As the power of influencers continues to grow in the advertising industry, more sophisticated avenues for monetisation are being created.
Shopping search engine ShopStyle has relaunched its influencer and blogger affiliate network ShopStyle Collective. The network allows social media influencers to monetise audiences across Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and video.
ShopStyle Collective has been running for nearly six years in the US and UK. In 2015 ShopStyle they rebranded the network overseas formerly called ShopSense.
ShopStyle Australia head Verity Beard says: “There's no denying the power of influencers is a force to be reckoned with and as one of the leading fashion sites in the market we are conscious of this and want to be part of it.
“It’s a way to pair the brands we love with the digital powerhouses that are influencers.”
ShopStyle Collective will allow influencers to create ‘looks’, which users can shop then purchase through the platform. If someone ‘likes’ a post on an influencer’s Instagram, they will receive a “shoppable email”, detailing the full outfit details of the post. Influencers are paid when their followers shop.
The site offers a way to partner influencers with ShopStyle's brands, including ASOS, Nike and Topshop. It also offers access to ShopStyle's application programming interface (API) and personalised analytics to report how the influencer's content has been received.
“We want to make ShopStyle Collective fit you. Not the other way around,” Beard explains. “We can reward for every click, but we can also connect you with brands that have marketing budgets and want to invest in a digital presence."
Rakuten Marketing managing director Anthony Capano, who works with clients such as David Jones and Lorna Jane, says brands are looking to partner with influencers who enable them to be more than product and price.
"Advertisers are looking to partner with influencers that play a role beyond just pushing product," Capano says. “What influencers can offer is lifestyle.”
Capano has noticed a shift in Rakuten’s clients from a ROI focus to investment in bigger brand partnerships.
“We are seeing a lot more funds now going to social media managers or content managers within retailers and that's where the benefit will come to influencers. The money is shifting," he adds.
“They typically want to see a return but when they are launching a brand – not necessarily. With the media shifting, this is where a lot of the revenue will end up.”
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