Hey there! Are you ready for Super Bowl? 🏈

This week, we dive into how brands can maximize ad performance during the Super Bowl, leverage TikTok’s social commerce insights 📲, and explore new ad opportunities on Threads 🧵.

Plus, find out how hyper-personalization is boosting customer loyalty and why digital-first habits are permanent.

Let’s jump in!

ECOMMERCE STRETEGIES

🏈 Super Bowl Strategies: Capitalize on Big Game Ad Performance

With the Super Bowl approaching, it’s prime time to optimize your ad campaigns and leverage the increased mobile engagement during this massive event.

Why Advertise During the Big Game?

Users are highly active on their phones during the game, especially during ads and the halftime show.

Last year, advertisers saw significant success running targeted campaigns, particularly Reels and Story-only placements, with boosted performance during Super Bowl weekend (Feb 9-11).

📉 Key Metrics from Last Year’s Campaigns:

CPMs dropped 4.68%

CPCs decreased 8.82%

ROAS increased 2.30% after raising ad spend by 40%.

Tactics to Maximize Impact:

Run Countdown Ads: Build hype with campaigns leading up to the event.

Engage with Game-Day Polls: Create interactive ads with fan predictions or team opinions.

Use Trending Hashtags: Align campaigns with trending Super Bowl discussions.

Offer Exclusive Deals: Tie promotions to the Big Game (e.g., use discount code “LIX” to match this year’s Super Bowl).

Showcase UGC: Feature fan-created content of your product in action, especially outdoors.

Advertisers should focus ad spend during Super Bowl weekend to tap into lower CPMs, higher engagement, and better returns. Start planning now to score big this season!

SPONSORED BY OMNISEND

Year in Email 2024

This isn’t your average report! 

Omnisend analyzed 23+ billion emails to bring you everything from usual opens and clicks to the quirkiest and cheesiest insights that marketers can’t resist.

And while the boring part of the ecommerce email marketing report simmers, let’s jump into Year in Email | The Fun Edition! 

Here is what inside:

Top 10 most-used emojis (Is it time to mix things up?)

Most mentioned artists (Tailor, Drake, or Beyonce–who ruled?)

Cats, dogs… or chickens? The ultimate inbox animal showdown

The TV shows, movies, and sports that marketers couldn’t stop mentioning

Overused marketing phrases, “oops” moments, and so much more

Need a break from the usual marketing grind? You’re in the right place—this recap is as fun as it is insightful. 

See how 2024 shaped email and what’s in store for 2025. – Check out Omnisend report

ECOMMERCE SOCIAL MEDIA

📲 What TikTok Teaches Marketplaces About Social Shopping’s Sweet Spot

Digital marketplaces have transformed retail, but TikTok’s social commerce success highlights a unique sweet spot between discovery and engagement. Sandie Hawkins, former head of TikTok U.S. eCommerce and now president of Teikametrics, explains how brands can thrive by leveraging marketplaces and AI-powered tools.

“Marketplaces are the new digital malls,” Hawkins states. Platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and TikTok offer global reach, allowing even niche brands to compete. But success goes beyond just being present. Brands need strategies to stand out and engage shoppers authentically.

What TikTok Gets Right:

Authenticity: Social commerce feels like a trusted recommendation from a friend.

Experiential Shopping: Creators demonstrate products, building trust and driving impulse buys.

The Challenges:

Data fragmentation across platforms hinders optimization. Hawkins highlights the need for tools like Teikametrics, which uses AI to analyze sales, listings, and behavior across channels, empowering brands to fine-tune strategies and reach the right customers with the right message.

Takeaway for Brands:

It’s not just about being present—it’s about creating strong, engaging content and leveraging data-driven insights to optimize across marketplaces. Platforms like TikTok provide inspiration, but AI-powered tools unlock true scalability and success.

ECOMMERCE ADS

🧵 Threads Tests Ads in the US and Japan

Meta’s social media platform Threads, a competitor to X, has begun testing ads with select brands in the U.S. and Japan. These tests will feature image-based ads labeled as “Sponsored” and include options for users to control ad topics or report ads.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri emphasized the importance of user feedback in shaping this rollout:

Why Now?

Threads, launched in 2023, initially prioritized user growth, with 275M monthly active users and 100M active users by December 2024. With user engagement stabilizing, Meta is leveraging Threads’ scale to explore monetization.

Meta also notes that ads are key to helping users discover brands they might love while boosting revenue.

Takeaway for Advertisers:

Marketers targeting younger, digitally savvy audiences should monitor Threads’ ad evolution. Early adoption could offer unique insights into ad performance and engagement on a platform competing with X for market share.

This rollout could mark the beginning of Threads as a serious advertising player in the social media ecosystem. Keep an eye on this space!

ECOMMERCE TRENDS

🎯 Retailers Use Hyper-Personalization to Elevate Customer Loyalty

Hyper-personalized experiences are becoming essential in retail, driving customer engagement and long-term loyalty. By leveraging advanced AI models like transformers, retailers are redefining interactions and meeting rising consumer expectations for tailored shopping experiences.

The Role of AI in Personalization

AI-powered tools deliver smart product recommendations, intuitive chatbots, and predictive insights.

Advanced models like OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s language models enable sentiment analysis, fraud detection, and proactive customer support.

Post-Purchase as a Loyalty Driver

Ram Ravichandran, CTO at Narvar, highlights the importance of seamless post-purchase experiences. From addressing issues like shipping delays to offering tailored follow-ups, brands are building trust while boosting average order values.

Consumer Preferences

44% of consumers value relevant, tailored offers, while millennials lead the charge in switching merchants for better personalization (41%).

Strategies like exclusive rewards, engaging content, and seamless returns from brands like Amazon, Sephora, and Nike solidify loyalty.

Takeaway for Retailers

Personalization is no longer optional—it’s a competitive necessity. Retailers embracing hyper-personalization are not only meeting consumer demands but creating emotional connections that ensure repeat business and positive word-of-mouth.

ECOMMERCE TRENDS

💉Five Years After COVID: The Permanent Shift to Digital-First Habits

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic upended daily life, its impact on consumer behavior remains undeniable.

While physical activities like dining out, shopping in stores, and attending live events have rebounded, digital-first habits formed during the pandemic are here to stay.

Key insights:

The Digital-Physical Balance: 41% of retail shoppers now use digital channels more than they did pre-pandemic, with 72% planning to maintain or increase this behavior. Even industries like grocery shopping and healthcare have seen permanent changes, with online grocery shopping increasing 30% and telemedicine adoption rising from 8% to 31%.

Pandemic Accelerators: Businesses were forced to innovate quickly during lockdowns, creating better digital experiences through online marketplaces, curbside pickup, and telehealth. These “survival strategies” have now become consumer expectations.

Enduring Trends: Consumers prioritize convenience, efficiency, and seamless integration of digital and physical experiences. For example, apps now act as the primary gateway to transactions, whether for shopping, dining, or booking services.

Digital as the Default: Digital engagement isn’t just an alternative—it’s the primary mode for many. Businesses must create hybrid experiences that blend technological ease with human connection to thrive.

The pandemic didn’t just change habits; it rewired expectations. Companies that embrace this shift and design consumer-centric ecosystems will lead in a world where digital and physical are inseparably linked.

Signing off,

The Merchant @CartHustle