• by Larissa Faw , July 2, 2020

Horizon Media and Night Market, Horizon’s recently launched eCommerce data intelligence company, are announcing what they call Adland’s first eCommerce Upfront -- five days of virtual workshops showcasing growth and trends, along with products, services and best practices focused on eCommerce strategies. 

The eCommFronts: Click & Connect event  — to be held July 13-17 — will include Amazon, Google, Facebook, Instacart, Walmart, and PromoteIQ/Kroger each providing an overview of the landscape with a spotlight on the growth of eCommerce media spend and other key trends.

In addition, leaders from Night Media will present insights on evolving consumer behavior and best practices on how to embrace those changes to drive additional revenue.

“The ultimate question this event seeks to answer is: how can clients win across eCommerce channels?” asks Randy Browning, President of Night Market. “Recent events suggest that we are headed into an unprecedented Q4, in which traditional shopping and consumption patterns look drastically different than in years past.”

"It was a rewarding process to gather all the brand participants for this first-of-a-kind Upfront," says Alexandra Gibbs, VP of Data & Services at Night Market. "Night Market approached platforms we consider to be the 'major players' based on insights including sales volume and consumer preference within eCommerce,” explains Gibbs. “Each signed on with the understanding that the effects of COVID-19 are fundamentally changing the way our industry is viewing eCommerce in terms of investment and revenue and have unique perspectives for navigating this change."

Night Market recognized a void in the upfront marketplace pertaining to eCommerce. "During the Newfronts we noticed there was an overall lack of integration and focus around eCommerce," explains Donnie Williams, chief digital officer of Horizon Media and Co-Founder of Night Market . "This was particularly surprising given the dramatic shifts in consumer behavior and rapid acceleration of eCommerce growth spurred by COVID-19," said Williams.

The inaugural event is exclusive to Horizon, primarily due to the proprietary and brand specific information the brand partners are planning to share.

The agency says it will consider the event successful when “we begin seeing a shift in dialogue and investment around eCommerce within the agency and a push toward driving eCommerce growth for clients,” says Williams.

“Ultimately, our goal is for Horizon to walk away with a deep understanding of the complex eCommerce landscape along with a renewed sense of energy and innovation around how to leverage and activate eCommerce insights across typical media plans to increase revenue,” said Browning.

In subsequent years, Night Market is likely to extend invitations to other agencies. Until then, Night Market will share highlights broadly through its newly launched O&O channels including www.eCommFronts.com as well as Instagram & Twitter through @ecommfronts.