When it comes to the privacy arena, what trends are you seeing agnostically?

Privacy is one of the fastest changing and most complex realms in the digital space, even more so than Web3. On top of that, privacy is an ever-present undercurrent—ongoing in everything that we do. With a plethora of global and regional players involved—the tech sector, regulatory bodies, public opinion—we can safely say there’s a complex interaction at play, which makes coming up with any long-term prediction or silver bullet solution practically impossible. As a consequence, our waterways can quickly go from clear to muddy. What follows is a sense of fear, uncertainty and doubt among many companies. 

In working with companies across the board, we still see a lot of confusion around technical terminology, with partners raising questions such as, “What is personal data compared to Personally Identifiable Information (PII)?” To be frank, we believe this is in part driven by clickbait. Headlines propagating that “GA is illegal” cause unnecessary confusion and concern, when the fact of the matter is that Google’s GA4 as a product has gone through a massive rebuild from the ground up to address and tackle the issues in question. As a baseline trend, we’re receiving more and more questions about privacy matters with regards to all products in the digital marketing ecosystem—and we welcome them with open arms, because we’re here to help solve the riddle. 

How are you helping clients navigate this new, data-focused advertising landscape?

Our objective is to help our partners take proper control of and ownership over their data collection and activation. Therefore, we first focus on basic data hygiene, conducting health checks and audits. It’s very important to know what your company has in store, so we ask questions like what data is collected, which cookies are set, how is the collected data used, and who else is getting the data of your users? Creating a graph of 3P consumers and beyond is complex and thus requires high levels of scrutiny. 

Though the third-party cookie deprecation has been pushed back until at least late 2025, we don’t like to wait around and carry on in the same way we have always done. Rather, we’re embracing a first-class, first-party and privacy-first strategy, for instance by helping companies migrate to GA4—because we see no reasons for taking a reactive approach. We make sure our partners get on the front foot as fast and efficiently as possible, with a strong emphasis on automation. When you’re working with large data volumes, you can’t rely on human-centric processes to manage compliance. For instance, we have implemented automated machine learning as part of the data pipelines in order to prevent PII ingestion. There’s no way that a company can afford to manage a breach retrospectively or be proactive without automation—simply put, this is the most efficient way to scale. 

What are the main lessons that you have learned on this journey?

First of all, we clearly communicate to every brand we partner with to always aim for transparency, make a plan, and move beyond the minimum. Let’s be honest, the economic headwinds that we are all currently facing mean that every dollar, euro and pound spent needs to deliver a return more than ever before. As such, preserving data quality is our top priority. To give you the full scoop: everything we do to be more transparent, protect users’ privacy, and apply rigor and governance to data collection and activation is, in fact, enhancing the data quality, too. So long as you go about your data the right way, you can’t go wrong. 

Speaking of data quality, another key lesson that we have learned is to use time to the fullest. Yes, industry leaders like Google may unexpectedly push back plans, but rather than seeing this as an issue, we believe it can work to our advantage. Setting up the privacy tech for this tool is quick and easy—the hard part is changing the people and processes, which we know can take a while to get completely right. Though we expect that many brands will interpret this extension of GA360 as extra time to look around and perhaps jump ship to another technology, we believe that this is a risky strategy. Instead, we recommend our partners to take this change of plans as an opportunity to perfect, rather than a chance to pivot. There are no excuses to delay GA4 migration. It's imperative to use this time to manage change, translate data workloads, dashboards and data pipelines, and ensure all those GA360 assets become high quality GA4 assets.

Do you see gaps in performance between brands that invest in privacy and those who don’t?

There's a clear and definite advantage to taking a strong privacy-first approach to data—and companies are catching on. People are realizing (or, at least, starting to realize) that we’re not playing a zero-sum game and the exchange of data in return for personalization and better ad targeting is the data privacy transaction we all engage in—with reciprocity being the key word. Those who are best able to complete this transaction at scale will be rewarded with the best results, whereas those who continue to walk the third-party cookie path will fall behind. For some time now, we’ve been helping many of our partners run on a healthy diet of deterministic and probabilistic data and not trip over the mix of consented first-party and modeled data, and we can tell you: they are in good shape. 

Want to discuss next steps? Get in touch. 

Everything you do for privacy feeds back into your data quality, hence the opportunity to sharpen and perfect your process of migration to GA4 is one to take with both hands. It’s essential for brands to look beyond the obstacles of GA4 and work to get the best first-party data off the back of the migration.

We’re here to help make sense of changes in the privacy landscape, how to make use of GA4 data, and how such technologies can support all your marketing needs. If you have any questions with regards to GA4 migration, please reach out to growth@mediamonks.com. We’ll schedule some time to discuss any questions you may have and see how we can support your analytics needs.

