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A Whitepaper by WARC: From Discovery To Purchase
A Whitepaper by WARC: From Discovery To Purchase
Introduction by WARC
At WARC, we aim to place facts at the heart of decisions to enable more effective marketing. A major theme
of our 2021 content has been the rising importance of a media ecosystem in which audiences can go from
product discovery to purchase with little more than a click or tap, and the major implications it has for media
planning.
This report, produced in partnership with TikTok and Publicis Groupe, aims to explore the role that social
communities play in influencing purchase decisions.
1.
A global survey of 2,230 consumers across 11 markets inclusive of UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain,
US, Canada, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Brazil. Survey criteria are based on those using at least
two social media platforms weekly and 18-45 years old. Social media platforms included: TikTok,
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Kwai for Brazil only.
2. 3.
One-on-one interviews with 18 marketing Secondary expert review of the latest best
leaders across advertisers and agencies. practice on WARC and existing proprietary
research.
Contents
Introduction by WARC 2 Chapter 3
Industry experts interviewed for this report 4 Propelling purchase decisions 19
Summary of themes 5 The impact of community commerce on decision making 20
Social communities driving purchase 21
Chapter 1 All categories are impacted by the collapse of the funnel 22
Community commerce as an emerging opportunity 6 The immediacy of livestreaming 23
Social media offers new ways to engage audiences 7 The industry view 24
Impact of the pandemic on shopper behaviour 8 Chapter takeaways 25
Social communities as ‘sticky ecosystems’ 9
Chapter 4
This equates to a major test and learn phase 10
New ways to tell brand stories 26
The industry view 11
The rise of content creators 27
Chapter takeaways 12
The uniqueness of community 28
Chapter 2 Staying true to the nature of the platform 29
Discovery and inspiration disrupt the path to purchase 13 The industry view 30
Adapting to behaviours where journeys are no longer linear 14 Chapter takeaways 31
Stimulating attention to drive outcomes 15
Chapter 5
Importance of creativity in capturing your audience up front 16
How can these learnings be applied in practice? 32
The industry view 17
Brand owner view 33
Chapter takeaways 18
What does this mean for brands moving forwards? 34
Case study: Little Moons 35
Case study: Habit 36
Nikhil Rao John Dillon Kevin Shapiro Jeremy Cohen Daniela Mercado
Senior Director of Marketing, Executive VP, Senior Vice President, VP, Head of Media Mobile Marketing,
Mondelēz SEA Chief Brand Officer, US Marketing – Head of Global Content Samsung Electronics
Denny’s Consumer Beauty, Partnerships, America
Coty Publicis Groupe
Helen Lin Cristina Lawrence Uwe Roschmann Krinio Christaras Amrita Randhawa
Global Chief Digital Officer, EVP, Managing Director, Head of Media & Consumer CEO,
Publicis Groupe Marketing Strategy & Digitas Pixelpark Germany and Experience MENAP, Publicis Groupe
Social Discipline Lead, Head of Social Commerce, Mondelēz International South East Asia
Razorfish Publicis Groupe Europe
Summary of themes
Community commerce, a type Social media has disrupted the To maximise opportunities, Community is a powerful force in
of social commerce which sits at purchase journey, which is now brands must make the most of social commerce, and community
the intersection of community, led by spontaneous discovery and technologies that facilitate a commerce in particular, providing
shopping and entertainment, has inspiration, and no longer follows seamless community commerce a space where creators and
been accelerated by the ongoing the traditional path. experience. brands can build the high levels of
shift to digital in our lives. engagement that drive inspiration
Every moment on a platform is All product categories have the and purchase.
With the right approach, brands can an opportunity for conversion, potential to convert audiences:
fit seamlessly into the social media and authentic creativity is key beauty, clothing and accessories Creators boost discovery, motivate
experience, and those who are to attracting and retaining the led the way, and now luxury and audiences to try new products, and
willing to test and learn are already audience’s attention. automotive are also maximising help make a brand relatable.
reaping the rewards. opportunities.
Chapter 1
Community
commerce as
an emerging
opportunity
Conte
m
uni ty
Social commerce, a broader term, describes the fast-growing retail opportunities
and solutions presented by social media, often involving mechanics such as paid
display media and one-way activation dynamics.
