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Quantifying the 'network effect' with CSS campaigns

Find out how strategic work across multiple CSS partners drove sales and new customers for a summer push.
  • +50%

    sales

  • +41%

    revenue

  • +26%

    new customers

2 minute read

flaconi is one of Germany's leading retailers of perfume and beauty products. With a goal to optimise its activity with Comparison Shopping Services (CSS), the brand aimed to supplement its in-house management of these partners with a network-based approach.

On Awin's strategic recommendation, flaconi decided to engage these partners through the network instead as part of a summer push. The idea was to use multiple CSS partners in pursuit of growth via previously untapped keywords and product terms. The brand's sheer range of categories indicated plenty of room for optimisation, albeit mainly through missed opportunitites. Leaning on supplementary partners would make it easier to pinpoint any blind spots and cover the necessary bases. 

With little time to test and learn, Awin planned to encourage more activity from CSS publishers by increasing their commission for a short period.

At the end of the campaign, flaconi managed to unlock the same benefits many retailers enjoy by managing their CSS plans via the Awin network. The decision was further validated in the form of double-digit improvements to sales, revenue and new customer rate, hitting each of the original targets.

The siloed nature of the campaign meant considerations of in-house CSS cannibalising itself with the netowrk-based plan were not confirmed. The results reflect that  CPC and CPO campaigns do not influence each other, but function seperately and complement their respective roles. This has become a crucial tactic for flaconi, generating impressive results during two other campaigns in 2020.

The results 

  • The ease of launching and measuring CSS campaigns led to flaconi taking the management of its activity in-house while engaging with partners through Awin.
  • The idea was to use multiple CSS partners in pursuit of growth via previously untapped keywords and product terms.
  • Awin encouraged more activity from CSS publishers by increasing commissions and flaconi unlocked the benefits many retailers see when running their CSS activity via the network.