Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2003 9:51 pm Post subject: Affiliate schemes: conversion rate on click-thru's?
Hi everyone,
I have been directly involved in the Internet business, mostly operating ISP's for around 10 years or so.
I now intend to use my resources to launch my own sites for generating affiliate based income.
I have a particular concern about this ever since Amazon pioneered affiliate schemes many years ago. What is to stop people clicking on an affiliate link, to say Clickbank, delaying the purchasing decision (quite likely for products which cost quite alot), and then, having made the decision, going directly to the merchants site to purchase, thereby costing the affiliate their referral commission. After all, if someone was going back to make a purchase, why go through the affiliate's link when they can go directly to the, by them browser bookmarked merchant site?
Affiliate schemes therefore seem to rely exclusively on effectively impulse purchases, where the buyer order the product directly from the click-thru.
Most merchants offer cookies, usually denoted as "return days" in the affiliate program detail for that merchant.
Clickbank is another matter which I will leave to the experts.
Debs _________________ Learn how to turn keyphrases into quality, well-targeted articles your visitors and SE's will love with Gary Antosh's new ebook "Web Content Made Easy!"
Yes, a lot of CJ merchants offer return days. Merchants offer return days, not affiliate networks, don't confuse the two and assume you get x return days for any merchant within a network.
Debs _________________ Learn how to turn keyphrases into quality, well-targeted articles your visitors and SE's will love with Gary Antosh's new ebook "Web Content Made Easy!"
Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2003 3:33 pm Post subject: Re: Affiliate schemes: conversion rate on click-thru's?
Clickbank are in the process of completely revising their tracking system, so I'd hold off until things are finalised. There are various threads in the affiliate networks section of this forum.
apc wrote:
Also, are there any really good affiliate programs out there which definitely do track future visits and therefore orders?
The vast majority of affiliate programs use some form of tracking - ususally cookies these days, instead of IP tracking. Also, the best programs offer database tracking for lifetime customers.
Take a look at the affiliate agreements for Allan's top 10 programs. These should show you what to look for. Just one word of warning though...
Although an (imperfect) excellent system, Sitesell's program is difficult to understand. Start with the others first.
Hope this helps,
Charlie. _________________ "Before I speak, I have something important to say."
- Groucho Marx
My subsequent research advises me that a customer will return on average 7 times to a sales letter or webpage before placing the order, usually through a direct bookmarked link.
This would seem to rule out any schemes not offering say 10 return days. I would assume it also rules out ClickBank as well if commission can only be earned on the current session.
BTW; are people here actually making good commission from ClickBank, does it really work for affiliates. It seems excellent for merchants!
My subsequent research advises me that a customer will return on average 7 times to a sales letter or webpage before placing the order, usually through a direct bookmarked link.
I would think this is almost too general to be of much use. With prices below $20 (maybe $30) people will buy on impulse much more than with higher priced items.
Also, the degree of preselling and the existing relationship between the referrer (or the merchant) and the customer play a huge part. The weaker the sales page, the more important this is.
Quote:
BTW; are people here actually making good commission from ClickBank, does it really work for affiliates. It seems excellent for merchants!
I know what you mean, but ClickBank are in the process of thoroughly revising their affiliate tracking, which should favour affiliates much more. Take a look at the affiliate networks section.
All the best,
Charlie. _________________ "Before I speak, I have something important to say."
- Groucho Marx
My subsequent research advises me that a I would think this is almost too general to be of much use. With prices below $20 (maybe $30) people will buy on impulse much more than with higher priced items.
I agree entirely. But an impulse buy is usually a product below $19. Many of the eBooks offered are in the sort of $47 to $97 range, most definitely not impulse buy material I would suggest.
Quote:
Also, the degree of preselling and the existing relationship between the referrer (or the merchant) and the customer play a huge part. The weaker the sales page, the more important this is.
I agree, except that all the affiliate can do is to pick and choose the merchants accordingly. There is no control over the sales letter or merchants promotion beyond that.
I guess the Clickbank top sellers are the ones to go for.
Quote:
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I know what you mean, but ClickBank are in the process of thoroughly revising their affiliate tracking, which should favour affiliates much more. Take a look at the affiliate networks section.
All the best,
Charlie.
I am very interested to find out more about this but can't find it on the Clickbank site. Does anyone have a link to further information please?
My subsequent research advises me that a I would think this is almost too general to be of much use. With prices below $20 (maybe $30) people will buy on impulse much more than with higher priced items.
Just for the record, that extract is a combination of two different people's words. Some of them are mine.
Cheers,
Charlie. _________________ "Before I speak, I have something important to say."
- Groucho Marx
Seems as if ClickBank cookies potential customers for 60 days which is excellent!
Question: How does this work in practice? Presumably,when a potential customer first clicks a link, their browser is cookied. I assume what happens then is that if the customer places and order, because ClickBank is taking the order on behalf of the merchant, the cookies are match up at that stage.
How do affiliate schemes managed by people like Commission Junction work for return days? Presumably, in order to match affiliate and customer cookies, Commission Junction would need to have its technology directly involved in the ordering process? If not, and the customer ordered directly off the merchant orderin system, there would be no way of matching up the CJ and affiliate cookies?
Commission Junction would need to have its technology directly involved in the ordering process
All the affiliate networks and all the decent independent programs are involved in the ordering process.
Every one is different, and there are pros and cons to each. Rest assured, though not perfect, they are fair. Don't make the mistake of getting too hung up on these details. Programs cannot afford to cheat people nowadays, if they want to attract the right partners and grow.
I made the mistake of wasting years arguing about the theory while others just grabbed the money. Don't make this mistake yourself.
Hope this helps,
Charlie. _________________ "Before I speak, I have something important to say."
- Groucho Marx
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