There is huge potential for brands to engage audiences as they congregate around
particular interests, trending hashtags or creative stories. By infiltrating these
communities, brands can offer consumers a genuine value exchange.
om c
e
Consumers head to certain social platforms for entertainment and discovery,
C
cultivating a playful and curious mindset that creates a powerful space for brand
communications, placed right at the intersection of creator content, community and me r
traditional social commerce.
Impact of the Those who have ever purchased a product or service after
seeing it advertised or reviewed on social media
pandemic on
shopper behaviour 100%
94%
91%
87% 87% 86% 85%
The pandemic has shifted more and more of 82% 81% 80% 79%
80% 78%
our daily activities online, so that a social media
presence is no longer optional for brands, it’s a
necessity.
60%
buying behaviour.
78%
as ‘sticky
80%
72% 72%
ecosystems’ 60%
G3. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about shopping on social media platforms?
Base: all respondents, n= 2,230. Platforms included: TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat (Kwai for Brazil).
TikTok is a fun place to continually test and learn. Its algorithm Like many companies, we saw and benefitted from the
is identifying the customer and finding the right people to shift to online and increased our spend to reflect the
reach. But the same algorithm that helps a post to go viral can increased penetration of e-commerce, because we know
make it fall flat, so we are all learning. that’s where the consumer is.
Ryan Hartsfield, Director, Social Media, Monster Energy Kevin Shapiro, Senior Vice President, US Marketing –
Consumer Beauty, Coty
The intersection of community, shopping and entertainment is what’s Development for the social platforms has sped up, not just to
really different about TikTok. I can move from being entertained by bring fully functional new features, but also to test and learn
my favourite creators into a shopping moment – or telling my friends a lot more aggressively than in the past. We as consumers
about it or sharing it – pretty easily. have been conditioned to make purchases as seamlessly
Amy Lanzi, EVP, North America Commerce Practice Lead at and as quickly as possible, and social has done a great job of
Publicis Groupe facilitating those interactions.
Jeremy Cohen, VP, Head of Global Content Partnerships,
Publicis Groupe
Com
nt
Conte
m
Chapter takeaways
unity
Community
commerce
1.
The pandemic has accelerated online activity, and
om c
e
C
consumers increasingly want and expect to be able to shop me r
on social.
2.
Boundaries between community, shopping and
entertainment are blurring, making social media a space
where brands can fit seamlessly into the experience.
3.
Social commerce is in a fast-moving test-and-learn phase
for both brands and platforms, favouring those who are
willing to experiment.
Chapter 2
Discovery and
inspiration
disrupt the path
to purchase
behaviours where
journeys are no
Make Make
Purchase Purchase
Earlier this year James Hankins authored the Hankins Experience Experience
product product
Hexagon on WARC, which presents a much needed and
flexible model to analyse and optimise the path to purchase,
highlighting how decisions are made differently by CPG Automotive
categories.
attention to drive
77% 77%
outcomes
80%
71% 70%
D5. Thinking about [social media platform] specifically, how much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Base: all respondents, n= 2,230.
Figures represent the average agreement across all platforms surveyed: TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat (Kwai for Brazil).
Honest Unique
When every post is just one thumb scroll away from losing a customer,
images and sounds need to have an immediate appeal if they are going to
break through on social media.
The right soundtrack and the right image, delivered in a format that’s native
to the platform, are key to helping consumers discover new products. Brands
Trustworthy Inspiring
should be more visually driven to build trust.
Source: TikTok Marketing Science Understanding Authenticity, Happiness and Joy 2021.
Research conducted by Flamingo Group.
If I have only a few seconds of attention span, the branding Digital commerce has evolved to become a much richer and
needs to work alongside the sales element. You are not going to more exciting experience more akin to shopping in the real world
do social commerce by first doing a 30 second TV commercial – browsing products, recommending them to friends – being able
and then retargeting with a 20% off. That doesn’t exist anymore. to ‘shop the look’ at the click of a button or overlay a virtual sofa in
Uwe Roschmann, Managing Director, Digitas Pixelpark your living room. The possibilities are endless; this is an incredibly
Germany and Head of Social Commerce, Publicis Groupe exciting space where we’ll only see more and more innovation.
