We interviewed Canon’s Director of E-Commerce, John Donnellan to find out what makes the brand stand out from their competitors, the publisher types they wish to partner with and the benefits of the programme for publishers.
Q. Welcome to the Awin network! Canon is a worldwide-recognised brand. In your opinion, how do you stand out from your digital imaging counterparts?
Canon is always striving to be the leading organisation when it comes to imaging, and innovation is something we continue to work and improve on. As a company, we have recognised that the market has evolved, continues to evolve and that consumer behaviour is changing. Therefore, in 2014, we launched a new consumer brand campaign ‘Come and See’, with the purpose to move from a product-centric to a customer-centric organisation. To support this, we have undertaken a digital transformation of our operating model to build a new omni-channel experience. By making these changes and focusing on the customer, we hope to prosper in this competitive and challenging market.
Q. What are the key benefits for publishers who are interested in partnering with you?
Publishers who join our programme will benefit from promoting a renowned, globally established brand which is one of the biggest in the imaging and optical sector.
Our standard category commission rates of up to 3% is very competitive. In addition, we will be offering different incentives and a bonus reward scheme during launch to help give publishers a kick-start in their affiliation with us.
Publishers will also benefit from promoting some of our exclusive promotions and offers, which will only be available on our ecommerce store. Not forgetting other key features, which make it attractive for consumers to purchase including free standard delivery and a free returns policy within 14 days, as well as a two-year commercial warranty on hardware products. Key product launches will also enable publishers to promote Canon’s latest releases, giving consumers the added incentive to visit the Canon ecommerce store.
Q. What type of publishers are you hoping to partner with? Are there are any additional partnership opportunities outside of the traditional CPA model that you would consider?
Canon is open to collaborating with all types of publishers. We see some unique opportunities with content sites notably travel and parenting partners, which can help us reach these consumers. In addition, students and employee portals represent key verticals that we feel will be some of our bigger revenue drivers. This is not forgetting the traditional voucher and cash back sites, which no doubt will add to the success of the programme.
If the opportunity presents itself, we will be willing to explore CPM and CPL models.
Q. Can you tell us about any recent product launches that would help publishers to better promote Canon?
Our product launch timings and frequency vary by category and by country. Recently, we have launched a couple of key lines in our DSLR category – 1300D an entry level SLR and our more advanced SLR in the 80D. Within our camera category sales, these products have contributed 7% and 12% respectively which has been very positive, since launch was less than five months ago.
Recently, we announced on our stores our advanced DSLR, the 5D MKIV. This is our most premium DSLR aimed at professionals, enabling them to shoot quality images and full HD movies.
We encourage our publishers to promote all of our categories and to keep up to date with the latest releases by looking out for our newsletter / email communications.
Q. Are there any exciting plans in the pipeline within the next 12 months that you’d like to share?
Canon is always striving to innovate and we want to create an ecommerce offering which is the go-to destination for consumers looking for Canon products.
We have a number of projects associated with improving the onsite Canon experience including but not limited to enabling pre-order functionality, unlocking new promotional mechanics and key changes to product listing and detail pages, to allow consumers to find the products they want quicker and easier.
We are also developing on own photobook proposition as well as enhancing our portfolio of Canon products including Irista photo storage solution and Lifecake, our baby app for parents enabling them to capture and view photos, videos and stories of their children.
We are excited with what is coming up in the ecommerce team!
