3 Oct 2023
WPP today announces the launch of a strategic, global partnership with Shopify, a leading global commerce company, to bring the full value of Shopify’s platform to enterprise clients.
This partnership brings the companies together to jointly develop products with shared insights, and pairs WPP’s network of over 13,500 commerce experts with Shopify’s platform to help ambitious brands scale faster and reach more customers.
Shifting consumer expectations coupled with constantly evolving commerce innovation and the changing economic landscape have made it more important than ever for brands to reach consumers directly across all platforms, whether that’s online, in-store, or on social media platforms. This is acutely the case for enterprise brands, who are finding that legacy commerce infrastructure is not flexible enough to respond to emerging consumer buying behaviours. Through this partnership, WPP clients will be able to unlock the growth opportunities of Shopify’s platform, bringing the best of its direct-to-consumer and conversion expertise to global brands.
As part of the partnership, Shopify will collaborate with WPP on product development in order to build targeted solutions across sectors including consumer packaged goods, health and wellness, and fashion. Together, the companies will roll out global customised training and certification pathways for WPP employees, creating 300 certified Shopify specialists across WPP’s global network within the first year of the partnership.
The partnership reflects WPP’s ongoing investment in its commerce offering and builds on the acquisition of specialist ecommerce agency Diff in 2022. Now part of the Wunderman Thompson global network, Diff has worked with Shopify for over 10 years to create some of the most innovative and high-performing stores on the Shopify platform. Through the partnership, WPP and Diff will also participate in Shopify’s Operation Hope Program, which aims to start, grow and scale one million Black-owned businesses in the United States by 2030.
Shopify was recently recognised as a Leader of the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant in Digital Commerce, the go-to resource for decision-makers in enterprise commerce, and placed highest in ability to execute.
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “The commerce sector has seen an incredible explosion in growth over the last few years, which is why Shopify is a natural fit for our clients given its enterprise credibility and speed at which they innovate. As WPP continues to scale and strengthen its commerce offerings and expertise, I’m confident that this partnership will lead to more growth opportunities for the brands we work with.”
Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify, said: “For two decades, we have been perfecting Shopify to enable leading enterprise brands to reach their consumers directly and accelerate their business globally. We’re excited to unlock even more opportunities for global commerce innovation and help more brands future-proof their businesses by partnering with WPP and its world-class clients.”
