Rakuten x Shoe Brand bring the joy of shopping

Around this time every year brands ask us, “How can we make the most of our holiday season success on Rakuten?” Last year, we wrote the playbook to guide them through the busy and competitive Q4.  

Here’s what happened when one of our brand partners ran the playbook.   

Rakuten x Shoe Brand bring the joy of shopping  

An iconic running 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. 

• • Why? Consumers start early and spread out their budgets. When spend is finite and consumers are searching, those that capture early win.  

• Bookend the Tentpoles – As part of their strategy, the brand participated in our 2x, 3x, and Flash Cash events before and immediately following the Tentpole Moments.  

• • Why? Retail events drive volume of shopper traffic and create new opportunities to get in front of engaged shoppers across digital sites and platforms. 

• Dynamic Cash Back – Strategic fluctuations in the Cash Back rate kept customers engaged and drove the sale of key products throughout the season.  

• • Why? This leads to a high average Cash Back rate for the brand, which keeps shoppers engaged and your brand top of mind. 

Key Learnings 

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

Providing Cash Back through Rakuten drove a year-over-year increase in Q4 revenue for the brand by delivering a +157% increase in trips and +151% increase in sales versus their 2021 Q4 program. 

Holiday Playbook 2023 

This year, we’re back with more strategies and tactics to help brands maximize their holiday sales on Rakuten. Our playbook includes tips on how to capture early holiday demand, maintain market share, build brand loyalty and increase repeat purchases. Leveraging the playbook, brands can rest assured that they’re prepared to make the most of the season.   

For more holiday insights and strategies, check out our Holiday Outlook Report or get in touch to unwrap success on Rakuten this Q4.