With a return to a live Cannes for the first time since 2019, and partners like Amazon and TikTok joining as festival first timers, Commerce and its role in consumer’s & marketer’s lives was a hot topic across the Croisette.
One of the key themes that I found most interesting and prevalent was the Convergence of Content, Experience & Commerce. We all know by now that TikTok does make us buy it, but announcements of new partnerships like Walmart + Roku’s that will allow consumers to shop directly from their TV remotes and new and evolving AR technology from partners like Snap and Meta show the increasingly important role content and experience are playing to driving through to purchase.
The Creator Economy is Powerful!
It essentially provides marketers and brands with an entirely additive salesforce to their traditional teams…but authenticity is key to success here. Partnering with creators that have a true and real connection to your brands, like J. M. Smucker’s Jif did with Ludacris and TikTok will drive differential success.
A Consumer Led Approach is Critical…
To understanding your audience & creating the right experience that meets their needs. Experiences for experiences sake will not be successful, nor will they drive action. Retail Media Networks sit on a wealth of data, but so do brands themselves, and partners like Epsilon. USE the data - think about Data as an AND, not an or, to drive the richest insights, experiences and performance.
Consumers Still Crave Experience & Technology Delivers
Whether it’s trying on a Versace dress that you’ll never afford (but maybe it inspires you to buy the perfume), or a new nail polish color, like Sally Hansen did with SNAP, AR allows consumers to experience and interact with brands in ways they haven’t before and can inspire purchase in that exact moment.
Make it Easy
Just as much as consumers crave experience, they crave ease. Those who create engaging experiences that lead to frictionless purchase will be the ones who win.
This article is part of the Commerce at Cannes Trends Report – download the full report here.
