March 27, 2023
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Author

Tracy Locke

Tracy-Locke is an award-winning global commerce and communications agency that is compelling the future of commerce by designing experiences that build brands and drive conversion through empathy, technology and an unmatched level of creativity. A pillar of the Omnicom Commerce Group, Tracy-Locke offers full-service capabilities ranging from innovation to implementation. Clients include PepsiCo, SC Johnson, Kellogg’s, Diageo, Godiva, Pizza Hut, LEGO, and Samsung. For more information, visit www.tracylocke.com.


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Tracy-Locke Tells Us the Future of e-Commerce is Social Commerce | Check it Out
Tracy Locke Posted On March 16, 2023


Commerce has expanded from retail and e-tail and to social platforms.

As social commerce continues to evolve, an exciting and growing area of social commerce growth is live-streaming. In Asia Pacific markets, live-streaming has become an essential growth driver of commerce, collapsing top and bottom funnel objectives of awareness and conversion and utilizing influencers to drive brand relevance, product salience, and impulse purchase. Live-streaming continues to grow across global markets and product categories. In this document, we’ll provide an overview as to what it is, how it applies to deliver objectives, and how to test pilot live-streaming for your brand.

Social Commerce is Evolving

Before getting into live-streaming, it important to clarify that Social Commerce is a broader area that contains  two broad approaches: Social Media-centric and Retailer-centric.

Social media-centric (social platforms with eCommerce features), like YouTube, Facebook Live and Instagram Live, utilize media to drive viewership and engagement. Retailer-centric (eCommerce sites with live-streaming features) that focus on driving real-time conversion. While Brands will continue to utilize Social media-centric approach to drive Brand awareness and engagement goals, with greater pressure to drive conversion, a Retailer-centric approach may be more effective to deliver top and bottom funnel goals. In APAC, live-streaming was originally designed by online eCommerce marketplaces to create a more engaging and immersive social shopping experience. In the US, the Retailer-centric approach is gaining traction to drive Brand and Retailer objectives and delivering shopper needs.

What is live-streaming?

Dynamic product promotion experience supported by real-time consultancy

Brands and Retailers are utilizing live-streaming to create a dynamic social experience that brings together product-focused promotion, concierge sales service, and authentic brand storytelling. Leveraging engaging hosts, Brands and Retailers are not only able to naturally position their products with shopper passions and interests, but are also able to provide real-time community engagement with their questions and comments, helping reduce sales friction and accelerate sales. Though live-streaming had been popularized during pandemic lockdowns out of necessity, it is here to stay.

Enabling Growth During and Post-Pandemic

The flight to digital properties (websites/online marketplaces) naturally provided transactional opportunities, but like product substitution, however, shoppers desired new experiences to satisfy their shopping needs. For the apparel and fashion category, live-streaming enabled an elevated digital experience as a substitute for being unable to shop in-store during the lockdown. However for fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and consumer durables, live-streaming is still in its nascency, but Brands and Retailers are seeing its promise capturing interest, influencing decisioning, and driving repeat engagement.

– 43% of Americans surveyed use livestream video or social shopping to inform their decisions

– 52% of people engaging with live-streaming note that the online experience and community engagement are what keeps them coming back

How can live-stream deliver your objectives?

Live-streaming Delivers Multiple Objectives

From capturing younger audiences, driving trial and impulse sales, to elevating experiences, live-streaming offers a multitude of opportunities for Brands and Retailers to achieve greater success. In this section, we’ll share some quick stats and take a look at some examples.

A Magnet for Younger Audiences

Live-streaming is a fantastic channel to connect with newer, young audiences  in an immersive format.  In some cases, brands are seeing an increase of up to 20% in purchases by younger audiences.

– Adults in Gen Z derive 75% of their influences from social media, online content, and celebrities

– 48% of 13-39 year olds are interested in purchasing from shoppable livestreams

– At Least 30% of people under 34 purchase products on a social networks weekly – compared to around 12% of their older cohorts

Bloomingdales

JIMMY CHOO

SITUATION

Amid pandemic lockdowns, luxury took a back seat to essential shopping, so retailers like Bloomingdales became less relevant.

SOLUTION

In partnership with Jimmy Choo’s creative director, Bloomingdales hosted a 45 minute livestream session during which the host highlighted some of the biggest trends she’s seeing in footwear, as well as inspiration for post-pandemic fashion and gave viewers a first look into Jimmy Choo’s upcoming collection. Participants who signed up in advance received complimentary cocktails and macarons sent via mail, and the first 50 people to buy a pair if Jimmy Choo shoes received a personalized fashion sketch.

