The e-commerce strategy of brands as the end-of-year holidays approach

According to the latest Havas Market study, brands are investing massively in retail media to boost their Christmas sales with an increasing role played by AI in e-commerce management. Here are the main lessons learned from the study.

Multiply the levers to attract and convert

Social media appears to be an essential lever for attracting traffic to brand sites during this period. 75% of brands consider social media a key element for generating traffic. In terms of allocated budget, 70% of businesses plan to allocate more than 30% of their annual marketing budget to Christmas campaigns. In addition to various promotional actions, the assurance of delivery before the holidays remains a key conversion factor.

E-Retail: Amazon, an essential partner for developing sales

Amazon appears to be an essential platform for developing e-commerce sales for 92% of companies surveyed. The e-commerce leader also captures more than 60% of investment intentions in retail mediaahead of Cdiscount and Unlitail. However, succeeding on marketplaces requires detailed mastery of all the components of commerce to meet consumer expectations. Price alignment on Amazon and other platforms is becoming a key element for 60% of the companies surveyed.

E-retail Media: focus on video format, support from agencies and search for efficiency

For this end of the year, 35% of companies will allocate between 20% and 30% of their digital spending to retail media. To manage their retail media systems, one in two companies already calls on an agency to manage retail media systems. Among the missions entrusted to the agencies, strategy definition, content creation and optimization, analysis and reporting are the key activities for +40% of the brands surveyed.

In terms of format, 60% of brands are focusing on the video format which will be the lever most used to be visible in the purchasing journey of French consumers. Youtube, Amazon Prime video and Disney+ will be the big winners among video platforms at the end of the year. An end to the year which will put the ROI of retail media campaigns under pressure and among the key indicators for a successful end of the year.

Vision for 2025: heading towards new marketplaces, AI and the search for competitiveness

In 2025, business growth should come from distribution on new platforms, in France or abroad, for 68% of the brands surveyed. Price will also remain a major issue facing the entry of Asian e-commerce players like Temu or AliExpress. In this context, 45% of companies aim to strengthen promotions and adjust prices to remain competitive.

In terms of productivity, 81% of companies marketing their products via e-commerce are already using AI to manage various aspects related to this sector. Artificial intelligence is involved in many areas: advertising, management of multiple marketing channels, inventory management, but it is interesting to note that price management is not yet entirely driven by AI.

Sébastien Camusot, HAVAS MARKET e-retail Director, declares, “ To succeed in e-commerce, especially during key periods of the year, companies must adopt a strategy that takes into account all parameters of the customer experience, by optimally combining commercial and advertising levers. The study reveals that one in two brands already calls on agencies to define their strategies and manage their retail media systems. »