Total Commerce: Building Customer Relationships Beyond the Transaction
In today’s digital-first world, the most successful brands are those that move beyond transactional commerce to create ongoing, value-driven relationships with their customers. This shift is at the heart of Publicis Sapient’s Total Commerce framework—a holistic approach that empowers brands to transcend the simple act of selling and instead foster loyalty, advocacy, and long-term growth.
What Is Total Commerce?
Total Commerce reimagines the traditional commerce journey. Instead of viewing commerce as a linear transaction—where a customer simply buys a product—Total Commerce sees every interaction as an opportunity to build a relationship. It’s about creating a continuous, two-way value exchange that benefits both the brand and the customer, whether or not a purchase is made in the moment.
Consider the difference:
- Traditional Commerce: A customer buys a product from a retailer, and the relationship ends at the checkout.
- Total Commerce: A customer discovers a product through an influencer on social media, engages with interactive content, receives personalized recommendations, and shares feedback—creating a loop of engagement, data exchange, and value that extends far beyond the initial purchase.
This approach is not just a trend—it’s a necessity. Research shows that 64% of consumers want brands to connect with them, and 76% will choose a brand they feel connected to over a competitor. Brands that embrace Total Commerce are positioned to win in this new landscape.
The Four Pillars of Total Commerce
Total Commerce is built on four foundational pillars. Each pillar represents a strategic shift in how brands engage, serve, and delight their customers:
1. Memorable Experiences
The Challenge: Most e-commerce platforms focus on transactions, not experiences. Yet, customers crave memorable, personalized interactions that make them feel seen and valued.
Strategies for Success:
- Define a Winning Consumer Proposition: Use your digital channels to communicate your brand’s unique value. For example, Apple’s sleek website design and interactive product descriptions reinforce its aspirational brand promise.
- Leverage Data and Analytics: Guide customers to the best options using behavioral data, just as AB InBev’s BEES platform personalizes the B2B buying journey for millions of retailers.
- Create Omnichannel Journeys: Integrate digital and physical touchpoints—think of how luxury brands blend online storytelling with in-store experiences.
- Act Like a Startup: Foster a test-and-learn culture, rapidly prototyping new experiences and iterating based on customer feedback.
Real-World Example:
- AB InBev’s BEES Platform: By building a data-driven, personalized ordering platform, AB InBev transformed the retailer experience, resulting in 2.7 million monthly active users and streamlined communication.
2. Data-Driven Value Exchange
The Challenge: Brands often struggle to harness the flood of customer data from D2C channels, retailer partnerships, and social media. The key is to turn this data into actionable insights that benefit both the customer and the business.
Strategies for Success:
- Map Data Capabilities: Assess your current data infrastructure and identify gaps.
- Enable Hyper-Personalization: Use first-party data to deliver tailored marketing, product recommendations, and services.
- Create Value-Added Experiences: Offer tools, content, or services that enrich the customer journey—such as SC Johnson’s OFF!Cast Mosquito Forecast, which provides real-time, location-based insights to consumers.
- Build Strategic Data Partnerships: Collaborate with retailers and other brands to enhance data quality and customer understanding.
Real-World Example:
- Unilever’s In-Store AI Engagement: By piloting AI-powered endcaps in retail stores, Unilever captured engagement data and delivered informative, interactive experiences to shoppers.
3. Next-Generation Channels
The Challenge: The commerce landscape is rapidly evolving, with new channels like social commerce, livestream shopping, and the metaverse emerging alongside traditional e-commerce.
Strategies for Success:
- Invest in R&D: Dedicate resources to exploring and piloting new channels, ensuring alignment with your brand purpose.
- Embrace Quick and Anticipatory Commerce: Prepare for a future where products are delivered within hours—or even before a customer realizes they need them.
- Connect Physical and Digital Worlds: Use smart devices and connected experiences to create seamless, context-aware interactions.
- Build Future-Ready Teams: Develop internal expertise in emerging technologies such as Web3 and AI.
Real-World Example:
- Nestlé Purina’s CHEKR Bowl: By introducing smart pet bowls, Purina created new digital touchpoints and data streams, enhancing the customer experience and building brand loyalty.
4. Differentiated D2C
The Challenge: As more brands launch D2C channels, standing out requires more than just a functional website. D2C must offer unique value, convenience, and community.
Strategies for Success:
- Leverage Scale and Innovation: Use your resources to experiment with new technologies, services, and experiences.
- Focus on Convenience: Offer features like subscriptions, chatbots, and personalized promotions to make D2C the most efficient option.
- Create Immersive Experiences: Use your D2C platform as a learning and engagement hub, not just a storefront.
- Build Community: Foster digital spaces for user-generated content, social interaction, and shared values.
Real-World Examples:
- Mondelez’s OREOiD: Allowing customers to personalize OREO cookies online led to record sales and deepened brand engagement.
- P&G’s Tide Cleaners: By launching a D2C laundry service with app-based subscriptions and local lockers, P&G delivered unmatched convenience and built a new revenue stream.
How Publicis Sapient Can Help
Total Commerce is more than a framework—it’s a roadmap for future-proofing your business. Publicis Sapient partners with brands to:
- Develop a Holistic Strategy: Identify where your brand can play, build an investment case, and create a roadmap from idea to execution.
- Build the Technology Backbone: Assess and implement the data, architecture, and operating models needed to support new customer journeys.
- Deliver End-to-End Solutions: From demand generation and content production to commerce analytics and supply chain optimization, we integrate every element for maximum impact.
- Create Memorable Human Experiences: We design digital solutions that surprise and delight, from story-led websites to interactive product labs.
Ready to Move Beyond the Transaction?
The future of commerce belongs to brands that see every interaction as a chance to build a relationship. By embracing the four pillars of Total Commerce—memorable experiences, data-driven value exchange, next-generation channels, and differentiated D2C—you can unlock new sources of value, foster loyalty, and drive sustainable growth.
Let Publicis Sapient help you reimagine your digital commerce strategy and build customer relationships that last—beyond the transaction.