• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 31, 2021

GroupM has promoted Andrew Ruegger to global president of GroupM Commerce. In this new role, Ruegger is tasked with scaling commerce-focused products and services for clients. He reports to Colin Barlow, Global President of GroupM Services

The move comes as ecommerce sales have soared during the pandemic. Emarketer estimates that global ecommerce retail sales jumped more than 27% to over $4 trillion in 2020. In the U.S. growth estimates top 40%.

The surge in ecommerce activity has led to an increase in client demand for related services to meet consumer demands and experience expectations. 

Ruegger, a six-year GroupM veteran was previously managing partner, executive director, ecommerce, data science and technology. Earlier he was WPP’s Amazon media and investment lead.

“Over the last year, brands and platforms have re-evaluated every aspect of the retail ecosystem, from brand awareness drivers to a seamless transaction experience, to ‘last mile’ distribution channels,” said Ruegger.

GroupM has more 1,400 commerce specialists that Reugger says provides the company with  “unmatched commerce expertise around the world, designing and managing thousands of interactions and transactions daily, and I’m excited to be a part of it in this new capacity.”