GroupM Australia Expands E-Commerce Capabilities with Amazon Academy

GroupM doubled Amazon certifications in Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker and Neo.

AUSTRALIA: 01/10/2020- GroupM Australia has collaborated with Amazon on an e-commerce training programme in Australia developing digital and product expertise and expanding its community of e-commerce agency experts in Australia.

Amazon Academy offers three pathways for Search Activation and Biddable teams, DSP and Programmatic Activation teams and Client, Planner and Strategy teams. In just 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.

Roger Dunn, General Manager of GroupM Commerce, says: “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.”

During 2020 GroupM has 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 x17 bigger this year vs 2019.

A recent 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, offering practical and balanced learning applicable to genuine client business challenges, to further enhance the e-commerce expertise GroupM clients benefit from.

GroupM CEO Mark Lollback says: “Providing training and upskilling our people to give them more opportunities and expertise has always been a focus but it’s something that we’ve ramped up in 2020. 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 offering clients specialist e-commerce expertise, capabilities and consulting services to help  them navigate the rapidly shifting commerce landscape and get the most out of their investments in retail media.

Dunn adds: “Since we launched GroupM Commerce last year it has expanded ahead of expectations and in the past 6 months online retail has accelerated further still. As Australian consumers and businesses turned to e-commerce, whether through online marketplaces or direct to consumer channels, GroupM Commerce was uniquely placed to work with our agency teams to offer best practice e-commerce strategy, consultancy and activation. 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”