Publicis ANZ Acquires Digi Commerce Business Balance Internet

Publicis Groupe ANZ CEO, Michael Rebelo (main photo), has announced the acquisition of digital commerce transformation company, Balance Internet.

The company, which has been in operation since 2008, has worked with some of Asia Pacific’s 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. Among its achievements, the company has previously been named a Magento Partner of Excellence Award Winner, achieving global recognition as one of the 10 top technology partners; providing exceptional delivery of Magento Commerce for its clients.

Rebelo said: “Balance Internet’s addition to Publicis Groupe’s breadth of connected capabilities and services forms part of our broader efforts to ensure that we are continually advancing solutions in key growth areas, including commerce, so that we can help unlock growth for our clients in a world dominated by platforms. 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 Internet who for more than a decade have successfully delivered digital transformation to their clients.”

The addition of Balance Internet builds upon the breadth of commerce capabilities across the Groupe, with Publicis Sapient already working with advertisers on eCommerce solutions.

Meanwhile, 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.”

On joining Publicis Groupe, Balance Internet CEO James Horne said: “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 added: “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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