Consumers’ reality has changed. Even before COVID-19, more and more people started ordering everyday items – as well as rarer purchases – online. Buyers obtain product information from communities and from testimonials, from publishers with high credibility, from product comparison sites, and then, before purchase, from sites that show the best price or offer discounts. For advertisers, this means that they need to be present in different ways and advertise in exactly those digital places that play a role in the purchase decision process for their customers during the customer journey. This approach to digital marketing is new. This requires a different, holistic way of thinking about advertising. And that requires advertising tools and technologies that drive real conversion and enable customer centricity. All this exists – and we bundle it in our new platform mrge, under the new term Commerce Advertising.
A holistic approach to digital marketing
E-commerce marketing has changed. The last point of contact with a product no longer elicits the impulse to buy. Instead, the deciding factor is all the experiences a customer has when he or she is interested in a product and researches it. Product reviews are at least as important as the brand promise and of course the price. For advertisers, this means that they need to know where and how customers find out about their products, and what arguments convince them before they buy. Only with this knowledge can advertisers gain a holistic view of the customer journey. And only then can they pinpoint the purchase-relevant touchpoints and address them with advertising.
What does the purchase-oriented customer journey look like these days?
We are probably all familiar with this situation: Searching online without knowing exactly what product you want to buy. Let’s say you’re looking for a new backpack, one that’s waterproof, but looks good downtown as well as on the trail. You often start your research on websites of publishers you already trust and then move on to special interest media, communities and social media. All of these sources provide information on differences, advantages and disadvantages. At this point, many buyers make a pre-selection and narrow down the search, looking for which brand offers the best price. Sources now include price comparison sites as well as discount and coupon providers. Then if everything fits, if the model and price match the buyer’s wishes, the purchase of the new backpack takes place. To be successful, an advertiser must be present in all the places visited digitally during the buyer’s research, so that a competitor does not win.
Commercial advertising sets a new standard
To generate these decisive buying impulses, advertisers must combine different tools and technologies. The key here is to use the ones that most effectively create a transition between the ad format on the various pages and the advertiser’s online store or listing. For example:
- Technologies for pages with product reviews, product comparisons, tests, coupons or refunds
- Widgets in Google Shopping
- Affiliate marketing, which plays the decisive role in trading content (publisher strategy)
We’ve coined a new term for the sum of all these opportunities clearly focused on a target deal: Trade Advertising.
For advertisers, trade ads lead to additional revenue. Their ads appear in an environment that interests their potential customers and that customers actively use. This makes it more likely that the customer will respond to the campaign. Conversion increases.
D2C, Direct to Consumer, can also be effectively implemented, as the click leads directly to the store or the offer that the advertiser is promoting. The offer can also be a sign-up or a download.
Connecting growth – by mrge
Traditional online advertising has reached its limits. Consumers have become banner blind, but still need reliable information to make better purchasing decisions. Third-party cookies no longer play a long-term role in the advertising of the future. Advertisers must find new answers to the question of how to reach their audiences. Currently, publishers are looking for new digital advertising tools to monetize their services through their content. The answer is mrge, the new Commerce Advertising platform that includes best-in-class solutions in commerce content, performance marketing and affiliate marketing.
Three market leaders in their fields have already joined forces at mrge. We are very familiar with the e-commerce and publishing markets; we know the potential, but also the challenges in data-driven marketing. It is important to us that we give forward-looking impulses and combine both sides, trade and content. And tomorrow isn’t over yet: We’re expanding the umbrella brand globally and partnering with companies that make further contributions to the conversion-oriented customer journey. If you’re ready to grow, visit mrge.com.
Meet us at PI LIVE in London: 18-19 October 2022, on the mrge Terrace on the Grand Hall floor.
