Ulta Beauty
“We made affiliate marketing more profitable by fixing the economics.”
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It all starts here
Their Story
ULTA Beauty is one of the largest beauty retailers in the United States, with hundreds of retail locations nationwide and a strong omnichannel presence.
The Challenge
ULTA wanted to grow profitability within its affiliate marketing program while maximizing efficiency across the channel.
Despite affiliate being a cost-effective channel, there was an opportunity to:
- Reduce unnecessary network fees
- Optimize commission structures
- Better align spend with top-performing publishers
The Insights
- Traditional affiliate networks with variable fees were limiting profitability
- High-performing publishers were not being fully optimized for ROI
- Reducing overhead costs could unlock additional reinvestment opportunities
- A more controlled, performance-based structure could drive stronger returns
The Strategy
Rise partnered with ULTA to rethink the traditional affiliate model—focusing on improving efficiency and return through a more strategic commission structure.
The Solution
Transition to Flat-Rate Commission Model
- Replaced variable network fees with a flat-rate structure
- Tested the model with ULTA’s largest publisher before scaling
Leveraging the Rise Affiliate Network
- Utilized a proprietary mix of platforms, technology, and publisher relationships
- Improved visibility into publisher performance
Optimizing Publisher Investment
- Shifted focus toward top-performing affiliates
- Reduced inefficiencies at the publisher level
- Reinvested savings back into high-performing digital channels
The Results
The new affiliate model significantly improved efficiency and profitability, enabling ULTA to scale revenue while reducing costs.
increase in revenue YoY
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increase in ROAS YoY
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ease in network fees YoY
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