How Benefit Is Magnifying The Brand Love With Referral
Benefit Cosmetics grew from a single make up shop “The Face Place” in 1976 to a global cosmetics brand. This growth has been fuelled by a love of the fun, tongue-in cheek approach to a sector which can often take itself too seriously.
Background
Benefit Cosmetics was set up by Jean and Jane Ford, twins from the American Midwest. It has developed into a cult beauty brand with a devoted fan base who love the great problem-solving products combined with a cheeky sense of humour evident in it’s packaging, product names, and advertising. With such loyal customers, it made sense for Benefit to harness this brand advocacy with a referral programme. They appointed Mention Me to power their scheme and worked with the team to start rewarding customers in mid 2016.
AB Testing By Cohort Helps Deliver Strong Results
It is rare that any marketing activity delivers its best results from day one. Referral marketing is no different, and requires a systematic program of testing of all elements to optimise and increase conversions. The Mention Me platform enables AB testing by cohort, which means customers receive a consistent experience, even if new offers or creatives are introduced at a later date.
The Benefit team have seen significant increases in referral orders by testing offers, messaging, and the customer journey.
Results
Benefit’s refer-a-friend scheme has seen great results in recent months following a program of testing:
• The brand is very referable: in peak weeks 30 per cent of enrolled customers share the brand with their friends.
• Customer journey is key: changes in the referral flow has seen the share rate improve by 16 per cent.
• Referred customers are valuable: They make 24 per cent more purchases than non-referred customers.