You must have seen that joke floating around social media. ‘Who led your company’s digital transformation? Was it A. The CEO B. The CDO/ CTO or C. Covid-19? Correct answer: C.”

It makes us smile because it’s true. Nowhere else has unprecedented and unforeseen growth occurred as in the e-commerce sector which has boomed amid the global crisis. According to UNCTAD,  ecommerce’s share of global retail trade rose from 14% in 2019 to 17% in 2020 and the trend is continuing. 

With the backdrop of this huge growth I felt fortunate to be a Jury member of the Creative eCommerce category at Cannes Lions 2021. Being part of the Cannes Lions jury is a massive honour no matter the year or the category (I judged for the first time in 2010 in  the PR category, and it was a transformative experience). However, being selected for the jury of the Creative eCommerce at this particular edition, when one could see the best work developed all over the world across two years, right in the middle of this global turning point, that was downright fantastic. 

In the way we selected the winners, my fellow jury members and I were looking for inspiring work that represents a reference point, a milestone for the industry, proving the impact of eCommerce for the overall business (through commercial success), as well as the role of eCommerce for brand growth through the engagement it can generate when it has creativity at its core.

Ecommerce as a driver of brand growth 

The biggest theme of the entries was obviously the pandemic – probably over 75% of the work had a link with Covid-19. The pandemic lockdowns with the challenge of no physical presence for businesses accelerated digital transformation and triggered a real e-commerce surge; it was so interesting to see how businesses pivoted in this unprecedented time using the power of creativity and eCommerce. Even more interesting – and refreshing if I may say – was to notice that many brands didn’t just take the ‘self-serving’ approach and didn’t use the opportunity only for their own advantage but have pivoted in a way that helped “everyday people” - the individuals and small businesses across the world that needed support more than ever. ECommerce was the perfect platform for solidarity – and brands with social purpose proved they do walk the talk and scaled up their “do good” actions.  

Ethics played a big role in our judging discussions – we were paying attention to what happened after the transaction, balancing immediate commercial results and long-term impact on the community, the society, the environment, and the planet. Selling more isn’t necessarily a good thing if one takes a more holistic approach. And our jury clearly didn’t want to encourage commercial success at any cost. As the global pandemic approaches its end, we don’t just want to return to ‘normal’, but to a ‘better normal’. 

The top winning campaigns such as Raising Profiles/ The Big Issue / FCB Inferno – (Grand Prix winner), and Roadside Market/ Mastercard/ McCann Romania - (Gold winner) are perfect examples of all these things. They represent market disruptions: companies pivoting with the help of eCommerce to turn the crisis into opportunities, transforming the traditional business practices while also having a positive impact in the community, experimenting with social platforms less known for commerce like LinkedIn and Waze. It was great to see how eCommerce can play such an important role as an enabler for fast pivoting, and an equaliser for businesses and individuals by democratising commerce.