New Opportunities for Product Discovery and Trial

Live-streaming is a great forum to share new, exclusive, and limited quantity products. In China, live-streaming is used to drive impulse purchase, especially among products that are new, available in a limited quantities or for a limited time period.

– Over 38% of people who tune into live-streaming sessions do so to discover new products.

– 35% of people looked at or purchased a product via social media because it was unique.

Kit Kat

LIVE FROM THE CHOCOLATERY

SITUATION

Amid Covid lockdowns, Kit Kat was struggling to stay top of mind with Australian consumers. In order to combat stagnation and show just how much the brand has to offer, Kit Kat needed to think differently about how they sold their chocolates.

SOLUTION

Kit Kat Australia recently launched “live from the chocolatory” live-streaming sessions in partnership with Facebook Live. Tapping into their head chocolatier, they created a highly immersive live shopping experience that got Australians up close and personal with everything the Kit Kat Chocolatery had to offer, right in the palm of their hand.

RESULTS

The campaign generated over one-third of the brand’s annual sales, as well as achieving a 23-point upturn in brand awareness among Australians aged 35–44 and 3X increase in online sales via Kit Kat’s Australian website.

Immersive Digital Product Experiences

Livestreaming does what brands hav been attempting to tackle for years after the dawn of eCommerce – recreating the fun and immersion of in-person shopping in a digital forum. Viewers can build a sense of community among others watching the livestream, interact with the host, and ask specific questions/send requests for demonstration to truly “experience” the product.

H-E-B

COOKING CONNECTIONS

SITUATION

As the pandemic caused most grocery retailers to shut down their high-touch departments and self-service areas, H-E-B was forced to close its Cooking Connections section, where chefs regularly put on cooking demonstrations of products offered in-store.

SOLUTION

Beginning in November 2020, H-E-B held weekly Zoom-based cooking classes around what shoppers were searching for on its website.  This gave way to H-E-B kicking off its live-streaming feature on July 1st, launching with a 12-hour Grilling Open event that featured grilling tips by a cast of culinary guests. Thanks to that success, shoppers can tune into a weekly Cooking Connections class on Facebook live platform, and on a side scrolling panel discover and buy all the products the chef uses.

RESULTS

The Grilling Open event brought over 400k watchers to the livestream, and H-E-B now boasts more than 1.6MM Facebook followers. 

Added Benefits of Live-streaming

Live-streaming has uniquely created dynamic, authentic product-centric promotion that drives shopper engagement and conversion. While driving brand relevance and sales is paramount, we see four additional benefits to live-streaming efforts:

How to test live-streaming?

Four Principles to Successful Live-streaming

We’ve set the context and shown how Brands and Retailers are reaping the benefits of live-streaming. Piloting live-streaming requires little investment, but does require following four key principles:

Contact us to test live-streaming for your brand.


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Tracy-Locke Names Curt Munk Chief Strategy Officer 
Tracy Locke Posted On September 15, 2022


Munk joins Tracy-Locke from VMLY&R COMMERCE to lead agency’s strategic vision and further strengthen compelling commerce offerings.

Curt Munk is joining Tracy-Locke, a leading commerce and communications agency, as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). This is the latest move in a set of strategic business decisions for the agency that started with the naming of Tina Manikas as President last June, followed by its expanded executive leadership board last September, and most recently, the agency’s ‘Compelling Commerce’ repositioning in August.

As CSO, Munk will lead strategy and CX planning teams across all global offices, focusing on creating Compelling Commerce strategies that inspire innovation and shape the future for Tracy-Locke’s clients.

“We’re at an exciting crossroad for Tracy-Locke as we start to culminate the strategic business decisions we’ve made this past year,” Manikas said. “As we continue to drive Tracy-Locke into its next era, I’m thrilled to welcome Curt Munk to our executive leadership board. After working together previously, I know his tireless push for innovation at every level and deep strategic commerce marketing knowledge will continue to shape our capabilities and focus on creative excellence and forward thinking – all with Compelling Commerce at the center.”

Munk’s creative approach to commerce is driven by his background in behavioral economics and strategic planning that applies human insights across cultural, social, technological, and economic arenas to guide consumers to buy. At Tracy-Locke, he will use his expertise connecting consumer behavior to Compelling Commerce solutions via sound strategy, new tools and capabilities that accelerate brand growth. His short-term priorities include developing deeper full-funnel commerce solutions for consumers and brands, helping the agency re-center on the principles of Compelling Commerce, and building a strategic culture of innovation.

