Publisher Spotlight: Shoplooks

Rakuten Advertising had the opportunity to sit down with Shoplooks Director Susie Zhu to chat through the company’s offering and its exciting plans for the future. Join us as we dive into all things Shoplooks.   

Tell us about Shoplooks

Shoplooks is an industry-leading influencer marketing network dedicated to utilising our influencer database to develop long-lasting partnerships and top-tier campaigns.

Founded in 2017, the company aims to empower the world’s premium creators to be as economically successful as possible. In the initial stages of Shoplooks’ growth, the Asia-Pacific market remained a central strategic focus. Its distinctive Chinese heritage has garnered substantial appeal within the global overseas Chinese consumer base, resulting from rapidly establishing a database featuring high-quality Chinese influencers. Shoplooks achieved significant success in the Asia-Pacific region during its early years with a strategic emphasis on the fashion and luxury sectors.

Over time, Shoplooks’ operations have expanded beyond the Asia-Pacific market, reaching a global audience. We’ve also diversified our collaboration areas to encompass various categories, including lifestyle, food, and pet-related content. In tandem, Shoplooks has refined and expanded its influencer database, cultivating fruitful partnerships with top-notch influencers from around the world.

Now in its 6th year, we have grown to become a three-sided marketplace, serving creators, brands, and shoppers. More than 50,000 retailers employ us for performance-driven campaigns and paid collaboration and invested more than $40 million in influencer marketing through the Shoplooks platform by 2022. Over 250,000 creators and shoppers purchase over $1 billion in products annually through the Shoplooks platform and app.

What sets you apart from other publishers?

Shoplooks has its own network within an invitation-based affiliate marketing platform that now serves over 250,000 social media influencers and 50,000 partnered brands and merchants. Through Shoplooks, our influencers can receive competitive commission rewards from many international brands, achieving a win-win situation.

Compared to other content publisher platforms, Shoplooks stands out with a substantial database of top-tier Chinese influencers in our early years. We’ve dedicated a specialised team to deliver professional services to our collaborating influencers, fostering strong relationships with numerous content creators.

Our company vision revolves around developing a user-friendly SaaS platform that delivers accurate performance data, enhances product features and expands the diversity of influencers and brand partnerships. Our commitment lies in boosting our product’s innovation capacity and becoming a game changer in affiliate and influencer marketing industries.

How do you help advertisers add value and drive incrementality?

We help our clients understand the current market conditions surrounding their consumers and identify growth opportunities. Our services span market research, brand positioning, and strategic planning and message development.

What excites you about the affiliate marketing industry and the direction its headed? Any new innovations will we see from you in the coming months?

Affiliate marketing has emerged as a cornerstone of the marketing landscape. In the earlier days, businesses leaned heavily on PR campaigns to boost brand recognition. As the landscape evolved, a more sales-driven approach focused on metrics like clicks and sales to measure performance. This is precisely where affiliate marketing comes into its own. Presently, sales are the central focal point.

We’re excited about how influencer marketing is ascending in significance as an effective strategy to support affiliate marketing and other marketing efforts seamlessly. Over the next 5 to 10 years, it’s projected to soar from a 5% – 10% market share to encompass over 50% of the average marketing budget. Brands are transitioning from conventional social media buying to a content-centric approach, aiming for an integrated brand impact. This syncs perfectly with the foundational philosophy and ongoing innovation path of Shoplooks.

In the meantime, the rise of the TikTok revolution has introduced a new era of short, bite-sized videos. Shoplooks is steadfast in its commitment to pioneering tools tailored for this short-form video arena because we see this as a crucial part of innovation in this field. By capitalising on TikTok’s extensive user base and content generated by influencers, this initiative enables brands to utilise the momentum while also effectively tracking conversions. This effort is intricately woven into Shoplooks’ core identity as a technology-focused enterprise, aiding in the monetization of both creative and shopping-oriented content from creators, all delivered concurrently.

Why did you choose to partner with Rakuten Advertising?

Rakuten Advertising undeniably stands out as a globally renowned and highly professional affiliate network platform. Its extensive network of strategic partnerships with top-tier merchants worldwide and its dedicated focus on the Asian luxury market align seamlessly with Shoplooks’ strategic positioning. From a user perspective, Rakuten’s platform boasts an elegantly designed interface that is both professional and user-friendly. The evident commitment to fostering strong communication between Affiliate Managers (AMs) and Publishers has led to a wealth of high-quality collaboration opportunities with our merchants. Additionally, the platform offers periodic review services, which has proven critical for refining Shoplooks’ influencer marketing strategies.

Want to work with Shoplooks? Visit rakutenadvertising.com today or speak to your account representative.