The Challenge: Building a Profitable D2C Business
Bears with Benefits started as an Amazon-First brand but quickly realized they needed to diversify their sales channels to build a sustainable business. The challenge was clear: How to build a profitable Direct-to-Consumer business that could scale across Europe?
The Solution: A Data-Driven Approach
Together with Linkster, Bears with Benefits developed a systematic approach to influencer marketing that could scale efficiently across multiple markets.
Building the Right Team Structure
Instead of hiring country managers, Bears with Benefits opted for a centralized approach with native speakers for each market. This allowed them to maintain consistency while ensuring authentic local communication.
Automation at Scale
Using the Linkster platform, they automated repetitive tasks including:
Data-Driven Decision Making
Every decision at Bears with Benefits is based on data. They continuously monitor:
"Linkster helps us every day to focus on profitable influencer cooperations!"
The Implementation Journey
From Zero to Hero
Q1 2021
Starting at Zero
First influencer marketing experiments with manual tracking
Q3 2021
Implementing Linkster
Automation and real-time tracking revolutionize workflows
Q1 2022
International Expansion
Launch in France, Italy and UK markets
Q4 2023
1,000+ Collaborations
Scaling with a 20-person team across 4 markets
The Secret Sauce: 6 Pillars of Success
Team Structure
Centralized processes with native speakers for authentic local communication
Automation
Streamlined processes enable managing 1,000+ collaborations monthly
Data-Driven
Every decision is based on real-time performance data and analytics
Relationships
Long-term partnerships with performance-based compensation models
Watch the NewCom 2024 Masterclass
Get exclusive access to the masterclass by Eva Schumacher and Giannis Paraskevopoulos from NewCom 2024, where they reveal all the strategies that made Bears with Benefits a success story.
Download Presentation (German)
Get the original NewCom presentation slides with all the details:
Download Presentation (PDF)Key Takeaways
The 5 Most Important Learnings:
- Automation is key: Without tools like Linkster, this scale would be impossible
- Data beats gut feeling: Every decision must be measurable
- Team is everything: The right mix of centralized and local expertise
- Speed wins: Fast iteration based on real-time data
- Long-term relationships: But only when performance is right
Ready to Write Your Own Success Story?
The journey of Bears with Benefits shows that influencer marketing with the right strategy, the right tools, and the right team can become a predictable, scalable revenue channel. Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale your existing activities, the principles remain the same:
Automate repetitive tasks
Make data-driven decisions
Focus on performance