Rakuten x Athletic Apparel Brand make holiday shopping more rewarding

The holidays are the most competitive time of year for retailers. As they battle for shoppers’ attention and dollars, they must pull out all the stops to win consumers by offering attractive deals, flexible purchasing options, and a seamless experience. With so many retailers vying for the same customers, it’s crucial for retailers to differentiate themselves and cut through the holiday noise.

Last year, we wrote the Q4 playbook to help our merchants maintain shopper attention and maximize performance on Rakuten throughout the season. Here’s what happened when one brand ran the playbook.

Rakuten x Athletic Apparel Brand make holiday shopping more rewarding

An iconic athletic apparel brand known for leading performance partnered with Rakuten as part of their Q4 strategy. To achieve their goals, we built a program leveraging Rakuten’s Q4 Playbook.

Their goal was to outperform their already strong annual program results, including Q4 2021 performance.

The Solution

• Start Early – The brand launched a dedicated Q4 program in October to capture early shoppers. With consumers spreading out their purchases earlier and earlier, this allowed the brand to capture holiday demand early.
• Bookend the Tentpoles – As part of their strategy, the brand participated in our 2x, 3x, and Flash Cash events before and immediately following the Anchor Moments. These events drive volume of shopper traffic and create opportunities to get in front of engaged shoppers.
• Dynamic Cash Back – Strategic fluctuations in the cash back rate kept customers engaged and drove the sale of key products throughout the season. This leads to a high average Cash Back rate for the brand, which keeps shoppers engaged and the brand top of mind.

Key Learnings

Strategic use of Cash Back keeps shoppers engaged and spending before, during, and after the peak holiday period.

Providing Cash Back through Rakuten drove a YoY increased in Q4 revenue for the brand by delivering a +32% increase in trips and +36% increase in sales versus their 2021 Q4 program.

Rakuten helps brands win the holiday season

With the peak holiday shopping period already here, it’s crucial brands adapt to meet consumers where they are. This is even more critical in this year’s competitive, discount-heavy landscape. Our 2023 playbook includes tips on how to capture maintain market share, build brand loyalty, and drive repeat purchase this season.

For more holiday insights and strategies, check out our Holiday Outlook Report. Or get in touch to plan your holiday season on Rakuten.