Interview: Mama-la-mode
Here is a recent interview with Fee Drummond, the Managing Director of Mama-la-mode who recently launched their first affiliate programme exclusively with LinkShare.
Fee, can you start with a quick overview of Mama-la-mode?
Mama-la-mode.com is the ultimate, exclusive on-line boutique for style-conscious mothers-to-be. With over 60 international designers to encompass every aspect of being stylishly pregnant, mama-la-mode.com is totally unique. Covering all wardrobe needs; from red carpet glamour to working staples, the widest selection of fashionable denim, to lingerie, beach, beauty, accessories, gifts, & baby. The idea of giving up fashion & style just because you are pregnant is now a thing of the past.
When did you start your affiliate programme?
We started our affiliate programme with LinkShare in December 2008.
What are your objectives for the programme?
As we are in a niche market with a short customer lifetime, it is important for us to constantly reach out and acquire new customers. Pregnant women spend more time surfing the internet than they would normally as they research their new situation, so an affiliate programme is the obvious way for us to reach that market and make sure our online presence extends far and wide. As an e-tailer, accessing quality traffic in trusted online environments is key to our growth, as is building brand awareness. An affiliate programme helps achieve both those objectives.
How did Mama-la-mode and LinkShare work together to create the programme?
The niche market means that although there are fewer avenues open to us, the ones that do exist can be highly profitable. LinkShare helps us to optimise returns from those avenues by making the selection process more timely and working with us to research and develop the right pool of affiliates for our brand. It is imperative that we position our brand carefully, choosing affiliates that not only fit in with our brand profile, but also create maximum conversion potential – a key success factor in affiliate marketing.
Are you happy with the results you have seen so far?
It is very early days but we are really pleased with the results we have seen so far. We have a close relationship with our account manager and feel very much aligned in what we’re aiming to achieve together. You get to learn a lot about your business and customers by analysing the affiliates generating good traffic and sales. The beauty of online marketing is that each campaign and each affiliate is closely trackable.
What made you chose to work with LinkShare?
As a high end designer store for the maternity market we have to be really careful about protecting our brand, which includes having some control over where our adverts are featured. LinkShare offers that security as well as having specialist knowledge of luxury brands. It was the obvious choice in terms of brand positioning and giving us access to the relevant affiliate pools.
What do you forsee as being important in 2009?
Solid steady growth is the most important thing for 2009. Added to this is impeccable customer service and a seamless transaction to delivery process. With such a volatile market there is enormous potential for e-tailers like us. The two crucial factors will be accessing the customers and growing at a sustainable pace for your company. Moving online and investing in online marketing is absolutely key to nurturing growth, especially in the current climate which has seen more people than ever turn to shopping online.
What sites do you use for online shopping?
Apart from SheerLuxe, Amazon, Ocado, Mytights and Figleaves are some of my favourites. I also shop at Net-a-Porter for when I need a fashion fix from someone else’s store!
Penny Mather, Marketing Manager
