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WPP has announced the acquisition of Diff, a Montreal-based advertising agency.
Diff is a multi-award-winning developer of custom commerce solutions with specialized capabilities for the rapidly expanding Shopify commerce ecosystem.
The 115-person company, founded in 2011 by Benjamin Crudo, will join the Wunderman Thompson global network, complementing its world-class commerce and marketing services teams in North America.
With direct-to-consumer commerce sales in the United States expected to reach nearly $213 billion by 2023, more brands are incorporating D2C models into a multichannel strategy.
Diff specializes in growth strategy, front-end design, site optimization, and system integrations which have enabled the agency to create some of the most innovative, complex, and high-performing online stores on the Shopify platform, which now accounts for 10% of the United States’ eCommerce market share.
Among Diff’s high-growth D2C client portfolios are Giant Tiger, Kith, Sakara Life, and more, the company said in a statement.
The acquisition will further strengthen WPP’s digital commerce capabilities and reflects the company’s ongoing investment into its commerce offer for clients as consumer needs continue to change.
It is aligned with WPP’s accelerated growth strategy, building on existing capabilities in the areas of commerce and technology. WPP is ranked as a Leader in Forrester’s latest global Commerce Services Wave, and already manages more than $40bn of direct and $20bn of marketplace GMV for clients, employing 13,500 commerce specialists across its agencies.
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said, “The tremendous growth in the digital commerce ecosystem means our clients are looking to us to deliver the innovative solutions they need to reach new and existing customers in meaningfully engaging ways. Diff’s Shopify expertise, alongside its unique blend of strategy, optimization, and design, will be a welcome addition to our commerce portfolio and will drive results for our clients in North America, which is WPP’s largest market.”
