French holding group Publicis has acquired independent commerce marketing company Mars United Commerce, for an undisclosed sum.
The collective has over 1,000 employees based in 14 hubs worldwide and offers a range of commerce solutions including shopper conversion, retail intelligence and technology across both online and offline shopping systems.
The move will see Publicis – which has had a strong 2024 so far – take advantage of Mars United’s digital shelf Profitero, which provides data on commerce media performance.
It will allow the group to gain insight – including first-party data – from Epsilon, providing proprietary 360-degree data on shoppers and offering what Publicis says will be “an insight into purchase journeys and new ways to motivate shopper behaviour change”.
“Joining Publicis Groupe will help Mars realise our vision of being the preeminent global commerce company faster and more completely,” said Mars United global CEO Rob Rivenburgh.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest marketing news sent straight to your inbox each morning
“We’re excited to have the support of Publicis to bring new opportunities to our existing clients and also to share our connected commerce solution with new clients around the globe. We look forward to writing the next chapter of commerce together.”
Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun said he was “delighted” to be welcoming Mars to the group.
“Their innovative spirit and proprietary platforms will further connect and complement our existing capabilities, to deliver industry-leading, end-to-end commerce solutions for our clients, both online and offline,” he continued.
“With the acquisition of Influential this summer, and now Mars, Publicis is uniquely positioned to help our clients understand both existing consumers and future prospects, and connect that knowledge at an individual level to the new media channels that work hardest for their business: connected TV, commerce and creators.
“All of this, in clients’ own ecosystems, giving them control over their customer relationships and transparency in their investments and outcomes.”
The move comes after Publicis acquired creator marketing agency Influential earlier this year in a bid to bolster its influencer proposition.
