Hooklogic - The Retail Search Exchange, New Start-Up all Retail e-Businesses should know

The word exchange is already common place in the media world. In my previous post I talked about DAX (the digital audio exchange). We have seen the emergence of yet another important exchange known as the Retail Search Exchange  launched by start up Hooklogic which two weeks ago secured further funding.  LUMA the venture capital fund explained the reasoning behind investing in HookLogic and cited the company was “leading the industry in three market trends that they are watching closely: e-commerce properties transitioning to media companies, results-driven advertising versus proxies, and mobile growth.”  LUMA continued explaining that HookLogic is “one of the few companies powering a true marketplace at scale outside the walled garden platforms of Google, Facebook and Amazon.”

This is truly a new frontier for many brands.  During 2015 Hooklogic  had a strong year in sales, in which it surpassed USD100 million and launched an aggressive international expansion where in the UK Argos is on board as partner and yielding results for advertisers. 

In the US, major retail websites like Walmart, Newegg, Target, Toys “R” Us and Sears are popular shopper destinations which were previously disregarded and unexploited by brands and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) from a search advertising standpoint. 

Advertisers such as Intel, Hasbro, Philips, Coca Cola are starting to realize this huge opportunity and technology like HookLogic’s Retail Search Exchange allows them to bid for top search result placement across major retailers.

The company has also been recognised by Forrester as one of 20 start-ups all retail eBusiness executives should know.

I'm excited to understand their growth plans here in the UK and further opportunities they yield for my clients beyond Argos.  This is one to watch and I'll be keeping a close eye on them. 

Sources: http://www.privateequitywire.co.uk/2016/04/14/238472/luma-capital-partners-invests-hooklogic

Sources: https://hooklogic.com/about-us/blog

DAX - Digital Audio Exchange

This isn't a blog about the German Stock Exchange.  It's about an audio platform on the market known as the Digital Audio Exchange which is gaining traction with my clients.  

With digital marketing it's about continually testing, learning and optimizing.  There are always new platforms on the market and as representatives of our clients we have to make a decision on which are the best ones to choose. 

Did you know 17 million people stream audio every week, morning, noon and night? DAX is the first digital audio advertising platform that gives access to music moments that matter to consumers.  

The access to audience data is phenomenal with over 70 segments that can be bought directly or programmatically and if this doesn't suit a clients need then custom segments can be made.

The platform reaches over 140 publishers including Global's digital brands such as Capital and Radio X, plus the likes of Ministry of Sound, Absolute, Musicovery, Rdio, AudioBoom and Bauer's Absolute Radio Network.

The first tests are underway I look forward to the verdict on this platform soon. 

Sources:  thisisdax.com, thedrum.com

 

Retail Marketing and Amazon Market Services

A mentor recently re-inspired me to blog.  I've always enjoyed sharing the knowledge I have gained from the Advertising Industry and I've been fortunate to be surrounded by talented colleagues along the journey who have shared their own knowledge.

The topic I'm going to talk about today will cover Retail Marketing and some of the challenges being faced.  Particularly with the attribution of sales to digital media channels.  A client can implement tracking up to the point a consumer is on their owned website, however as soon as a consumer clicks off to a retailer owned site the data is lost and we no longer can understand which particular media or combination of media influenced the final sale.  The retail giants such as Amazon, John Lewis and Currys are reluctant to include tracking and why should they. They are the sales powerhouses, they own the data and they control the market.   

Often expensive econometric modelling isn't an option for clients or we simply don't have all the data to make it realistically work, so what can we do?   We can look to maximise the platforms we have true visibility on and what we know delivers performance that now go beyond Search, Affiliate and Programmatic Advertising.

There are some key platforms which are exciting and in the market. Firstly, Hooklogic usually managed by a knowledgeable search expert integrates deeply with retailer partners such as Argos, learning shopper behaviours so you can show your products to the right shopper at the right time. They use a unique combination of real-time consumer intent and past shopper actions to ensure the product that is most likely to result in a sale is the one that’s shown. It’s data science at its finest.

Secondly we are seeing the emergence of Amazon Market Services (AMS), where you can reach engaged Amazon shoppers, pay only when shoppers click, optimise performance with detailed sales reports and reach the right customer.  

These platforms are helping to solve real business challenges in the retail world and closing the data gap which means media agencies can start to effectively optimise budgets and focus on delivering ROI for clients through real time data analysis.

It would be great to hear your thoughts so feel free to comment!

Sources:  ams.amazon.co.uk, hooklogic.com