In this era of automated online marketing, it is easy to forget there are still human beings at either end of the transaction.
This idea is a core belief for appliance retailer, the Winning Group, and its online subsidiary, AppliancesOnline.com.au. When looking to streamline its affiliate marketing program, chief marketing
officer, James Fleet, sought a partner that could add a human element to partner communication.
“Since we started, we have had a real focus on performance marketing channels, and affiliate marketing falls into that category,” he says.
Initially when building the affiliate program, Fleet says AppliancesOnline had assumed simply driving reach through the widest possible range of partners was the best solution, and so the program expanded out to 2500 partners.
“What we quickly learned is that you get the most performance from an advertising relationship in an affiliate sense when the advertisers can align with the promotional movements within your business, so that they can extract the most value on their side,” Fleet says. “And managing that at scale is very, very hard to do.”
A decision was taken to consolidate the affiliate program, and a search began for a new partner that understood AppliancesOnline’s business and the challenges faced in managing its affiliate network. That led to discussions with Rakuten Marketing, a New York-based marketing services subsidiary of Japanese ecommerce giant, Rakuten Group, that also counts local companies such as Virgin Velocity and Deals Direct among its client roster.
“A number of affiliate networks are really focused on that digital long-tail approach, whereas we wanted to really focus on a small few we’d know we’d get big gains with,” Fleet says. “What Rakuten can do is bring a human element to affiliate marketing, which is actually extremely valuable in helping us engage with the advertisers and other websites.”
Fleet says the goal is for Rakuten to more effectively communicate AppliancesOnline’s affiliates, which include Canstar, Finder and Virgin Velocity.
“We want to build stronger relationships via Rakuten with the advertisers, so they understand our proposition and how to leverage it through their networks,” Fleet says. “When the advertiser needs to understand the movements within our promotion a little more accurately so they can align with us, you need a little more support. And that is where Rakuten has really been a great partner for us.”
Digital advertising dominates in first half of 2014: report
Fleet is also looking to Rakuten to improve AppliancesOnline’s understanding of how revenue is generated through its program.
“What we want to do is reward marketing channels where that reward can be validated and that has always been hard with affiliate marketing,” he says. “That has become a lot more complex now.”
Follow CMO on Twitter: @CMOAustralia, take part in the CMO Australia conversation on LinkedIn: CMO Australia, join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMOAustralia, or check us out on Google+: google.com/+CmoAu
Signup to CMO’s email newsletter to receive your weekly dose of targeted content for the modern marketing chief.
Blockchain is revolutionizing industries across the board. Companies like DiamCircle are leading the charge.
Lupin Block
Can blockchain deliver on its big advertising promises?
Dear buyer/ buyer Mandate,We are direct end seller refinery company for the supply of Petroleum products.We have all available in tank, J...
Russian oil & gas trading llc
Starwood VP of marketing: Managing customer expectations requires emotional credit
Having an effective Point of Sale system implemented in your retail store can streamline the transactions and data management activities....
Sheetal Kamble
Jurlique’s move to mobile POS set to enhance customer experience
Thanks for another excellent post. Where else could anybody get that type of info in such an ideal way of writing? In my opinion, my seek...
Stephan jordan
6 Mobile Marketing Trends to Leverage in 2014
Hey there! Very interesting article, thank you for your input! I found particularly interesting the part where you mentioned that certain...
Martin Valovič
Companies don’t have policies to disrupt traditional business models: Forrester’s McQuivey