Affiliate marketing drives 91% rise in sales for luxury fashion brand

Farfetch, the luxury fashion community and online retailer, is working with Rakuten Marketing to reach luxury shoppers around the world through partnerships with high-end content sites and bloggers. So far, the global affiliate programme has driven a 91% rise in annual sales revenue.

Working solely with high end content sites and bloggers, Farfetch now has partnerships with over 1,600 bloggers and content sites such as ShopStyle, Lyst and DealMoon, proving impressive year-on-year performance.

With the UK ecommerce trade surplus totalling over £720 million and desire for UK retail soaring internationally, Farfetch has benefitted from this demand, growing its business substantially, now shipping to over 180 territories in 9 different languages.

The retailer wanted to push this international demand further by investing in affiliate marketing to grow brand awareness globally amongst luxury shoppers in international markets, including Australia and the APAC region.

Rakuten Marketing drew on its own international presence to build relationships for Farfetch across the globe with a high volume of publishers targeted solely at the luxury shopper. The network concentrated on bloggers, as well as established publishers such as ShopStyle, Lyst and DealMoon. Bloggers act as brand ambassadors to local, relevant and engaged followers, whilst discovery shopping sites are often a first port of call for fashion-conscious shoppers looking for the latest trends. Farfetch now has over 1,600 content and blogger sites in its programme, each of which are engaging international shoppers with the brand.

Natasha Lawley, Performance Marketing Manager at Farfetch commented: “Rakuten Marketing’s international footprint and understanding of the luxury space has helped us align our international programmes and reach a wider pool of luxury shoppers. We knew we had to maintain a high-end brand positioning in all markets if we were to see success through the affiliate programme, and we have been able to grow brand awareness, without devaluing the brand. Our partnership has resulted in impressive YoY performance, with affiliate marketing driving over a quarter of our revenue, and we are excited to further develop this relationship.”

Mark Haviland, MD at Rakuten Marketing Europe added: “Through affiliate marketing, retailers can take advantage of the demand for British retailers overseas. However, it’s crucial for luxury retailers like Farfetch to maintain a high-end brand positioning globally. The majority of discount and cashback sites were not right for Farfetch, but by cherry picking those sites with a niche audience, and connecting with high end content sites in each market, we’ve been able to increase Farfetch’s network of publishers and reach luxury shoppers locally, whilst ensuring consistent brand positioning.”