Havas Bolsters Ecommerce Arm With Expert Edge Acquisition

With Euromonitor pitting the global e-commerce market to expand by $1 trillion by 2025, Havas Group has acquired consultancy Expert Edge to boost its credentials in the space. The London-based business will bolster Havas Market, the network's dedicated shopping agency which first launched in the U.K. back in 2020—and has since expanded into an additional 20 countries including Australia, India and Singapore. Expert Edge, which was founded by former Amazon execs Alex Walker and David Jennison in 2016, brings to Havas Market expertise in strategic consulting and operational capabilities in e-commerce. Havas Media Group clients such as O2 and Hyundai will now have access to talent and tools across SEO, content, Amazon Advertising services and more. Jennison will become managing director of Havas Market, as well as CEO of Expert Edge, while Walker will continue to support as a non-executive director. All Expert Edge staff will move to Havas' HQ in central London. The move follows on several digital acquisitions for Havas, as it looks to build out its digital end-to-end services for clients. Earlier this year, Havas U.K. acquired digital experience agency Inviqa and Google partner Search Laboratory. In February, Havas Media Group snapped up dynamic creative optimisation specialists Additive+. Patrick Affleck, CEO at HavasMedia Group UK, said: “Ecommerce is a huge opportunity, but it’s complex and costly to not get right. As such, there’s a pressing need to rethink the ecommerce journey—to deliver more meaningful and joined up retail experiences for the end customer. Havas Forms B-to-B Unit to Service Clients Such as Maersk and Twill He said, he wanted Havas Market to be "a one-stop shop" for clients' ecommerce needs, whether it's a direct-to-consumer businesses looking to scale up—or established brands looking to create new routes to market. "Along with our other recent acquisitions, we’re equipping Havas Market with all the necessary skills, tools and technology to help give our clients the competitive edge—as they seek to fully realize the digital retail opportunity," he explained. A 'new age' of commerce The pandemic accelerated e-commerce growth, leading clients to prioritize digital as both a sales and media channel. In tow with this, the big six agency networks have doubled down on the space, leaving a trail of M&A activity in their wake as they look to scale up what they can offer to clients. In the last few months alone, acquisitions have included WPP buying Netherlands agency Newcraft and Publicis Groupe's purchase of Profitero. While physical stores have reopened, the category is still growing incrementally. GroupM’s recent E-Commerce and Retail Media Forecast has predicted e-commerce sales will make up a quarter of global retail sales by 2027. They’ll comprise 19% of 2022's global retail sales, according to the research, up from 18% in 2020 and 2021—and leaving room for relatively significant growth in the coming five years. In mid-September, Havas' French bedfellow Publicis unveiled a new leadership structure, dedicated to delivering "creative commerce" for brands. Chief executive Arthur Sadoun described the future of the business as “the new age of commerce," saying the industry was still “relegating commerce to a specialism” and treating it as “a siloed capability.” For Havas Market's Jennison, brands are entering an era where customers don’t distinguish between all their commerce touchpoints: they might discover a brand on TikTok, purchase it on Amazon, follow it on Instagram and then complain or champion it on Twitter. "For [customers] it’s all one unified commerce experience with the brand," he told Adweek. "When touchpoints become siloed or fragmented, that can lead to missing opportunities to elevate customer experience or grow sales—and sometimes both. "Brands require a new type of agency that can bind together all commerce touchpoints with engaging holistic and connected e-commerce experiences," he added. WPP Bolsters Wunderman Thompson’s Ecommerce Offer With Netherlands Agency Newcraft Deal