How Fnac Built a Sustainable Influencer Network Delivering 7:1 ROI
Read how a white-label mobile app activated via Awin took influencer marketing from short-term campaigns into a year-round acquisition channel.
Fnac is a French multi-national retailer specializing in cultural and electronic products, including books, games, consumer electronics, and entertainment. It has a strong presence both in-store and online across France and many international markets.
The challenge
Influencer marketing has long been recognized as a powerful tool for product launches and viral moments. However, the space has rarely been associated with sustained, long-term impact.
Brands are more likely to use influencers for one-off campaigns rather than ongoing partnerships, but Fnac wanted to flip the script.
As many of the retailers’ categories (e.g, books, games, and electronic devices) were already featured heavily in influencer content, it would have no issue recruiting brand ambassadors and giving them products to promote.
The challenge was to move beyond short-term influencer campaigns and build a community that delivered consistent results all year round.
The solution
Searching for the right partner to activate on its Awin program, Fnac found Shop My Influence, whose influencer platform, white-label solutions, and creator network provided the perfect foundation to build off.
Shop My Influence was asked to work closely with Fnac’s Awin account managers to create a fully-branded mobile app - “Fnac Ambassadeur” - which would be used by Fnac to share news and communicate directly with its influencers. Meanwhile, those influencers could use the same platform to create affiliate links, get content inspiration, and track their campaigns.
Fnac set ambitious targets for Awin and Shop My Influence:
- Activate 500 partnerships
- Execute 15 brand campaigns
- Secure a 7:1 return on investment (ROI)
As Shop My Influence could be activated through the affiliate channel, Fnac didn’t have to burn through its own resources building a dedicated mobile app. It simply outsourced the build to Shop My Influence and paid a commission for every sale it drove.
Recruitment and planning
Fnac and Awin used Shop My Influence’s network and “Discovery” tool to filter through 1.5 million creators and invite “Ambassadeurs" to the app. This led to Fnac centralizing over 550 influencer partnerships on a single, branded platform.
Awin monitored the app creation closely, making rapid changes based on Fnac's feedback and expectations
The app was designed with three core principles in mind:
#1 Autonomy
The influencers needed simple monetization tools that allowed them to focus more on producing content and less time navigating different platforms to manage it.
In-app tools made it easy for them to promote any Fnac product by inputting URLs from the brand’s website and instantly creating Awin-tracked affiliate links.
Feeding into the vision of ‘always-on’ campaigns, influencers could also collate multiple products on dynamic wishlists to share on their social platforms.
#2 Transparency
Integrating real-time tracking and payout requests into the app removed the need for influencers to check or access their earnings through additional platforms.
At the same time, a comprehensive dashboard was developed for Fnac and Awin to manage the network, including:
- Segmentation: Built-in messaging made it easy to communicate with one influencer or hundreds.
- Performance tracking: Fnac gained a real-time view of sales and clicks, down to individual profiles.
- Validation: New influencers were invited to submit ‘info sheets’ through the app to streamline approvals.
#3 Connection
The built-in messaging tools fostered a deep connection between Fnac and the influencers, allowing each side to chat directly with one another about products and campaigns. Influencers could also head to the ‘offers’ area for prizes and vouchers, dialing up the gamification element.
Campaign highlights:
A combination of campaign structures, including fixed fees and CPA increases for inactive influencers, alongside incentives like in-store events and free gifts, kept the community engaged and motivated.
Major-name YouTubers like Nightech, LittleBigWhale, and ici Amy Plant compiled shoppable wishlists for their audiences to browse and purchase from.
Others factored Fnac into their regular content schedule. YouTuber Flavien Alexzander created multiple videos featuring products available at Fnac and linked to the items in each description.
The results
By giving influencers all the tools, data, and autonomy they needed to monetize their content, Fnac, Shop My Influence, and Awin achieved against all the set KPIs:
- Campaigns: 20 (+29% against target)
- Active partnerships: 550 (+10% against target)
- ROI: 7:1 (on target)
This translated to tangible results in the form of nearly 450,000 clicks and over €600,000 in direct sales over the course of the program’s first full year. Fnac also generated significant organic brand visibility at no additional cost, including tags in over 1,300 Instagram stories enriched with links.
Most impressively, Fnac delivered on its vision for a sustainable acquisition driver. Results from January - May in the following year confirmed the app’s continued popularity and long-term value:
- Campaigns: +200% YoY
- Active influencers: +62% YoY
- Clicks: +472% YoY
- Sales: +853% YoY
By prioritizing the influencer experience and building technology that simplified content creation while maintaining transparent tracking, Fnac transformed influencer marketing from a tactical campaign tool into a strategic, always-on acquisition lever.