Flink capitalizes on their rapid growth by monetizing with sponsored placements

What Flink Wanted 

Founded in 2020, the quick commerce company Flink has been in the European market for just a few years. But with delivery times in as little as just a few minutes and competitively priced inventory, Flink has already accrued millions of active customers across 160 locations throughout Europe. 

Flink’s proven success further drove their team to work meticulously to provide advertisers and customers with high-quality experiences -- which is why sponsored posts and transparent reporting for Flink’s advertisers have remained a top priority for the Berlin-based brand. 

Most quick commerce and delivery services garner revenue from memberships, service or delivery fees, and ad placement revenue. When the team at Flink identified that almost 40% of customers ordered through the app’s product categories page, it became clear that, next to the classical revenue streams, monetizing sponsored posts was a great source of untapped revenue. 

Since January 2023, Kevel has helped Flink experience: 

• A 3.5x boost in monthly ad spend when compared with the beginning of 2023 (Sep - Jan) 
• A 5x GMV boost from sponsored placements when compared with the beginning of 2023 (Sep - Jan) 
• A 4x increase in orders placed through sponsored ads when compared with the beginning of 2023 (Sep - Jan) 

Kevel is currently helping Flink run 130 active campaigns across 3 countries. 

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What Kevel Delivered 

Monetization through sponsored ads 

Flink first approached Kevel knowing they wanted sponsored ad placements inside their app’s product categories page. Tatiana Solovyeva, Flink’s Commercial Performance Analyst, shared that a sizable 40% of buyers order through Flink’s product categories and that with Flink’s vast reach, the advertiser demand was there. 

“For us, [sponsored ads] are attractive to push people to buy certain products within each category,” Solovyeva explained. “It’s also attractive for brands. That’s why we want to develop even further.” 

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These category ad units satisfied the base priority of many of Flink’s diverse advertisers: to simply get more buyers to view their products. Kevel’s sponsored listings allowed Flink to offer a bidding system over simple or flat campaigns, meaning brands can now bid on specific  placements -- which has also allowed Flink to grow their ad revenue even faster. 

“We are also interested in having one more sponsored placement that’s based on search results, together with Kevel.” Solovyeva shared, “In that case, [Kevel’s] targeting option would be heavily used.” 

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Flexible APIs 

Equally important to sponsored listings, Flink also uses Kevel’s UI to prioritize day-to-day campaign management, creation, and reporting. Solovyeva shared that what initially attracted Flink’s tech team to Kevel was the flexibility of Kevel’s API-based tools, meaning they didn’t have to give up their own internal systems.

“A lot can be done through the API connection,” Solovyeva said. “Within the last month, we were able to integrate Kevel Reporting into our own BI tool so that we have the results internally and externally -- and then we’re able to share that with brands.” 

The Commercial Performance Analyst also expressed that features like Kevel’s real-time reporting were essential for Flink’s advertiser relationships. From daily sendouts to customizable, scheduled reports, Flink is able to provide advertisers with immediate insights on how their ad spend is being used or relocated between campaigns. 

“Companies are really interested in optimizing their budgets and really only want to invest in campaigns or placements where they see fast results,” Solovyeva said. “So the fact that we can measure return on ad spend immediately for active campaigns, and can already see in absolute numbers what the impact of a placement was, is crucial.” 

Currently, Flink uses Kevel Reporting for: 

• Daily report send outs
• Scheduled reports every 2 - 3 days 
• Money spent metrics
• Revenue gained metrics

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Close collaboration 

On top of Kevel’s comprehensive API documentation, a team of expert Kevelers, which includes a dedicated solutions architect and CSM, also worked closely with the team at Flink to launch their sponsored listings. 

“Kevel is always there to help not only for advanced questions but also for small questions,” said Solovyeva. “[Kevel] is very proactive on whatever is coming from our side, especially when using a new tool.” 

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“I’d like to emphasize how thankful we are for the help and for [Kevel’s] responses that we’re always getting on time. We really feel a lot of support from Kevel’s side.” - Tatiana Solovyeva, Commercial Performance Analyst, Flink

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What’s next? 

Currently, Flink uses Kevel to power their category page’s sponsored ads, in addition to campaign management and reporting. With such significant success, like Flink’s +4x orders placed through sponsored ads since partnering with Kevel, it’s no surprise that this delivery business is already looking ahead. 

Flink has already tested new product features with Kevel, and Solovyeva shared their desire to expand Flink’s ad offerings down the road. 

As a main player in the delivery corner of eCommerce, Flink has rapidly made a name for themselves as one of the on-demand Greats. With retail media aspirations in Flink’s future, Flink “expects its core German business to be profitable by the end of 2023, after hitting €400mn in sales in 2022,” according to the Financial Times -- due in no small part to diversifying their revenue streams with advertising.  

Read more about building an ad platform with Kevel or get in touch with us today.