Balancing Brand vs. Sales: Getting the most from Fashion Publishers

Written by James Bennie in Events, Insight on 24 October 2011

As a recent addition to the affilinet Key Account Management team, and with the strong possibility of working with one or two fashion merchants, I thought it would be a good idea for me to brush up on some key issues around working with fashion publishers.

The a4uexpo session I attended had a strong panel including representatives from 7ThingsMedia, Ted Baker, Shopstyle and the blog ‘Alex Loves’, and ensured plenty of views from different perspectives.

The key question of this session is how fashion merchants can balance achieving the volume of sales they desire against the important consideration of brand image and protection when working with different affiliates.

Ted Baker – a bit of background
Ted Baker is a premium fashion merchant and as such brand protection is a paramount concern regarding their affiliate programme. They do not run much in the way of discounts and deals for this reason. However they do run two days a year where they offer a 20% discount. By having these on such rare occasions and giving customers an infrequent (and strong) discount, they create a real hype and give themselves an impressive sales boost. Ted Baker also tempts their online customers by occasionally making new products/lines available online before they are available in store.

As Ted Bakers brand protection underpins most of the activity they do, it is vital that there is consideration as to the different affiliates they work with and how they work with them. The below looks at a selection of affiliate types and how fashion merchants (not just Ted Baker) may want to think about how they work with them to maximise their affiliate programmes.

Cashback & voucher code sites
There are a few key considerations for any fashion merchant working with cashback and voucher code sites. It is perhaps these sites that can cause extra concern around the issue of brand protection (especially if you do not regularly discount), so it is vital that you work closely with them on the messaging and communication that is used. Also regularly monitor your pages on these sites to ensure you are happy with anything that is being displayed.

Some customers may be very brand loyal, but some out there might be heavily swayed by what discounts are available at any given time. So whilst the importance of customers that may not be too loyal and have a strong lifetime value might be less than those that do, it is wise to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing in terms of vouchers and cash back rates, and when they are implementing them.

Finally, incentive sites are a great way to achieve certain goals, so work closely with them to develop strategies to meet your objectives. You may want to increase AOV (save money with a minimum spend discount code) , acquire new customers (exclusive cashback rate for new customers only) or perhaps shift stock (discount code on certain lines/products).

Fashion Aggregators
Fashion aggregators can be hugely important publishers for any fashion merchant and as such there are a number of things you need to ensure are in place in order to get the most from them. The first (and perhaps most important) thing is a high quality product feed. The feed will be the main tool the aggregator uses in order to display any merchants products on their site. Therefore it is vital that the feed contains as many data fields (and therefore detail) as possible. It is also important that the feed is regularly updated (ideally at least once a day) to ensure that all the information is correct. As Shopstyle pointed out, there are now a number of companies that will produce high quality feeds.

Another important consideration is timing. Fashion has a number of key periods throughout the year that are important and many merchants will be competing to get extra exposure. Make sure you plan in advance!

Fashion aggregators now offer more than just including your products on their site. Merchants can get tenancies onsite, showcase particular products or promotions, get involved in competitions and social media opportunities. Most will now have media packs available. Merchants can also ensure that they are using their budget and any commission flexibility to try and make the most of these opportunities.

Blog Sites
Bloggers will never drive the volume of sales that a merchant is likely to receive from incentive sites and aggregators. However, bloggers can be very brand loyal and also incredibly influential over their reader base, so they should be treated as an important part of your affiliate mix. A good blog post can have very positive results, just as a negative one could be very damaging.

As bloggers are traditionally low converters, look at how you can better reward bloggers, perhaps with commission increases or exclusive offers that they can push out to their followers.

Another strength of blog sites can be their ability to assist brands that are moving into new markets. If you are trying to gain a foothold in foreign markets, popular bloggers in those markets can be a great help in getting your brand out there and winning over some potential new customers.

We have only looked at a few possible affiliate types, and other affiliates would need special consideration as to how to maximise their potential as well. The big issue for fashion merchants is that their brand will always be hugely important and therefore it is vital that their brand is portrayed correctly through the affiliates they work with. If this is done successfully as well as incorporating other vital elements, such as planning, commission flexibility and the right tools for affiliates (e.g. product feed) etc, then there is no reason why your fashion programme cannot be a huge success.