Q1 is a critical period for brands to build a strong foundation, engage consumers with fresh campaigns, and drive long-term growth. Strategies like affiliate audits, diversifying the affiliate mix, leveraging upper-funnel marketing, and tailoring seasonal product launches are essential not only for a successful start to the year but also for shaping the entire retail calendar.
The first quarter of the retail calendar, or Q1, is an essential period for brands to set a strong foundation for the year. For advertisers, Q1 offers a chance to engage consumers with new campaigns and capitalise on the fresh perspectives that January brings. Although often overshadowed by the Cyber and end-of-year sales of Q4, Q1 has significant potential, particularly for brands seeking year-round engagement and sustained growth. We have explored why Q1 is critical and offer actionable tips for maximising your affiliate strategy in this influential quarter.
Navigating Q1 While Wrapping Up Q4
The close of Q4 is a time of high activity, but forward-thinking brands begin planning for Q1 long before December ends. As noted by our client, a leading brand in the Australian skincare sector:
“Q1 is almost just as crucial as Q4. We start conversations with our industry partners early in Q4 to gather some ideas (for example, based on any trend projections), while also looking on our end at what performed best—products, creatives, channels—in previous years.”
Beginning Q1 planning early ensures that advertisers hit the ground running in January. By analysing high-performing campaigns from the previous year, brands can refine their affiliate strategy, pinpoint the right product focus, and approach relevant publisher partners to amplify results from the start.
Q1 Affiliate Strategy Tips for Retailers
A strong Q1 strategy doesn’t just rely on more promotions; it focuses on tailored approaches to align with post-Cyber consumer behaviors. Here are key tactics to consider in your Q1 affiliate strategy:
1) Emphasise High-Utility Products
Following the Cyber spending season, consumers can become more budget-conscious. This is an ideal time to spotlight your best-selling products or everyday essentials that remain valuable year-round. As our leading Australian skincare client mentions, “The first few months of the year is when everyone is a bit more conscious with spending... we want to draw attention back to our all-time bestsellers.” Highlighting trusted, high-performing products builds on the consumer’s desire for value and reliability.
2) Leverage Data-Driven Insights
Use insights from Q4 and the previous year's Q1 performance to fine-tune your approach. By analysing which products, promotions, and affiliate partners performed best, brands can optimise their strategies and refine messaging. Additionally, monitoring emerging trends and predicting shifts in consumer interests is essential in helping brands stay responsive to evolving demands – including AI, automation, and personalisation promotional methods.
Leveraging this data helps ensure that affiliate campaigns are targeted and responsive to what customers want most at the beginning of the year.
3) Optimise Your Affiliate Channel Mix
Review which affiliate types drove the most value in previous Q1 campaigns. Use these insights to test and refine your channel mix, exploring a range of affiliate verticals that proved effective in recent campaigns, such as Q4. This targeted approach ensures you’re investing in the affiliate types and strategies that generate the best results—high-quality traffic, awareness, influence, and ultimately conversions.
4) Affiliate and Program Audit
Take some time to review your current affiliate partnerships with a focus on quality over quantity. A successful affiliate program isn’t just about maximising the number of affiliates, rather partnering with those who align with your brand values, drive meaningful traffic, and deliver strong conversions. Consider removing inactive or no longer relevant partners, and focus on onboarding new affiliates who align well with your goals.
Q1 is an ideal time to identify any missed opportunities or gaps, such as exploring untapped affiliate verticals to diversify your program or trying out fresh, innovative approaches. Additionally, monitoring affiliates that work with competitors is a further approach to broaden your reach, remain competitive, and tap into (new) audiences that are likely to resonate well with your brand.
5) Affiliate Incentives
Together with the above point on auditing, identifying and capitalising on missed opportunities with current affiliates can be a powerful strategy as you kick off the year. Start by assessing your affiliate database, focusing on affiliates with untapped potential, and offering targeted incentives to encourage them to promote your brand. For instance, providing an exclusive code or a temporary CPA increase can be effective in boosting their engagement and performance for the additional incentive on offer.
This approach helps convert inactive or click-only affiliates into transaction-active partners, strengthens relationships with these affiliates, and builds lasting partnerships within your affiliate program.
6) Collaborate with Content Creators on Seasonal Content
Content affiliates play a key role in Q1 by creating messages that resonate with New Year themes and trends. This period is essential for upper-funnel marketing initiatives in building brand awareness, fostering consideration, and driving consumer education—particularly with the support of content and social affiliates who can introduce new trends and product launches that set the tone for the year ahead.
Look to partner with content (from niche blogs to mass media publications), influencers, and content creators to develop articles, reviews, and guides that showcase how your products fit into a refreshed lifestyle. This approach is especially impactful for brands looking to engage customers on a deeper, goal-oriented level.
Adjusting Your E-commerce Strategy Post-Cyber
Q1 should look noticeably different from Q4. During the Cyber and Christmas seasons, campaigns often emphasise strategic discounting, gifting and seasonal bundles. By comparison, Q1 calls for a refreshed strategy focused on quality, practicality, and New Year-related goals.
As our skincare client elaborates, “The last few months of the year are all about the holidays/gifting... On the other hand, the first few months of the year is when everyone is a bit more conscious about spending money.” This shift in consumer behavior provides a unique opportunity for brands to pivot away from Cyber and holiday-centric messaging and focus on trusted, versatile (new) products.
Starting the year strong with a solid Q1 approach ensures your brand maintains momentum post-cyber while setting a confident tone for the months and year ahead.
Commission Factory is not only the Asia-Pacific region's largest affiliate platform, working with more than 900 of the world's biggest brands, it is also a performance marketing platform that allows affiliates, partners and content creators to earn money and online businesses to increase sales.
Connect with the Commission Factory team to learn more about how we help brands and partners build and grow their affiliate marketing strategies.