Insights for this piece were contributed by Doug Hall, VP Data Services and Technology, EMEA; Julien Coquet, Director of Analytics, EMEA; Suzanne Jansen, Head of Data Strategy, EMEA; Véronique Franzen, Senior Director Business Consulting, EMEA; Jakub Otrząsek, VP Data, APAC; Sayf Sharif, VP Data, NAMER; Michael Neveu, Director of Data, NAMER; and Wenting Wang, Senior Director of Data & Analytics, UK.

In this Labs report, we'll uncover how Generative AI is impacting digital creation today, and will explore how to keep ahead of where the tech is going next.

In this Labs report, you’ll:

• Learn what Generative AI is and what’s currently available
• Understand how the tech works
• See the technology in real-world action
• Peek into what the future holds
• Learn how to harness its power now

Generative AI supercharges production for higher quality creative output.

In this animated trailer for an original series called "Ancestor Saga," we demonstrate how Generative AI can be applied to film production. This prototype leverages Stable Diffusion AI for generating background scenes and custom Img2Img neural networks for AI-based rotoscoping of virtual characters.

See our findings about the benefits of using generative AI, including time and labor reduction in production, in the report.

In the latest episode of IMO, Brianna Mersey, Media.Monks Associate Director of Data, sat down with Marc Laurent-Atthalin, VP Data & Digital Media at Reitmans, and Zamira Khamidova, Director of Data North America at Media.Monks, to discuss what it took to shift the traditional retail business into a modern data stack capable of enabling marketing use cases. Throughout the conversation, they shared insight into how to set your data foundation up for success, the importance of aligning stakeholders across the business, and the need for a “test and learn” mindset. If you missed the episode, we’ve got you covered—watch it in full below.

Reitmans was able to adopt such advanced analytic methods because the team had already established a strong foundation of data, making it easy to implement models that were more reactive to customer behavior and transaction histories. Marc and Zamira offered advice on how to select which data sources to start with (opt for rich, actionable data sets that give you lots to work with) and how to ensure that data is clean and reliable.

Marc also shared the importance of aligning with internal stakeholders to gain buy-in and chart the path forward. “It’s important to build a clear vision and strategy initially and communicate it properly, and then use data to build your case,” Marc said. By tying data objectives with business outcomes, his team was able to prioritize use cases and deliver results quickly, then test and iterate from there. For example, building a 360-degree view of the customer provided insights to drive conversion, fulfilling the key business need to propel growth.

When it comes to initiatives like these, treating your partner as an extension of your team is key. “Collaboration is hugely important,” Zamira said. “When it comes to data, there are lots of questions on the context—especially with historical data, so it was important for us to have two-way communication and hear back on any questions we had.” This level of regular communication also helps with further collaboration as the engagement evolves. 

So, where is Reitmans headed next? You’ll have to watch above to find out—including the brand’s plans around Web3, which is set to transform the brand-customer relationship even further. And if you’re eager for more insights from Media.Monks subject matter experts and our partners, mark your calendar for the next episode of IMO later this month.

Amazon Brand Stores offer customization and control.

Amazon sellers can build a strong customer connection through the brand store by sharing their stories and educating shoppers on the brand’s mission, values, and much more. There is no other place on Amazon where the customer experience is controlled. Competitors’ ads are not visible on the Brand Store, which allows for a more customizable experience that focuses on just the brand’s products and offerings. With the spotlight being purely on the brand, this feature is crucial to leverage compelling brand storytelling.

Set your Brand Store up for success.

Once an Amazon seller completes the Amazon Brand Registry, they’ll be able to create an Amazon Brand Store. It’s important to note that the Brand Store template should reflect the brand’s image. Amazon frequently releases new ideas for sellers to boost their revenue and customers’ loyalty, such as brand videos to show products in motion, interactive posts, and product comparison tables. By adding these components, sellers can emphasize how their products can solve the shoppers’ problems with lifestyle images and a brief brand story. 

The Brand Store should include an “About Us” section or page, which speaks on the brand’s story and competitive advantages. This allows them to establish a rapport with their shoppers and provide a more personable experience. 

Since ecommerce shoppers rely heavily on visuals to make important purchase decisions, Brand Store imagery should be a top priority for sellers. Images and videos should follow specific size requirements to avoid any store errors. Other best practices for images include showing a variety of high quality images and ordering them in a way that prioritizes the images in a specific sequence.

Successful Brand Stores should also have a user-friendly navigation menu, categorized in a way that matches the brand’s target audience needs. Since the Brand Store acts as a hub for customer browsing, I recommend all products are available and accessible through the Brand Store. 

Analyze and optimize every step of the customer journey.

