Programmatic ad specialist Sociomantic Labs has taken a step forward in Asia by opening a new office in the Chinese city of Shanghai, becoming the latest in a string of ad tech companies to establish presence in the country.
The firm already boasts presence in Taipei, Taiwan, which is used to deliver localised services to clients operating in countries around Greater China. However, recent stats have made clear that having an extra-strong footing in the world’s most populous country may not be the worst idea.
E-commerce spending in China has been forecast to hit $13.9 billion in 2015 following a speedy rise from just $0.9 billion two years beforehand, according to eMarketer. Chinese web users account for 22% of the global connected population and their uptake for online shopping is representing a huge opportunity for international retailers.
Offering programmatic display solutions with an eye on personalisation, Sociomantic could be well-placed to take advantage of what might be around the corner.
Building presence
The Berlin-headquartered Sociomantic introduced itself to the Asian market by opening an office in Mumbai, India, in 2013. A regional headquarters was set up in Singapore and the dunnhumby-owned group has since enjoyed plenty of success on the continent.
Much emphasis has been placed on attracting new business in the region, where sellers in the likes of China and India wish to take advantage of Sociomantic’s technology for building personalised ad campaigns.
In addition, the group said today that many of its international clients, such as fashion brand AllSaints, were looking forward to seeing what Sociomantic could do for them in China.
Control over the Shanghai base and the company’s Chinese operation will be fronted by Ivan Zhou, as Sociomantic’s commercial director for Greater China.
He commented: “Over the past year in Sociomantic, I have witnessed the tremendous growth of the company across Asia, and the strong relationships we have been able to forge with clients in this region.
“There is a gap in the Chinese market for customer-centric, cross-device personalised advertising solutions, and we are excited to step in to fill that gap. I look forward to building out Sociomantic’s Shanghai team to support the region’s largest and fastest-growing market.”