Europe Jonathan Lewis-Jones, MD, Publicis Commerce
Social is about the serendipity of discovery; I think that’s Some clients and brands consider us social, but we think we
where social delivers its magic. It’s a highly curated are more about entertainment and discovery. TikTok is a highly
experience and personalised feeds really help that engaging platform, it provides a tangible value to consumers and
discovery. it’s also time well spent. Time well spent with relevant content
Cristina Lawrence, EVP, Marketing Strategy & Social can often lead to unplanned purchases.
Discipline Lead, Razorfish Jorge Ruiz, Head of Marketing Science, TikTok
Chapter takeaways
1.
Social media has disrupted the purchase journey,
rendering the traditional linear model obsolete and opening
up new, more spontaneous behaviours that mean every
moment is an opportunity for conversion.
2.
In the fast, stimulating online environment, social media is
inspiring over 70% of consumers to shop, even when they
aren’t looking to.
3.
Creativity is a key factor in attracting and retaining the
audience’s attention, helping customers to discover new
products and services, and helping brands to stand out
from the competition.
Chapter 3
Propelling
purchase
decisions
The impact of
community commerce
on decision making
As social media platforms become a destination for entertainment, information and
commerce as well as connection, the line between content and commerce is being
eroded, leading to more spontaneous and unplanned purchases.
A planned purchase is a purchase that has been considered and often determined
before entering the buying environment, on either a broad or narrow level of planning
(e.g. on brand, sub-category or category level).
An impulse purchase is made without advance planning with high emotional activation Planned Unplanned Impulse
and lack of cognitive deliberation driven by overwhelming force from the product that
can be explained by the hedonic nature of the purchase. purchase purchase purchase
Community commerce naturally lends itself to more emotional reactions. The nature
of the content – which often focuses on human interaction, a clear sense of time and
place, and meaningful relationships – has the potential to drive immediately impactful
behaviour. The nature of engagement and stimulation through community commerce
presents a powerful opportunity for brands looking to achieve growth via unplanned
purchases.
Source: Definitions of planned, unplanned and impulse purchases from QuickTok: TikTok as a place of Unplanned & Impulse
purchases
63%
60%
Social media can now offer a seamless experience that takes brands
from discovery to purchase with the scroll of a thumb, without leaving the 40%
0%
Our recent global survey showed that across social media platforms, Planned Unplanned Impulse
on average just 14% of purchases were planned, in contrast to 63% for
unplanned or 23% impulse. This demonstrates the clear impact of social
environments on driving results. How online purchases were made, after seeing
This again points to the opportunities for brands looking to leverage the product on a social media platform
communities in order to sell products. By engaging the audiences and
80%
collaborating with creators, brands aren’t just placing themselves in front
66% 64%
of people anymore, they’re becoming part of communities, and that drives
60%
action.
40%
Ease of conversion is also key to this success, and brands are working with 29%
platforms to make the purchase process as seamless as possible in order to 20%
keep improving results. Beyond capturing consumers’ attention, platforms
are also focusing on their storefront propositions to enable brands to 0%
maximise the opportunities for native commerce. I bought something I bought something I bought something
online via a shopping online via the brand’s directly from
website or app own website or app the platform
D9. Thinking about the last product you bought in the [CATEGORY NAME] category, please rate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Base: all respondents who bought a product online in the beauty & personal care, food & drink, luxury, automotive/cars, and fast food categories, n= 536.
D2. You mentioned that you bought something on [social media platform] online. Thinking about the product(s) you bought, which of these have applied?
Please tick all that apply. Base: those who have bought something they saw on [social media platform] online: n=1,539. Figures represent the average
agreement across all platforms surveyed: TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat (Kwai for Brazil).
© Copyright WARC 2021, All rights reserved.
PROPELLING PURCHASE DECISIONS 22
60%
Livestreaming is still in its infancy in most parts of 100%
Beauty and fashion are definitely leaders in social media. They Consumers now expect instant gratification when a purchase
have done an incredible job, and because of the success that decision has been made; the key risk to a brand is if that
they have seen, the more expensive brands are following. decision to purchase is not followed by a seamless checkout
Daniela Mercado, Head of Media Mobile Marketing, experience. The pandemic will end at some point, but consumer
Samsung Electronics America habits and expectations born out of COVID will persevere; social
platforms recognise this new reality and are at the forefront of
delivering intuitive, seamless shopping experiences for brands
and consumers.
