• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 21, 2021

Omnicom Media Group agency PHD USA has named Sarah Clayton U.S. Head of Commerce. The role is new and comes amid a huge pandemic-boosted surge in online commerce activity, sparking demand for agency services in the sector from clients. 

According to  research firm Digital Commerce 360, consumers spent $861.12 billion online with U.S. merchants in 2020, up a whopping 44.0% year over year  and  nearly triple the 2019 growth rate of 15.1%.  

Online share of total retail sales hit 21.3%, up from 15.8% in 2019 by far the biggest year-over-year jump for U.S. retail sales ever recorded, per the research. 

Clayton joins PHD following six years in consumer products marketing and brand management at Bayer Consumer Healthcare. She will lead the expansion of the agency’s commerce offer.  In her most recent role as US Marketing Director for Bayer’s top-selling pain relief brand, she led the rapid expansion of e-commerce channels as Covid-19 drove online transactions.  

“In the face of accelerated shifts in consumer behavior, unlocking growth for our clients across commerce channels demands looking beyond the current scope of needs,” says PHD USA CEO Catherine Sullivan. Clayton’s experience “building brands that connect with consumers in meaningful ways, wherever they are in the path to purchase, make her” well suited for the new role, added Sullivan, who was appointed CEO last September. 

Clayton’s appointment marks the third leadership appointment for PHD in the past 60 days (following Chief Digital Activation Officer Josh Palau, and SVP of Integrated Investment Katie Klein) as Sullivan continues to realign PHD’s offer around the core capabilities of audience, content, culture and commerce.