‘Total Commerce’ Needs A Shared Language: UM Worldwide’s Owen

MARCO ISLAND, FL — In an era where digital storefronts are just a click away, the lines between media and commerce are blurring. As consumers lounge in their living rooms, their favorite shows may soon double as the latest shopping platform. “Imagine you’re watching a TV show and someone was wearing a red dress and you want to purchase that dress,” posits Amie Owen, US Head of Commerce at UM Worldwide. “You’re able to interact with the actual screen to actually purchase.” Streaming and Shopping: A Match Made in Retail Heaven Owen outlines a vision for commerce that transcends traditional media, embracing content, technology, and the physical store to create what she calls “total commerce” – a holistic approach that considers the entire user journey. Retail had already been fusing with online content. What’s new is the fusion of commerce with internet-targeted CTV ads, an arrival which finally delivers the long-ago promise of interactive shoppable TV. Owen sees a ripe opportunity to leverage this trend. “Why not make everything shoppable, including that actual moment that they’re engaging with their television screens or their iPad or their mobile phone, however they’re streaming to date?” she asks. Measuring Success in a Fragmented Landscape However, the path to a shoppable future isn’t without its challenges. Measurement, an essential aspect of commerce, remains complex. “Measurement is still the wild West,” Owen acknowledges. Recently, some have been calling for standards in the fast-growing space. Albertsons Media Collective has been working on such things. It has been working with the IAB on a possible framework. Owen calls for a shared understanding of metrics rather than absolute standardization, suggesting a need for a common “dictionary” to ensure everyone is speaking the same language. ‘Standardization is the Future of Retail Media Networks’: Albertsons Media Collective UM Worldwide, also known as Universal McCann, is a global media and marketing agency. It specializes in media planning and buying, digital marketing, search engine marketing, and analytics. Owen was interviewed at the IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting, where retail media was on the lips of gathered executives. You’re watching “Digital Media in Transition”, a Beet.TV Leadership Series at IAB ALM 2024 presented by Sharethrough. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.