Amazon Brand Stores should always be monitored and optimized based on the data and engagement. This includes updating active promotions as well as featuring new product launches and seasonal products. If the seller fails to keep the Brand Store updated, they risk losing sales and revenue. According to Amazon, on average Brand Stores updated within a 90-day window have 21% more repeat visitors and 35% higher attributed sales per visitor. With the goal of increasing sales and customer loyalty, sellers should focus on optimizing the Brand Store content to be as informative and relevant as possible. 

Last but not least, sellers are able to track their Brand Store performance and shoppers’ engagement. These metrics include but are not limited to daily visitors, page views, estimated total sales, and so much more. Reviewing these metrics can be beneficial for a seller who wants to use their Brand Store in conjunction with their other marketing efforts.

What is A/B testing?

In a digital environment where everything can be tracked and measured, testing your strategies is a no brainer. Content strategy plays a key role in driving organic traffic and converting sales, so by leveraging and optimizing your content, you can increase the chances of shoppers purchasing your product over your competitors. A/B testing is one of a handful of the best practices you can use to enhance content on the platform.

Also known as split testing, A/B testing on Amazon is a method of determining the best-performing product listing variation. By comparing two versions of the same content, you can identify the exact element that is driving purchase-ready shoppers to act, taking into account metrics such as conversion rate, sessions, and total sales. That being said, you should have a strong understanding of your current metrics, performance and challenges before building an A/B testing plan. This will allow you to have a solid base foundation before making any changes.

Start by running an A/B test experiment on Amazon.

Amazon launched its own A/B testing tool in 2019 called Manage Your Experiments, which allows US brand owners to test two variations of one product listing element. As a brand owner wanting to test different A+ content elements, you must have eligible ASINs, otherwise they will not be displayed in the A/B test experience. To be eligible, ASINs must belong to your brand, and they must have high enough traffic in their respective categories to determine content winners with confidence. 

Keep best practices for A/B testing in mind.

By following a few tips, you can begin your test experiment with confidence. Here are some recommendations:

• Strategically create a hypothesis to learn something from the experiment regardless of the outcomes.
• To get a larger sample size, experiment on high-traffic ASINs.
• Stick to making one change at a time to avoid confusion on which variables influenced the experiment outcomes. 
• Don’t stop early – you can run experiments for four, six, eight or ten weeks to ensure accurate results.

Get to know the elements of A/B testing.

Nearly any element of your A+ content can be A/B tested. However, you should use your own judgment to determine what to test based on your current performance. Consider working with an Amazon Ads Partner to strategically outline the testing method. Some variation ideas for your A/B experiment: 

• Utilize a comparison chart.
• Rearrange and update your modules and images.
• Present the same images and text using a different module layout.
• Include lifestyle images.
• Highlight one set of product features versus a different set.
• Add your brand name to the product title.
• Use different headlines to engage and motivate shoppers to learn more about your product.

Keep in mind that your experimental content should differ from the existing content, otherwise it is less likely to affect consumer behavior and you may not be able to confidently determine a winning variation. The key to a unified branding strategy is consistency, which applies to your color scheme, icons, layout, and even text fonts.

Wait for optimal data.

Patience is key here as most tests need several weeks to gather enough data to determine a winning variation. While Amazon recommends testing for eight to ten weeks, you can adjust the schedule or even turn off the test while it is running. You will start to see data within one or two weeks, although this preliminary data is not representative of the true impact of your experiment. Be sure to let your experiment run its full course before interpreting the results and making a decision. 

Gauge the effectiveness of your experiment.

While launching new marketing initiatives on Amazon can lead to an increase in traffic, you should know how to gauge the effectiveness of each initiative to dial in on what works best. 

Once your A/B test ends, you will get the following from Amazon: 

• Recommendations on which content variation is more effective
• A confidence level of the recommendations
• A confidence interval of likely outcomes from that content
• Estimated 12-month impact on sales

These insights will highlight the most effective content for your product detail pages to boost total sales and conversions for your Amazon products. By learning from these experiments, you can optimize and improve your other product listings. You might find it beneficial to run experiments during different seasonal periods as this will provide you with a better understanding of your consumers and their expectations. 

When analyzing your results, be sure to keep your audience in mind to make the most informed decision. Although it takes time and patience to run A/B tests, the optimization is worth it if you want to dominate your market. Happy testing and selling!

In this Labs report, we tap into the unique tech, perspectives and potential of the region and share some use cases that brands and marketers can apply anywhere in the world.

In this report, you will learn:

• The most influential technologies of each region
• Regional and local trends
• Attitudes toward adopting tech and innovation in the region
• How APAC relates to the rest of the world
• Takeaways to help with brand success

Zepeto Prototype: The Metaverse Reloaded

APAC’s hunger for tech and virtual innovation create an ideal set of circumstances to build a revolutionary new platform. To showcase this, we created an experience hub in APAC’s biggest metaverse platform: Zepeto.