Affiliate marketing allows online merchants to expand their reach through a network of affiliates who send buyers to the merchant website in exchange for a commission on sales. I consider this to have some tangential connection to coalition loyalty programs because some such programs have used the concepts and mechanisms associated with affiliate marketing to track member purchases at partner websites so that members of the coalition earn a currency based on their purchases.
Affiliate marketing is a bit mysterious and below the radar if you haven’t done any work in the space, whether on the merchant side or one the affiliate side. If you examine online retailers, you’ll find that a larger percentage have affiliate marketing programs. These programs are enabled and powered by affiliate networks such as CJ (formerly known as Commission Junction), Linkshare, Avantlink, Shareasale and others.
Some examples of merchants using affiliate marketing include:
1-800 Lighting
Bedding Style
Carolina Rustica
Discount Filter Store
Goedekers
Modern Bathroom
Pet Care Supplies
Reeds Jewelers
Safety Glasses USA
Brooks Running
eBags
A VISUAL OF AFFILIATE MARKETING
METHODS OF PROMOTING MERCHANTS
Merchants will provide visual ads in a variety of typical sizes for website and affiliates may use those in various places on their website, directing traffic to the merchant. The links providing tracking through a redirect so that affiliates can see how many clicks they are generating and ultimately how much sales they are generating and commissions they are earning.
AD EXAMPLES
DATA FEEDS
For more advanced affiliates, some merchants provide large “data feeds” with all of their products, descriptions, images and links that take the visitor directly to the product page on the merchant’s website.
BASIC EXAMPLES
For instance, a list of some links that go to simple pages illustrating how a data feed may be deployed.
From 1-800-Lighting
2 Thousand Degrees |
Access Lighting |
Alternating Current |
Ambience |
American Brass and Crystal |
Artcraft |
Arteriors Home |
Artistic Lighting |
Bailey Street |
Batalion |
Butler Specialty |
Capital Lighting |
Casablanca |
Chelsea House |
Cooper Classics |
Corbett Lighting |
Craftmade |
Crystorama |
CSL Lighting |
Currey and Company |
Cyan Design |
Dale Tiffany |
Designers Fountain |
Dimond Lighting |
Dolan Designs |
EGLO Lighting |
Elan |
Elegant Lighting |
ELK Lighting |
Emerson |
ET2 Lighting |
Eurofase Lighting |
Fanimation |
Fine Art Lamps |
Forecast |
Framburg |
Frederick Cooper |
Fredrick Ramond |
Geometrix by Schonbek |
Golden Lighting |
HGTV |
Hinkley Lighting |
Holtkotter |
Home Solutions |
Howard Elliott |
Hudson Valley |
Hunter Fan |
James R Moder |
Jonathan Adler |
Justice Design Group |
Kathy Ireland Home |
Kendal Lighting |
Kenroy Home |
Kichler |
Koncept |
Kovacs |
Landmark Lighting |
Laura Ashley Home |
LBL Lighting |
Lite Source |
Liv Lighting |
Livex Lighting |
Maxim Lighting |
Metropolitan |
Minka Aire |
Minka Lavery |
Modern Fan Company |
Modern Forms |
Monte Carlo |
Murray Feiss |
Norwell |
Nuvo Lighting |
Oggetti Luce |
Pacific Coast Lighting |
Period Arts Fan Company |
Philips Luminaires |
PLC Lighting |
Progress Lighting |
Quoizel |
Quorum International |
Robert Abbey |
Savoy House |
Schonbek |
Sea Gull Lighting |
Sonneman |
Sterling Industries |
Steven and Chris |
Stylicon |
Swarovski |
Tech Lighting |
Thomas Lighting |
Thomasville Lighting |
Tommy Bahama |
Trend Lighting |
Troy Lighting |
Trump Home |
Uttermost |
Van Teal |
Vanilla Ice Lighting |
Varaluz |
WAC Lighting |
Waterford Lighting |
Wildwood |
Wilmette Lighting Company |
From Discount Filter Store
3M |
3M Purification, Inc |
Amana |
Aprilaire |
Aqua Fresh |
Aquamira Technologies |
Aqua-Pure |
Aquatec |
ARCHETYPE LTD |
Aries |
Axeon |
Better Water Industries |
BevGuard |
Body Glove |
Bojie Tech |
Bosch |
Brita |
Brondell |
Built NY |
Calgon |
Camco Manufacturing |
Clack |
Claris |
Crystal Quest |
Culligan |
Cuno |
Daewoo |
Digiflow |
Duracell |
EcoWater |
EK USA |
Electrolux |
Emerson |
Everpure |
Fairey Industrial Ceramics |
Filmtec |
Filtrex |
Fisher & Paykel |
Flojet |
Frigidaire |
GE |
GE Osmonics |
Geocel |
Golden Ventures |
Good Water Warehouse |
H2O International |
Haier |
Halsey Taylor |
Harmsco |
HM Digital |
Home Revolution |
Honeywell |
Hoshizaki |
Hydrologic |
Hydronix |
Hydros Bottle |
Hydrotech |
Ice-O-Matic |
Inline Water Filters |
Innova |
Instapure |
Jarden |
Joneca Corporation |
Jura |
Katadyn |
Klean Kanteen |
Kohler |
KX Technologies |
LG |
Liebherr |
Liquatec |
Magic American |
Manitowoc |
Maytag |
MicroFilter |
Moen |
National Testing Laboratories |
Northgate Distribution |
Nubo Bottle |
OmniFilter |
Omnipure |
Pentair Water |
Pentek |
PetSafe |
Pleatco |
Pro Products |
Procter & Gamble |
Protect Plus |
PUR |
Pura |
Purolite |
QMP |
Rainshow’r |
ReplacementBrand |
Rusco |
Samsung |
Scotsman |
Sears |
Sensafe |
SerVaas Laboratories |
Seychelle |
Silver Lake Research |
Sprite Industries |
SteriPEN |
Sub-Zero |
Summit Brands |
Supco |
Superb |
Swift |
Tier1 |
TST Water |
Viking |
Viqua |
WaterBrick |
WaterSafe |
Watts |
Watts Flomatic |
Whirlpool |
Zero Technologies |