Personalisation “at Centre” of Affiliate Innovation Says Rakuten Marketing

Adam Weiss, Rakuten Marketing affiliate network’s GM and SVP, said “personalisation and the ability to take action” on insights needs to be “at the centre” of affiliate marketing innovation.

The statement was made following the rollout of multiple product feeds to the network’s affiliate tech suite which would allow its advertisers and publishers to boost efficiency in scaling multi-territory campaigns by customising product groups for target audiences, while easily applying correct product information, pricing, currency and languages.

Weiss added that the services Rakuten Marketing creates for affiliate clients, including its latest rollout, is “driven by our vision to reinvent the way advertisers and publishers collaborate”, and comes with long-established affiliate networks facing mounting pressure to innovate and push new offerings with the entry of new companies such as Button poised to disrupt the “traditional” market.

“Meaningful” advertising

In the same announcement, the group’s CEO Tony Zito added that the network is “focused on arming every advertiser and publisher” with new-to-market tech, empowering them to influence customers through “meaningful ad experiences”, or those that strike a chord with their audience.

“With this latest enhancement to the Rakuten Marketing merchandiser feed platform, clients have increased control, management and performance as they scale their global businesses, and will benefit from further insight into which product categories are resonating with their target audiences,” added Zito.

Some of the features of multiple product feeds include the ability to separate “promotional” and “marketplace” products from main feeds, and create feeds for a subset of products associated with a promotion, sale, or holiday-themed offer.

It’s not to say Rakuten Marketing is reinventing the wheel with its latest launch; as a key affiliate network and coupled with Weiss’s words, however, it does indicate continued commitment to improving the quality of affiliate marketing and spurring the industry’s global growth.