GroupM has collaborated with Amazon on a training program in Australia to further develop digital and product expertise and expand its community of e-commerce agency experts.
In one week ,GroupM doubled the number of certifications across agencies Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker, Neo as well as the GroupM Services teams bringing the total to more than 215 in Australia.
Amazon Academy offers three pathways for Search Activation and Biddable teams, DSP and Programmatic Activation teams and Client, Planner and Strategy teams.
“E-commerce is a priority for GroupM, our agencies and our clients, so the goal was to upskill our teams on the Amazon ecosystem, fast-track the certification process, and ultimately better equip our teams to help grow the e-com businesses of existing and new clients," says Roger Dunn, general manager of GroupM Commerce.
GroupM has this year seen a huge increase in client interest for e-commerce, with the number of brands investing in Amazon doubling on the previous year with Amazon Sponsored Ads spend 17 times bigger this year compared to 2019.
An integrated campaign for a major Consumer Electronics brand during the end-of-financial-year sales, included a full funnel e-commerce strategy across programmatic, sponsored ads and high impact sponsorship.
Key campaign metrics beat industry benchmarks and drove an overall sales uplift of 58% during the campaign period, with growth in both direct sales and a halo effect across the broader portfolio.
The virtual sessions in Amazon Academy cover topics including optimisation, audience, reporting; analytics, and sponsored ads.
CEO Mark Lollback says training and upskilling to give GroupM people more opportunities and expertise has always been a focus.
"But it’s something that we’ve ramped up in 2020," he says.
"Innovative training and education in areas like e-commerce not only advance the capabilities we have within our agencies meaning we can deliver better services to our clients, but it means our people are constantly growing their skillset in the latest tech, data and platforms, which fuels their professional development and helps them drive their career.”
GroupM Commerce launched in Australia in 2019 as a centre of excellence with specialist e-commerce expertise, capabilities and consulting services to help get the most out of investments in retail media.
Dunn says GroupM Commerce has expanded ahead of expectations and in the past 6 months online retail has accelerated further still.
"Our teams have helped clients establish their Amazon presence, optimise their digital shelf, unlock beta access to new opportunities, and generally navigate the rapidly changing e-commerce landscape," he says.
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