TikTok humanises the shopping experience. It invites users to be Jeremy Cohen, VP, Head of Global Content Partnerships,
part of a moment. Sometimes it’s illogical and that’s fine – why Publicis Groupe
should it be logical? It’s people-based marketing. We see everyday
people have the power to influence shopping behaviour all the
time on the platform and that’s what makes this truly unique.
Jiayi (Ray) Cao, Managing Director, Global Head of Product
Strategy and Operations, TikTok
Chapter takeaways
1.
Social media’s role as a connector makes it an ideal place
for brands to reach their audiences. Consumers are open
to commerce and the unplanned, serendipitous element of
social discovery thrives when brands facilitate a seamless
purchase experience.
2.
The success of the social commerce pioneers is
broadening the type of brands that actively pursue retail on
the platforms. Where beauty, clothing and accessories led
the way, luxury and automotive are following.
3.
As technology and marketing techniques become more
sophisticated, livestreaming is taking off as a way to
inspire audiences by combining commerce, entertainment
and community in an interactive experience.
Chapter 4
New ways
to tell brand
stories
For more read: CC1. Thinking now about content creators, to what extent do you agree with the following statements?
Base: all respondents, n= 2,230. Figures represent the average agreement across all platforms surveyed: TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat (Kwai for Brazil).
The WARC Guide to brands and the creator economy Based on those that ‘Strongly agree’ or ‘Somewhat agree
Brands have been highly democratised by social media, meaning that users
can become fans and evangelists on a grand scale – although it can leave Browsing content on this platform helps
them exposed to criticism if they are seen as inauthentic. me feel close to the latest trends, memes and
challenges
Building a sense of community around your brand, with and without creators,
will open it up to a much wider, more committed audience. This is true of
Conversations and comments on this
established brands like Nike and Lululemon as well as new e-commerce
platform feel open for anyone to join
start-ups.
The way for brands to build a community is to support and educate followers:
The wide variety of things to do makes it easy
make funny and entertaining content, demonstrate what you stand for, invent to feel part of this platform community
new memes and challenges, and share information.
Across platforms, 70% say that conversations and comments feel open for
I feel part of a network of people with shared
anyone to join, and 68% of users say that they feel part of a network of people interests on this platform
with shared interests. TikTok’s unique sense of community means that 74% of
its users agree that browsing content on the platform helps them to feel close
to the latest trends, memes and challenges, compared to the average of 71%. I feel I can be honest and genuine on this platform
M1. When you spend time on [social media platform], to what extent do you agree with the following statements? Base: all respondents, n= 2,230.
Figures represent the average agreement across all platforms surveyed: TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat (Kwai for Brazil).
P1. Which, if any, of these words and phrases do you think fit with TikTok? Select all that apply. Base: all respondents, n= 2,230.
The role of content creators and influencers is paramount to what Feeling you belong to a community and are part of a bigger
we do. Keeping it real, keeping it genuine, keeping it authentic. At conversation creates an emotional trigger for people to start
the same time the creative should be based in that community. that purchase. On every TikTok there’s a button that says ‘join.’
Don’t do ads, do stories. That’s really the magic we see and that’s You should not waste that opportunity.
why platforms like TikTok have the ability to enable brands to get Helen Lin, Global Chief Digital Officer, Publicis Groupe
back to being creative and telling stories.
John Dillon, Executive VP, Chief Brand Officer, Denny’s
I see content creators as equal partners with the brand On TikTok, people think like creators, so they are doing the
and the agency. It can be a lot to ask of a CMO to give up dances, they are doing the challenges, they are being exposed to
control, but a good creator will take on board the scale of the new music. I think that brings a lot of positivity and uplifts moods
responsibility to a brand that has been built over the years. and mindsets. Brands can tap into these active consumers: chat
Ali Amarsy, SVP, Global Product Strategy Lead, threads are massive, they are almost exponential compared to
Publicis Commerce other platforms.
