Building a Profitable Retail Media Platform with Adore Beauty

08/12/2024

Adore Beauty is rapidly expanding its retail media offering for its almost 300 brand partners. The growing Australia retail media market is forecasted to attract more ad dollars, with the country's spending on in-house or owned platforms to reach $2.8 billion by 2027! By leveraging first-party data with its unique tone of voice, the company has created a highly effective platform for brands to reach and engage consumers.

Adore Beauty's RMN not only generates new revenue through content packages, but also fosters deeper relationships with brands. In a competitive market in a time of ever rising customer acquisition costs, they are solidifying their brand voice driving more content-driven impressions across platforms like Instagram and YouTube, supporting growth in its RMN and creative pillars through refreshing content and a clear value proposition.

A Paris vlog to uncover the future of L’Oreal as Gerard and Kristy introduced new product launches, took a tour around its Research and Development Lab, and interacted with new tech like AR. Click in to indulge in their experience for haircare enthusiasts out there!

Looking beyond immediate revenue, how does Adore Beauty uncover the long-term strategic value of a robust retail media platform through content-driven marketing and brand building efforts? 

Retail Media Networks provide valuable insights into campaign performance through key metrics such as ROAS and CPM, informing brands’ investment. As reiterated by Gerard Richardson, Head of Retail Marketing for the Australian retailer, creating this content raises brand awareness for their brand partners. We’re playing higher up the customer funnel and bringing customers to site more effectively. In a time of ever rising CAC, retailers have to get innovative to bring more customers to their brand.

Promoting a series of collection of Dior’s Sauvage: ‘No longer just a standalone scent, but a full-blown routine taking over your shower!’

Continuing to expand retail media provides a new revenue stream beyond just selling products. We’ve seen this most evident in the grocery channel where every inch of the store and site is paid for. For Adore, it’s cementing us as a media player where customers can do more than shop, but engage via a podcast or blog, laugh at an Instagram Reel or just chill out with a YouTube vlog. Creating this content raises brand awareness - we’re playing higher up the customer funnel, and bringing them to our site more effectively. In a time of ever rising CAC, retailers have to get innovative to bring more customers to their brand.

To be successful in Retail Media, having a clear value proposition is critical. It’s not enough to say you have great analytics or insights. Brands have more choice than ever on where to invest (and they always have a cheaper option). A retailer must have something different for which Adore has - Beauty IQ Blog, Podcast, Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Print, Site, Out-of-Home all with our brand identity. You simply can’t beat it.

Adore Beauty is writing a different narrative in marketing by seamlessly introducing content into the customer journey: ‘The Best Dandruff-Targeting Haircare Products for That Flake-Free Feeling’

What data insights are most valuable for Adore Beauty in crafting effective targeted advertising campaigns for brands?

Retail Media is driven by key data points like ROAS and CPM. All brands calculate them differently and all brands have different benchmarks providing one of the bigger challenges to navigate. With this in mind, some of the most experienced partners focus on strategic metrics starting with reach or audience exposure and narrow to AOV, AOF, LTV, New Customers, Active Customers and more to build a true picture of how investment is influencing their market share and consumer behaviour. Together, this creates an overview of engagement.

While customer experience is paramount, how do you balance the integration of retail media with maintaining a seamless shopping experience for Adore Beauty customers?

Adore Beauty’s organic and authentic tone of voice is an asset and earned. As previously mentioned, high engagement levels supported by authentic content and helpful education is paramount. Our retail media offer benefits from the trust and ongoing interest given to us by our customers and visitors alike.

This also converges onto our site, in our emails and across our campaigns. All retail media is interpreted through the Adore creative and content pillars. Where something is sponsored, we’re honest - we keep to our original vision of letting the customer decide what they buy. In the tech space, we introduce nothing to the site that could compromise performance. We’re currently evaluating tech upgrades for our retail media offering. Much of this is focused on how it will integrate into our site and not compromise customer experience.


An intimate yet informative video that introduces a range of beauty products – from Anti-Calcium shampoo to aromas and hand cream, all of which promote real results for teens invested in self-care!


Hear from Gerard Richardson, at Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Australia, on 25th September, 10:10AM Opening Keynote Panel: Delighting your customers – How can you leverage immersive digital experiences to drive customer engagement, conversion, and loyalty? Find out more here!

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