As retail continues to evolve in response to economic pressure, changing consumer habits, and rising acquisition costs, the brands that will thrive are those that adapt quickly and strategically.
That was the focus at this year’s Pulse Event in London, where Dema—attending as a Gold Sponsor—joined forces with Acne Studios and Vervaunt for a panel exploring the future of data-led growth, creative commerce, and profitability-first decision-making.
We pulled together the most valuable takeaways from the conversation.
Vervaunt: Data-Led, Not Channel-Led Growth
Paul, co-founder of Vervaunt opened with a strong position on how growth strategy has shifted over the past 12–18 months. In today’s landscape, scaling successfully is no longer about throwing budget at more media channels—it's about knowing where your revenue is truly coming from, and at what cost.
Vervaunt's approach centres around multi-channel commerce analytics, using real-time data to prioritise customer lifetime value (LTV), contribution margin, and unit economics over vanity metrics like top-line revenue.
By integrating a robust omnichannel commerce reporting tool, Vervaunt’s clients are able to spot inefficiencies early—before they turn into wasted budget. This allows for a shift from simply spending more, to spending smarter.
Key takeaway: Brands need to move away from a channel-first mindset and towards a profitability-led one. Commerce intelligence tools are key in supporting that transition.
Dema: Profit Visibility That Aligns the Entire Business
Marcus, CEO at Dema spoke about a core challenge many growing brands face: operational misalignment. When marketing, finance, and operations teams work in silos, decision-making becomes fragmented. Budgeting is reactive. Performance is misunderstood.
Dema’s solution is to unify these teams around a shared metric: contribution margin. Rather than simply optimising for revenue or ROAS, Dema’s platform helps brands understand the net profitability of each channel, SKU, and campaign—across every touchpoint.
By functioning as a true commerce analytics layer, Dema gives leadership teams visibility across the full customer journey, enabling them to reallocate budget toward what actually grows the business sustainably.
Key takeaway: Profit-based insights empower more strategic decision-making across marketing, finance, and ops—leading to more resilient business models.
Acne Studios: When Creative Meets Commercial Strategy
Ola, E-Commerce Director from Acne Studios offered a compelling perspective from the brand side, sharing how Acne balances its reputation for creative storytelling with the commercial demands of scaling a global fashion label.
Historically, brand-led campaigns were measured primarily on engagement or sentiment. But Acne now integrates commerce analytics into its creative decision-making process. Using a unified reporting layer, they can test campaigns and visuals not just for clicks—but for profitability by segment.
This lets the team assess which creative assets drive meaningful results by geography, product category, or customer type—providing the insights needed to iterate quickly and effectively.
Key takeaway: Creative performance should be measured not just by engagement metrics, but by bottom-line impact. With the right multi-channel commerce analytics tools, creativity and commercial performance can coexist.
Strategic Takeaways for Retail and DTC Brands
- Commerce analytics must sit at the centre of decision-making. Whether you're optimising campaigns or adjusting pricing, your insights need to reflect the real commercial impact—not just impressions or attributed sales.
- Contribution margin is the KPI that unifies teams. Brands that align marketing, finance, and operations around shared profitability metrics are more agile and more effective in navigating volatility.
- Creative and performance teams should work from the same data. When storytelling is informed by commercial outcomes, campaigns resonate more deeply and deliver stronger returns.
- Multi-channel commerce analytics tools are essential for scaling intelligently. As sales channels diversify, brands need a clear, consolidated view of performance across DTC, retail, wholesale, and marketplaces.
The retail landscape is becoming more complex. But with the right strategy and the right tools, brands can simplify decision-making and scale with confidence.
What was clear from the Pulse panel is that businesses who leverage real-time, cross-functional insights—via commerce analytics and omnichannel reporting platforms—will be better positioned for long-term success.
At Dema, we’re proud to be at the forefront of this shift, helping brands like Acne Studios and leading agencies like Vervaunt turn data into action.
If you're looking to integrate profit-focused analytics into your day-to-day, we’d love to show you how Dema can help.
Request a demo or reach out to our team to explore how we support multi-channel growth with full commerce intelligence.