Ryan Hartsfield, Director, Social Media, Monster Energy
Chapter takeaways
1.
Creators are invaluable for driving the engagement that
facilitates community commerce. They boost discovery,
inspire their audiences to try new products, and make a
brand relatable.
2.
Community is the new version of word of mouth, making
it a powerful force for all types of social commerce.
Authentic content will build the credibility of both brand and
creator, while growing engaged communities.
3.
TikTok is associated with joy, and the best content will
foster this feeling, allowing creators the freedom to express
themselves in a way that suits their personalities as well as
the values of the platform.
Chapter 5
For awareness, TikTok’s algorithm is surpassing everything else, It’s important to have a seamless experience that means
it’s so smart in the way it expands your exposure to things you having the least disruption possible between seeing the ad
didn’t know and never knew you needed, like the TikTok yoga and buying the related product. The ease of shopping – one
pants. On other platforms, the algorithm shows you more of what click and you buy and you’re done – that’s as critical in your
you’ve seen and engaged with already, whereas TikTok becomes marketing as being targeted and contextually relevant.
more of an exploratory platform. Emmanuel Marques, VP, Customer Engagement, Disney
Ryan Hartsfield, Director, Social Media, Monster Energy Parks Experiences and Products
We need to remember that people don’t go on social to purchase, Influencers are really important because they each have their own
they go to interact, to check on their friends and favourite reason for loving our brands. It’s fun to discover why someone is
celebrities, to engage with content and follow their interests… With using our products, and we like to elevate and share those voices
great content, be it UCG, the use of influencers, or brand content of discovery because they are authentic and true.
that’s fit for the platform, you give them a great experience, and Kevin Shapiro, Senior Vice President, US Marketing –
through that you give them that opportunity to buy. Consumer Beauty, Coty
Krinio Christaras, Head of Media & Consumer Experience
MENAP, Mondelēz International
Case study:
Little Moons
Objective: Solution:
Impact:
Little Moons, a Japanese inspired The focus was on compelling and authentic content that, most
ice cream snack, sought to raise importantly, felt native to the TikTok experience, driving awareness
• Led to a 1,300% increase in sales in the UK
mass awareness and engagement and demand for Little Moons products on and off the platform.
with a new young audience. • 6.7 million impressions
With a growing and diversifying audience consuming food content on
the platform, the popularity of Little Moons soared as the community • 137k followers
shared their own creations inspired by the brand.
Case study:
Habit
Objective: Solution:
Impact:
HABIT is a new beauty HABIT focused on broadening the conversion through TikTok’s
e-commerce brand and its main algorithm, reaching a larger pool of users and helping to optimise • The newly launched campaign garnered nearly
goal was to increase sales of towards the most interested customers. The company kept the 1.5 million impressions with an astounding
their SPF misting sunscreen by conversion campaign, but changed the optimisation event to ’Page 86.67% CVR and $0.66 CPA.
expanding their audience and View’ and performance began to shift.
• HABIT completely sold out of stock and the team
igniting their interest. In addition, HABIT tested an ad format called a ‘Boosted TikToks,’ which had to shift operations on the Nº41 SPF product
allows advertisers to amplify organic content with paid media. This was to make it available on back-order.
the perfect solution for the HABIT team because its organic creative
was already performing well on the platform.
At WARC, our purpose is to save the world from Today, we help 75,000+ marketers across 100+ TikTok is the leading destination for short-form
ineffective marketing by putting evidence at the countries. mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity
heart of every marketing decision. and bring joy.
Our clients include the world’s leading brands,
We believe that effective marketing is based on advertising and media agencies, media owners, TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, New
facts and not opinions. research companies and universities – including the York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Singapore, Jakarta,
top-five largest agency groups and top-five largest Seoul, and Tokyo.
Since 1985, we’ve brought confidence to marketing advertisers in the world.
decisions through the most trusted research, case
studies, best practice, data and inspiration. Learn more about WARC Advisory here. About Publicis Groupe
Publicis Groupe is a global leader in communication.
The Groupe is positioned at every step of the value
chain, from consulting to execution, combining
marketing transformation and digital business
transformation.