Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

Article • WARC Best Practice, May 2019

Explores how best to utilise the omnichannel model to offer seamless shopping experiences to customers.

Article • Dominic Twose and Polly Wyn Jones, WARC Best Practice, January 2018

Defines what brand consideration is, what generates it and how this may move over time, alongside a look at a large scale exercise by Kantar Millward Brown exploring the relationship between survey measures and sales.

The WARC Guide to e-commerce and the future of effectiveness

Article • WARC Best Practice, August 2020

A summary of new thinking and best practice on e-commerce and the future of effectiveness, from the WARC Guide.

Inside Google research into the ‘messy middle’ of purchase behaviour

News • 03 August 2020

New research from Google and the Behavioural Architects seeks to understand the complexities of the purchase decision process at a time when e-commerce is erupting as a result of COVID-19 – here’s what you need to know.

Three ways that Starbucks is preparing for post-pandemic consumer needs

Article • Anna Hamill, WARC Exclusive, July 2020

Starbucks, the global coffee chain, is adapting to new consumer expectations and buying behaviours as it navigates the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.

The funnel alibi: Why brand building and activation should be undertaken simultaneously

Article • Ken Roberts, WARC Best Practice, July 2020

Examines whether upper funnel brand-building efforts, and lower level activation efforts, should be separated from one another, as is traditionally the case.

Despite shift in APAC shopping behaviours, preference for offline retail persists

News • 27 July 2020

While COVID-19 induced lockdown restrictions forced an online-first shift on consumers’ shopping habits and their interactions with brands, the preference for in-store retail remains.

Children’s influence on parental purchase decisions: Scale development and validation

Article • Vytautas Dikcius, Sigitas Urbonavicius, Vilmante Pakalniskiene, and Indre Pikturniene, International Journal of Market Research, Vol. 63, No. 4, 2020, pp. 449-467

The article concentrates on the delineation between children's participation and children's influence in a family purchasing process.

COVID-19 won’t deter APAC consumers from festive shopping plans

News • 24 July 2020

While the ongoing pandemic has hit the retail industry hard, new research from Rakuten Advertising suggests a clear lack of intent to curb spending during peak shopping periods.

Understanding customers through data is critical, especially under pressure

Article • Mukta Lad, Event Reports, MMA webinar, July 2020

India’s Zeotap and Swiggy share their insights from leveraging technology and data to cultivate customer intelligence for better marketing.

Consumer predictions for the 2020 holiday season

News • 21 July 2020

Shopping for this year’s holiday season is set to begin earlier than normal, with many consumers also likely to focus on early promotions and register lower spending than usual, according to predictions from Meredith, the media firm.

The psychology illuminating post-pandemic behaviour

News • 20 July 2020

Brands will need to adopt a more localised and age-segmented approach to marketing rather than relying on homogenous, macro trends in order to account for the unevenly distributed cognitive and behavioural effects of the pandemic.

Psychological stress or growth will determine post-pandemic consumer behaviour

Article • Win Ee Chun and Dr Gemma Calvert, WARC Trends, July 2020

In the wake of COVID-19, research in the field of cognitive neuroscience may provide some helpful pointers on how consumer behaviour will evolve.

How customer insights help Walmart maintain relevance and build out e-commerce

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, ANA Digital and Social Media Conference, July 2020

Walmart, the retailer, is leveraging strategic media partnerships as it seeks to serve consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What's working in retail

Article • WARC Category Intelligence, July 2020

Global strategies, campaign updates and trends in retail.

How Marlin Brands accelerated digital to break through Australia’s COVID-19 lockdown

Article • Manik Godhwani, WARC Exclusive, July 2020

Marlin Brands’ Manik Godhwani shares some of the key lessons learnt in the company’s pandemic-driven dive into e-commerce during Australia’s lockdown phase.

Confident consumers can drive recovery

News • 13 July 2020

The economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19 in the UK will be underscored by a divide between cautious consumers and those who want to compensate for lost time, new research shows.

Digital availability is now key for brands

News • 10 July 2020

The e-commerce landscape across Southeast Asia has had to adapt rapidly to the impact of COVID-19 and “digital availability” will be essential to future marketing strategies, an agency expert believes.

What's working in FMCG

Article • WARC Category Intelligence, July 2020

Global strategies, campaign updates and trends in the FMCG category.

The end of in-store browsing?

Opinion • Andrew Wardlaw, July 2020

We’ve all heard that the big weekly shop is back. People are shopping less frequently but spending significantly more when they do.

Home working boosts Puma

News • 03 July 2020

Lockdowns across India and Southeast Asia have had a marked impact on consumption patterns at Puma, says the sportswear brand’s regional general manager.

Beyond patriotism: Are Indian brands ready to win local and be global?

Opinion • Gabey Goh, June 2020

With the call to be “vocal for local”, there’s never been a better time to be a local brand in India.

How P&G is reacting as COVID-19 brings ten years of e-commerce progress in eight weeks

Article • Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, Lions Live, June 2020

Procter & Gamble, the consumer-packaged goods manufacturer, is ensuring that its marketers and supply-chain experts are more closely aligned to meet the rising demand on e-commerce platforms.

E-commerce: Shifting your communication plan for a rapidly expanding opportunity

Opinion • Jack McLaren, June 2020

COVID-19 is having a dramatic impact on e-commerce – accelerating uptake, shifting buyer types, changing attitudes to spending and distorting previous consumer journey dynamics.

Brand experience in e-commerce

Opinion • Patrick Miller and Tiffany Lilze, June 2020

The shift to e-commerce means brands need to be much smarter about all aspects of customer experience.

Shopper insight