'How did our serum do?'
The brand gave you a good price on their serum for the June box, in return for exposure. Six weeks later their marketing manager emails: how many boxes did it go in, what did people think, did anyone use the code? You would like to give them a good answer, because you want them back for the autumn.
The answer is scattered. The box count is in the subscription app. The ratings, if you ran a survey, are in a survey tool export. The discount code usage is in the brand's own shop, which you cannot see. The unboxing posts that mentioned them are on Instagram. You send a friendly email with a rough number and a couple of screenshots.
The data exists but belongs to no report
Box businesses collect plenty of information about each item. None of it is organised by brand.
- Box counts are per month, not per item or variant.
- Survey ratings are per box unless you set them up per item.
- Discount code redemptions happen on the brand's own website.
- Social mentions are spread across posts and stories that disappear.
- What you promised the brand, such as a feature in the spoiler email, is not tracked.
So every report is built from scratch, and the effort means most brands never get one.
What weak reporting costs
Brands decide whether to work with you again, and on what terms, based on what they think they got. A vague email makes the next deal harder and pushes you towards paying full price for products that could have come at a discount. Brands you would love to work with ask for evidence of results, and without past reports you have nothing to show them.
It also creates awkward moments. A brand that expected a social post you forgot will remember.
The partner report we build
- Each brand item is linked to the boxes and variants it went into, with the number of subscribers who received it.
- Item ratings and comments from your post-box survey are gathered per item, with comments shared only where the subscriber agreed.
- Brands are given a unique code for each box, and they can report redemptions through a simple form, or share them automatically where their shop allows.
- Posts on your own accounts that feature the item are linked, with the reach figures your platforms report.
- The promises you made to the brand, such as a spoiler feature or a story, are listed and ticked off with a link.
- A clean report per brand is generated after each box, ready for you to review, add a note and send.
| Section of the report | Where it comes from | Shown as |
|---|---|---|
| Boxes the item reached | Packing plan | Count by variant |
| Subscriber ratings | Post-box survey | Average and spread |
| Comments | Survey, with permission | Selected quotes |
| Code redemptions | Brand's own figures | As reported by the brand |
| Your content featuring them | Your social and email tools | Links and reported reach |
Every number in the report comes from a real source and is labelled as such. Nothing is estimated to make a product look better than it did.
After each box, the reports are ready
A week or two after dispatch, you get a draft report for each brand in the box. You read it, add a personal note and send it. Brands get a clear picture, including honest ratings, which most of them value more than praise. The next time you pitch a brand, you can share a past report, with that brand's permission, to show what working with you looks like.
Promises to brands are ticked off as they happen, so nothing is forgotten between the deal and the report.
Signs your brand reporting is holding you back
- Brands ask how their product did and you answer from memory.
- Ratings are per box, not per item.
- You do not know how many subscribers used a brand's code.
- Promised social posts have been missed.
- You have nothing to show new brands about past partnerships.