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Case Study: Coles Liquor Group & Cashrewards

The Perfect Pairing: Bringing affiliate to retail media

The Results

'The Perfect Pairing' campaign produced results that outperformed its targets:

166%

Overall Sales Growth for Liquorland

627%

WoW Dark Spirits and Soft Drinks Sales Growth for Liquorland

258%

YoY Sales Growth for First Choice Liquor

5,709%

WoW Dark Spirits and Soft Drinks Sales Growth for First Choice Liquor

Our partnership with Rakuten Advertising during 'The Perfect Pairing' campaign was a game-changer. The team efficiently launched the campaign, ensuring Coles Liquor gained maximum visibility on our homepage, in email newsletters, on social media and more. Utilising our Love Island partnership was also a brilliant move, further enhancing brand recognition and engagement. They consistently encourage innovative affiliate strategies that benefit everyone involved.
Jodie Hoad
Senior Manager, Client Services, Cashrewards

About the Brands

Coles Liquor Group is one of Australia’s largest liquor retailers, with three iconic trading banners: Liquorland, First Choice Liquor and Vintage Cellars. With over 930 stores nationwide and online, they offer a wide range of wines, spirits and beers for every occasion.

Cashrewards is an Australian cashback website that rewards members for shopping through their platform. Members can earn cashback on purchases at over 2,000 retailers, including popular brands like Coles Liquor, Chemist Warehouse, Cotton On and more.

The Story

Picture yourself on a Friday evening. You’re in a supermarket and a strategically placed box of chocolate grabs your attention, prompting an impulse purchase. Now, picture a Friday evening at home, scrolling through Cashrewards’ website. A dark spirits and soft drinks cashback campaign is prominently displayed on the homepage, enticing you to click, add items to your cart and complete the checkout process—all from the comfort of your home.

This marks launch of the ‘The Perfect Pairing’ campaign. Coles Liquor wanted to boost online sales for dark spirits and soft drinks from a global beverage brand. Leveraging the creativity of the affiliate channel, Coles Liquor collaborated with Rakuten Advertising and Cashrewards to launch this campaign.

The Rakuten Advertising Solution

Some things just go well together: dark spirits and soft drinks, retail media and affiliate, Love Island and cashback. Rakuten and Cashrewards’ strategies were definitely more than best practice. Here’s how:

Pairing cocktails with cashback

Rakuten and Cashrewards launched The Perfect Pairing campaign based on a popular cocktail recipe. The teams combined two iconic products paired with limited time 50% upsized cashback to drive results for both Liquorland and First Choice Liquor, resulting in significant growth and a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Bringing together affiliate and retail media

Imitating traditional retail media, Rakuten placed The Perfect Pairing campaign front and centre on Cashrewards’ platform. This includes prime engagement placements such as the homepage, email newsletters and Cashrewards’ social accounts, converting customers one bottle at a time. What’s more – the campaign was funded by the beverage brand instead of Coles Liquor, just as it would if it was placed at the end of the supermarket aisle.

Partnering with Love Island

In 2022, Cashrewards coupled up with Love Island to be the show’s official cashback partner. Rakuten leveraged this partnership to generate buzz long before The Perfect Pairing campaign even began. This created recognition and familiarity for both brands, increasing its visibility and potential for customer engagement and loyalty.

Rakuten Advertising worked alongside Cashrewards to deliver exceptional results for 'The Perfect Pairing' campaign. With a strong YoY sales growth for Liquorland and First Choice Liquor, and a staggering WoW boost in dark spirits and soft drinks sales, the teams truly exceeded our expectations. Their innovative approach of bringing together affiliate and retail media, plus the strategic placement on Cashrewards' platform, provided outstanding visibility. Plus, the campaign was funded by our beverage brand partner, aligning perfectly with our ROI goals. This is what we call impactful affiliate marketing.
Phil Abeyratne
Growth & Performance Digital Marketing Manager, Coles Liquor Group

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