Cartology is two!

Welcome to Cartifacts Edition 4, our first edition of 2023 where celebration is the key theme.

It’s almost hard to believe that we are already in April of 2023. Despite the dismal summer (if you can call it that), I hope that you have all had a really great start to the year so far. I also hope that you all had a lovely time celebrating Easter with your families and that you are feeling well rested after a short break, ready to tackle the second quarter of the year with loads of energy and positivity.

Cartology recently celebrated turning two and what an incredible two years it has been. We have achieved so much in the past 24 months and I am extremely proud when looking back at those achievements. It goes without saying that none of that could have been without the support we get from you, our clients. Thank you for being on this journey with us. It was also great to catch up with those of you who made it to our birthday celebration event.

Speaking of achievements, it has also been a busy couple of months of growing our talented team. Over the past 6 months we have added 11 new Cartologists to the team and each of them have written a short bio on themselves so you can get to know them a little better.

We were also fortunate enough to recently chat with Mark Wolfenden, Director of Digital & Loyalty at CDX. Mark shares his thoughts on the digital transformation we have seen over the past 18 months and what he believes the future holds for online shopping. We also delve into Google Merchant Hosted Storefront which Countdown launched towards the back end of last year. Our product team have been beavering away on developing new products, one of which is Deal of the Week. Only launched a few weeks ago, we have already seen some phenomenal results from our first few campaigns using this channel.

Retail Media is still very much in its infancy in NZ. We share some insights and tips on the key things to consider when it comes to using Retail media effectively. A brand that has done that extremely well is Mccain, who were the winners of our inaugural Cartology Campaign of the Year. We showcase that campaign and once again, celebrate the incredible success that they achieved as a brand with market leading results.

Looking forward, we have been doing a lot of work to understand how the current economic climate which is being massively impacted by inflation, is affecting shopper behaviour. We will very soon be sharing all those insights we have uncovered along with all the recommendations of how to approach your Retail Media strategy to get your brand in the basket, so keep an eye out for that over the next few weeks.

I hope you get a lot out of this edition and enjoy the read.

Samantha Osborne General Manager - Cartology NZ

Cartology has been on an incredible journey over the past two years as a team of Retail Media pioneers who are creating, shaping and leading a new industry that connects brands to Countdown customers in exciting and innovative ways.

Last month Cartology celebrated turning two at the stunning Park Hyatt hotel on Auckland's Wynyard Quarter waterfront. Thanks to all who celebrated with us in what was a fantastic afternoon.

We heard from Countdown's Managing Director, Spencer Sonn, about the rapid growth that Retail Media has seen and will continue to see according to forecasters and Cartology's importance within the Woolworths ecosystem.

We also heard from Cartology’s General Manager, Samantha Osborne with a reflection on the key achievements over the last two years as well as a peek into what is on the horizon for Cartology.