“Our industry is at a turning point where the skills and knowledge that got us to commerce success in 2022 serve as an exciting foundation for the skills and capabilities that are now required for commerce success moving forward,” Munk said. “This is why the idea of Compelling Commerce drew me to Tracy-Locke as a refreshing vision with potential to make a real impact on the industry. I consider myself a passionate student of shopper behavior and appreciate Tracy-Locke’s roots in creativity that drives innovation.”

Before joining Tracy-Locke, Munk led the innovation and thought leadership practice at WPP’s VMLY&R COMMERCE with additional experience leading the strategic planning groups at several global agencies, including FCB Global, Epsilon (Ryan Partnership) and Saatchi & Saatchi X. His global commerce expertise includes shopper marketing, retail shop design, DTC and e-commerce, packaging, promotion, influencer marketing and merchandising solutions for many major brands, including Coca-Cola, Nestlé Purina, ABInbev, P&G, Walmart and SAMSUNG, among others.


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Think big. Now BIGGER. Tracy-Locke Helps to Open Largest LEGO Flagship Retail Store
Tracy Locke Posted On August 25, 2022


When it came to the Grand Re-Opening of the largest LEGO Store in the world on the iconic company’s 90th birthday we knew we had to well, go big. Utilizing a playful use of scale, to drive buzz throughout the city, we designed an experience that took the celebration and imagination to new heights. Eager to see the Leicester Square Store’s new features and builds, thousands of LEGO fans lined up in the square hours before official Grand Re-Opening. They were greeted by a life-size version of the iconic minifigure Lester, as he arrived by bus to kick-off the event. The festivities included a series of life-sized builds inspired by stories of Britain, national icons re-created in brick form, such as James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, displays of Gringotts and Diagon Alley from Harry Potter, and landmarks including Buckingham palace and Big Ben. The event was topped off as guests gathered around a giant 90th Anniversary birthday cake created from thousands of LEGO bricks, as they sang happy birthday.


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Tracy-Locke Launches Rebrand Focusing on People as Co-Founders
Tracy Locke Posted On August 16, 2022


Tracy-Locke, leading commerce and communications agency, is introducing a new brand identity centered around the belief that there is no commerce problem in the world creativity cannot solve. This comes on the heels of two gold and one silver Effie awards in the Omnichannel Shopper Solution and Multi-Retailer Shopper Solution categories, solidifying Tracy-Locke’s track record of creative innovation that uniquely positions the agency to deliver compelling commerce to the marketplace.

As part of its people-first rebrand, the agency is reintroducing the hyphen to its name as a symbol of its people, who are all co-founders of the agency’s future. The small-but-mighty hyphen represents the agency’s integrated yet independent approach that fosters a creative work environment where everyone has a voice and seat at the table.

“Our people are the driving force that bring business and creative ideas together in ways that resonate for our clients and the consumers they’re trying to attract,” said Phil Camarota, Chief Creative Officer at Tracy-Locke. “They are dreamers, planners, artists and data gurus who keep our agency ahead of the commerce curve.”

From the very beginning, Tracy-Locke’s cofounders Shelley Tracy and Raymond Locke believed they were better together, joining forces to create The Original Commerce Agency – one that merged Tracy’s background as a grocery merchant and Locke’s expertise as a creative advertiser. This spirit of diverse and dynamic collaboration holds true today and drives what Tracy-Locke believes is the future of the industry – compelling commerce.  

The idea of compelling commerce carries two meanings for Tracy-Locke: 1) Compelling the industry forward through innovation, and 2) Creating compelling work that drives people to buy into brands and buy products. This is seen through the end-to-end approach Tracy-Locke takes in supporting clients from innovation to implementation.

With a new portfolio of services, the agency is delivering more value to brands through culturally relevant campaigns that hook human interest and connect with diverse and niche audience segments. Inclusive commerce is one of the agency’s latest strategic offerings, seen in the “Full of Detroit Soul” campaign for Pepsi that strengthened the brand’s connection with the city through local artists and support of Black-owned businesses. The campaign received a gold Effie for Omnichannel Shopper Solution, a category in which Tracy-Locke also earned a silver Effie for their work on the Ziploc “Functional Fashion” program.

Creative excellence and forward thinking have been driving the agency’s strategic growth since before the official rebrand, starting with the naming of Tina Manikas as President last June, followed by the agency’s expanded executive leadership board.

“When we expanded our executive leadership board last year, our focus was on four key pillars: driving strategic innovation, compelling creative excellence, expanding client partnerships and unifying talent-building programs,” said Michael Lovegrove, Chief Executive Officer. “As we rebrand, we’re placing an even more intentional focus on these pillars as we take care of our people, our clients and shape the future of commerce marketing.”

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