Case study · Accessories
Premium accessories · Lean-budget affiliate launch
$7.2X ROAS · 52% MoM growth for 5 straight months · 10% of site revenue in 4 months.
Challenge
A fast-growing premium accessories brand had maximized social-advertising ROI and was seeking new revenue channels beyond retail partnerships and DTC investments. Affiliate was their next target for growth — to gain brand exposure among top-tier sites for awareness, and to provide unique offers through affiliates for acquisition.
With ambitious growth targets and a lean budget, the goal was to build a high-performing program that could scale quickly while maintaining strict ROAS and CPA benchmarks to maintain margin. With founders new to affiliate marketing, there was also a need to showcase the channel's ability to balance partnerships, fit within a low budget, provide affiliate 101 details, and not appear promotional.
Solution
Having worked together at a prior business, the brand's marketing leader tapped Surge for a strategic launch plan in the Spring of 2024 to capitalize on summer events and lead into a successful Q4.
Surge provided key initiatives: publisher recruitment metrics, publisher category coverage to reach consumers across the purchasing funnel, premium placement opportunities on a pay-for-performance basis, discounted onboarding fees and placement costs, and a commission / offer structure that would exceed revenue goals while staying well below the brand's growth KPIs.
Results
10% of site revenue
from affiliates within 4 months of service.
52%+ MoM revenue lift
for 5 straight months.
$7.2X ROAS
68% higher than the brand's goal.
76% over "high" forecast
on track to exceed even the optimistic plan.
30% lower CPA than other paid media
with AOV matching direct site sales.
Sister brand launched
parent company is now launching affiliates for a sister brand on the back of Surge's results.
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