Practice, September 2021

The pandemic-fuelled growth of e-commerce has also propelled Retail Media into the spotlight.

A brand’s guide to innovating and surviving in the e-commerce world

Article • Sangeeta Tanwar, Event Reports, adtech Direct-to-consumer (D2C) and E-commerce conference, July 2021

As COVID-19 continues to significantly change shopping behaviour, brands will have to innovate to stay relevant and thrive.

Turning buyer persona insights into content and campaigns

Research Paper • Julie Schwartz, WARC Best Practice, September 2021

The value of buyer personas is only as good as the messaging, content and sales engagement that they spawn, explains Julie Schwartz, ITSMA.

Brand in action: How Bencross introduced home improvement to China

Opinion • WARC, August 2021

Bencross is the home-furnishings disruptor that grew this hitherto undeveloped market in China and Bencross CEO Sheldon Li shares how the brand and the Chinese consumer have evolved since the company was established six years ago.

The new rules of search

Article • Matt Dailey, WARC Best Practice, August 2021

Advice on how marketers can adapt search strategies in the post-pandemic era.

Dinner DIY vs. DIFM: Who’s doing the cooking after COVID?

Article • Nicole Miranda, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight Australia, August 2021

Nicole Miranda from Spinach examines the DIY (do it yourself) and DIFM (do it for me) food scene in Australia amid the seemingly never-ending lockdown.

The new frontier of customer experience in Australia

Article • Michelle Grujin, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight Australia, August 2021

Accenture’s Michelle Grujin examines how the pandemic has created “reimagined” consumers who are actively changing their habits and creating opportunities for brands to reset strategies and meet new customer expectations.

Deep empathy key to sales for retail brands

Article • Anna Cherry, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight Australia, August 2021

Spark Foundry’s Anna Cherry says deep human understanding and empathy will be the biggest competitive advantage for marketers in a COVID world.

From DIY to DIFM: How Australia’s retail brands can serve opposing preferences as consumer demand shifts

Opinion • Gabey Goh, August 2021

In this edition of Spotlight Australia, WARC Asia Editor Gabey Goh looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting consumer behaviours in Australia, with the shift from DIY to DIFM (do it for me), and even DIWM (do it with me).

From DIY to DIFM: Consumer sentiment data

Article • WARC Exclusive, Spotlight Australia, August 2021

Analyses data from ongoing surveys of Australian consumers, provided by GWI.

Grow your digital dollar: How to market commerce that performs

Article • Waqar Ahmed Riaz, WARC Exclusive, August 2021

At its core, performance marketing exists to identify a targeted group of consumers and encourage them to generate a response to help sell, cross-sell and up-sell more products.

Local Relevance? Local Revolt! Why luxury brands need to do better and be braver

Article • WARC Exclusive, Spotlight China, December 2020

Carat’s Sen Lin offer some cultural observations to unpack the complex case of the changing Chinese consumer.

The rural ways of buying: An opportunity to reimagine digital

Article • Shraddha Ganesh, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight India, August 2021

India’s rich and distinct cultures lead to diverse behaviours, with each having a direct impact on consumption patterns and Stratedgy’s Shraddha Ganesh asks why there is a homogeneous purchase process for a vastly heterogeneous market, especially with increased access to online avenues to purchase.

Rural marketing in a post-COVID world: Consumer sentiment data

Article • WARC Exclusive, Spotlight India, August 2021

Analyses data from ongoing surveys of Indian consumers, provided by GWI.

Challenges and opportunities: How brands can succeed in rural India

Article • Amit Bhandare, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight India, August 2021

Amit Bhandare lists the challenges of rural marketing in India and what brands can do to acquire a regional reach and relationship.

Rural India: Propelling the Indian economy during COVID-19

Article • Neha Chauhan, WARC Exclusive, Spotlight India, August 2021

Arc Worldwide’s Neha Chauhan examines the many ways that rural consumers are driving the Indian economy with their needs and aspirations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

E-commerce to account for over a quarter of health & beauty sales in 2026

Data • Rob Clapp, WARC Data Points, August 2021

An overview of health, beauty & personal care sales by channel in 2021 and 2026.

The role of shopping mission in retail customer segmentation

Research Paper • Ondřej Sokol and Vladimír Holý, Int. Journal of Market Research, Vol. 63, No. 4, 2021, pp. 454-470

In retailing, it is important to understand customer behavior and determine customer value. A useful tool to achieve such goals is the cluster analysis of transaction data.

Instant convenience: How online grocery shopping has taken off in Thailand

Opinion • Suchada Supakan, Nathaporn Loetsakulcharoen and Laddawan Thanlap, August 2021

Online shopping for groceries and FMCG in Thailand has spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic and i-dac Bangkok’s Suchada Supakan shares research that can help advertisers understand consumers better and shape the right marketing strategy.

Digital commerce growth decelerates to single-digits

Data • Rob Clapp, WARC Data Points, August 2021

An overview of the growth in digital commerce traffic, revenue and orders in Q2 2021.

Media Owner Profile: Alibaba

Data • Rob Clapp, WARC Data Points, August 2021

This Media Owner Profile of Alibaba includes data on revenue, consumers on Chinese retail marketplaces and Gross Merchandise Volume.

Future of retail: Conscious rich Asians look to lifecycle luxury

Article • Belynda Sim, WARC Trends, July 2021

As shifting priorities alter long-held notions of luxury, TBWA\Singapore’s Belynda Sim looks at what will define 21st century premium in Asia.

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