How Success Through the Affiliate Channel Led to Increased Budget for This Iconic Shoe Retailer
CASE OVERVIEW
We took over management for this American classic shoe retailer’s program after being previously managed with a network management solution. The brand wanted the expertise, perspective, and alignment of a proven agency partner to attract new customers and increase revenue and ROAS. They also wanted to work with influencers and prominent content sites but needed a team that knew how to develop and nurture those relationships.
APPROACH
After our initial kickoff with this brand, our first plan of attack was to work on increasing effective publisher engagement. We suggested working with established content publishers to specifically push out curated collections and reach an untapped audience by focusing on editorial and content. We boosted day-to-day communication with top partners and created campaigns for the brand that featured the right products matched with the right partners. For example, we presented their full-price wedding collection to be featured in well-known wedding publications, and that increased sales due to the content that was created around the collection.Because our focus was more on editorial and content, we looked for trends with other shoe sites to see what publishers would work well for the brand, and then we presented those opportunities. We also increased commissions for publishers who provided more exposure. For another campaign, we elevated strategic engagement with key influencers and discussed how the shoes would appeal to their audience. This led to some excellent free content where the shoe collections were front and center in established publications. The influencers were writing about their authentic love of the brand and the shoes, and this resonated with their audiences.
RESULTS
Because of the tremendous growth, they have seen by incorporating affiliate into their marketing mix, this brand is increasing budget for this channel. In the first period of PartnerCentric’s management, the total affiliate program revenue (including all publishers) was up 124% YoY. In Period 2, revenue increased by 140%. Additionally, through increased communication with top content publishers, we received top placements in Time Inc. (Real Simple and People Magazine) and Buzzfeed. For the Time Inc. placements, we sent targeted emails to announce sales and new launches. We also provided a competitive commission rate. Through our efforts, in Period 1, the brand saw a 167% increase YoY, and in Period 2, they saw a 592% increase YoY. And that’s just for one publisher!
TESTIMONIAL
“Thanks to PartnerCentric, we have started to see our affiliate program out-perform some of our key marketing channels as well as drive significant YoY gains.”
KEVIN VANASSE, E-COMMERCE MARKETING MANAGER
To learn more about how PartnerCentric can strategically grow your business and reach ROI faster through the affiliate channel, contact sales@partnercentric.com.
