Savings United Connects Coupons with Content

Based in Germany, with employees all around the globe, Savings United is a white label coupon solution that works directly with large content and media publishers to create branded coupon pages with affiliate offers.

They operate at the intersection of coupons and content, providing a new revenue stream for premium content media publishers to easily expand into the coupon arena in a way that aligns with their own vision, and a new promotional avenue for advertisers who are eager to benefit from high-reach content publishers.

We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Jessica Weisman, Affiliate Partnership Manager at Savings United, to discuss their collaborative and individualized approach in connecting content publishers and advertisers, where they see the future of affiliate, and their expansion into the US market.

CJ: Tell us about your company/business model.

JW: Savings United has been around for over seven years, starting out as an international coupon site. Later down the line, we saw an opportunity to deliver a new incremental revenue stream for both premium publishers and advertisers. Now, our platforms provide advertisers with the opportunity to work alongside trustworthy, popular media sites and connect with shoppers in a brand-safe environment. We work closely with premium media partners, such as Wired, to create curated coupon platforms that are consistent with their branding and voice. This gives selected advertisers the opportunity to have a presence on large, reputable content sites. At the same time, we are helping customers find the best deals while also getting a reassuring shopping experience.

CJ: What makes your brand unique?

JW: The uniqueness of Savings United is more than providing advertisers the opportunity to connect with large content partners such as PCWorld and NYPost. We pride ourselves on our close relationships with advertisers, affiliate networks, and our media partners, but also on the great people that make up our company. Our team is committed to understanding the advertiser’s needs and works alongside them to surpass their objectives and expectations. Through constant communication, trust, and effectiveness, we build long-term relationships with advertisers on a local and global scale.

CJ: How does the partnership with the media publisher work? How much control do they get when integrating your solution on their site?

JW: Our coupon platforms are created in collaboration with our media partners. We work together with each partner to create tailored platforms that follow their high-quality and journalistic standards, values, and brand guidelines. Once the platform has been launched, we collaborate with US advertisers that fit our partners’ brand. At this point, together with our media partners, we operate in the same way as a coupon publisher in an advertiser's affiliate program.

CJ: Are there specific merchant categories/verticals that perform best with your partners?

JW: We see shoppers search for deals across a broad range of verticals, but the most popular categories are electronic goods, travel, and fashion. That said, we welcome the opportunity to work with high-quality US advertisers across all verticals. The brands that perform the best are those that offer consistent coupons and that work closely with our partnerships team to develop placement strategies.

CJ: Have you noticed any trends emerge with the types of promotions that resonate?

JW: We see huge success with merchants that are able to offer exclusive codes to each of our sites. Different promotions tend to perform better for certain sites, so we carefully evaluate which deals will resonate the best on each of our platforms in order to achieve the highest rate of success.

CJ: How much control does the merchant have—do they get to choose the sites they’re featured on?

JW: We always take into consideration which sites the merchant wants to be featured on. By discussing their vertical and the properties we foresee it performing well on, we're able to develop a plan that sets the merchant up for success. In addition, we're able to expand their global reach by connecting them with our sites in other regions, if they aren't joined with them already.

CJ: What trends do you see arising within affiliate and how are you handling them?

JW: We're noticing a surge of success with unconventional sectors. More and more people are going online for grocery shopping, financial services, and medication. We are seeing an increase in performance with merchants in these categories.

CJ: Where do you see the future of affiliate?

JW: With more than half of the US mobile phone population using digital coupons in 2019, according to estimates from eMarketer, mobile is the present and the future in affiliate marketing and the couponing sector. However, we are already seeing that shoppers are using more than one device along their customer journey. It’s not as simple as desktop versus mobile. For example, an analysis from McKinsey that was published by Google shows that the average customer journey to book travel lasted 36 days and involved 45 touchpoints across several devices and websites. We predict that the affiliate industry will focus on creating off and online solutions that help advertisers offer omni-channel experiences, connecting advertisers along non-linear customer journeys.

CJ: Do you have any success stories you can share?

JW: Our entrance in the US market is undoubtedly a success story. Since we launched our first collaboration in October last year, we have seen tremendous growth. Entering a new market is no small feat, especially while simultaneously introducing a new business model. Currently, we have four premium media collaborations and have helped US advertisers earn millions of dollars in sales. Also, we have provided customers with trustworthy and high-quality channels where they can feel confident they are finding the best deals for top brands.

CJ: Are there any current accomplishments and/or awards your company has won?

JW: We are thrilled that internationally prestigious organizations, such as Digiday and Deloitte, have recognized both our work with media partners and our fast growth. The success of our content-adjacent coupon sites have already been proven in Europe. In less than nine months since launching in the US, we can see the same trend in this market at an even faster rate of growth.

CJ: What are the next steps if a brand wants to partner with you in the CJ network?

JW: We are always looking to add new brands to our sites and would love to discuss potential partnerships. Please email us at partnerships.us@savings-united.com.