Publicis Groupe today announced the acquisition of digital commerce transformation company, Balance Internet.
Commercial details of the deal have not been revealed.
Balance Internet, started in 2008, has worked with leading brands, government agencies and educational institutions, including Ego Pharmaceuticals, Mitre 10, Total Tools, Krispy Kreme, Betta Home Living and the Australian Government.
Balance Internet specialises in strategy, solution architecture, user experience and interface design, system integration, development, data analytics and customer acquisition to help customers build their own eCommerce B2C, B2B and Direct-to-Consumer presence.
The company will sit within the Publicis Commerce unit led by chief product officer Jason Tonelli. Its directors, James Horne, David Crothers and Mal Williams will report into Tonelli.
With offices in Australia, Vietnam and Ukraine, and around 90 staff, Balance Internet delivers enterprise-grade commerce solutions utilising the Magento, Adobe and BigCommerce platforms.
Publicis ANZ CEO Michael Rebelo says the acquisition is part of broader efforts to ensure the group is continually advancing solutions in key growth areas, including commerce.
"As the only holding company in Australia and New Zealand with the ability to genuinely deliver end-to-end marketing and business transformation solutions to clients, I’m pleased to welcome the talented team at Balance Internetwho for more than a decade have successfully delivered digital transformation to their clients," Rebelo says.
The Publicis Commerce unit includes omni-channel retail solutions, and Marketplace Commerce, an online marketplace management and optimisation solution that helps advertisers increase their sales on online retailers and marketplaces such as Amazon, Google and Facebook.
Tonelli said: “After expanding our commerce capabilities over the past 12 months through Marketplace, we are excited to bring in a leader in the specialist craft of building and managing large-scale commerce platforms for their customers, and I am looking forward to bringing Balance Internet’s services to our customer base, to enable them to capitalise on this growth.”
Balance Internet CEO James Horne: “We are proud of the reputation we have built as a trusted digital commerce transformation partner for many of Australia’s leading businesses. We’re delighted to join Publicis Groupe and have the backing of an organisation with a proven track record of delivering both marketing and digital business transformation for some of the leading brands across ANZ.”
Balance Internet’s Director of Business Operations, David Crothers: “I am really excited for the entire team at Balance Internet. Our unique and powerful offering is going to jump to the next level in Australia and globally by being part of an innovative, creative and diverse business like Publicis Groupe.”
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