Marks Electrical: +15% ROI Through Affiliate Optimisation

"This optimisation project with Tradedoubler has transformed our affiliate programme into a strong and efficient acquisition channel. The data-led approach helped us lower costs, strengthen partner performance, and maximise ROI ahead of peak season." - Ryan Burgess, Marketing Manager at Marks Electrical

Marks Electrical is a leading UK online retailer specialising in household appliances and consumer electronics. Operating in a highly competitive retail environment, the brand continuously focuses on delivering strong customer value while driving efficient and sustainable digital growth.

Challenge: Making a Mature Affiliate Programme More Efficient

Amid inflation, cautious consumer spending and increasing competition, Marks Electrical set out to further strengthen the efficiency of its affiliate programme.

The priority was to improve profitability by reducing CPA, directing investment towards higher-value partners and maximising the return from affiliate activity.

The objectives were clear:

• Reduce acquisition costs

• Improve partner and portfolio efficiency

• Allocate investment towards higher-performing affiliates

• Strengthen overall ROI

• Optimise the programme ahead of peak season

The challenge was to transform an established affiliate programme into a more efficient, ROI-driven acquisition channel without losing momentum.

Solution: A Data-Led Affiliate Optimisation Strategy

Marks Electrical and Tradedoubler implemented a data-led optimisation strategy designed to improve efficiency, strengthen partner performance and maximise ROI.

Improving Cost Efficiency Across Core Categories

The strategy focused on CPA optimisation across key product categories:

• Floorcare

• Large Domestic Appliances

• TV/AV

A data-driven Cost Per Order Improvement (CPOi) framework supported continuous performance analysis, helping identify opportunities to optimise acquisition costs and align investment more closely with commercial value.

Optimising the Publisher Portfolio

Partner performance was reviewed to ensure investment was directed towards the publishers delivering the greatest value. The approach focused on:

• Reallocating budget from lower-ROI affiliates

• Prioritising higher-converting partners

• Onboarding new publishers to strengthen the portfolio

This created a more performance-focused partner ecosystem built around quality, efficiency and measurable return.

Making Exposure and Incentives Performance-Driven

Marks Electrical also moved towards a more dynamic approach to exposure and partner incentives, including:

• Performance-weighted exposure planning

• Closer alignment of investment with seasonal opportunities

• Optimised cashback and voucher activity through tailored incentives and exclusive-code strategies

Together, these measures created a more agile affiliate programme in which investment, exposure and partner incentives were increasingly guided by performance.

Results: +15% ROI for Marks Electrical

The data-led optimisation strategy delivered measurable improvements across the programme:

• +15% overall ROI

• –15% average CPA

• +18% improvement in return on exposure

• +20% click-to-sale conversion uplift

Marks Electrical’ case demonstrates that improving affiliate performance isn’t always about increasing volume. Smarter investment decisions, continuous optimisation and a stronger focus on partner value can deliver greater efficiency and measurable commercial impact.

Looking to improve the efficiency and ROI of your affiliate programme?

Let’s explore how a more data-led approach can help you unlock greater value from your partner ecosystem.

PS: Check out our Success Stories section for more case studies.