Feedback Req'd re Starting A New Network in the UK

[pbrighton]

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Hello Everyone,

I hope this is OK to post my question in this forum. My name is Peter Brighton the CEO of Commission Monster www.commissionmonster.com.au We are the leading Affiliate Network in Australia and we are looking into the potential of setting up an operation in the UK.

While I recognise there are already several large companies in the UK market, I would appreciate any feedback or comments on what it would it take for affiliates to join a new network (if they were to at all).

I would also like to invite correspondence from any parties that are suitably qualified
and might be interested in running a UK office. Please contact me directly at peter@commissionmonster.com.au.

Kind Regards
Peter Brighton
CEO

[getvisible]

Here's the link: http://www.commissionmonster.com.au/

Will give it some constructive thought - and welcome to the board.

[Mark Norville]

my limited knowledge and expirence

1) Very big merchants
2) Reliable tracking
3) Reliable payment

Being honest you would probaly be stuffed if you came over and tried to start off. Mainly because there are around 6 networks already. Some have bigger names than others, so unless you could get a lot of merchants who are big and not on any other network, you`ll find it hard to get people to convert to you.

The only way to do this would be to have your commission lower and the affiliates commission higher than any other network.

E.G) Network A has Merchant B which pays 75p per click
Your network has Merchant B which pays £1.00 per click.

More people would convert that way, if they knew they would get paid.

Judging by your current client list, hopefully people in Australia know who they are as I only recognised the MSN logo and that was it.

Still "Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot" and would leave it at least four years before you lot come over, as were still on a high about winning the rugby

[Domain Assets]

Very big merchants
---------------------------
Sorry Mark, have to disagree with you there.

I see nothing wrong with a small merchant with a good quality product or service (niche in some cases) decent price etc.

Networks that only deal with the biggies are fine, but to ignore the small/medium outfits that dont have a so called "brand" is daft.

So from an "affiliates" pov to be limited to the very big merchants isnt positive at all, I,d rather see a good mix of both.

[Keith]

I would appreciate any feedback or comments on what it would it take for affiliates to join a new network (if they were to at all).

New merchants not available elsewhere and if one or two blue chip merchants were on board as well even better.

Like the 'Monster Mall' would this be available to the UK?

[jess1]

1. Affiliate Payment ontime
2. Fair Terms & Conditions for both the merchant and the affiliate.
3. No Scumware http://www.scumware.com
4. All the linking methods possible, including product feeds.
5. No cookies less then 30 days.
6. Regular communication.
7. Make room for the beginner ( affiliate & Merchant ) in other words dont ignore them.
8. Keep the savy affiliates interested, eg: offer target bonuses.
9. Provide resourses, eg: Free fonts or scripts or java, tools that will help all.
10. Be innovative, be different, be honest!

[Mark Norville]

Originally posted by Domain Assets
Very big merchants
---------------------------
Sorry Mark, have to disagree with you there.

I see nothing wrong with a small merchant with a good quality product or service (niche in some cases) decent price etc.

Networks that only deal with the biggies are fine, but to ignore the small/medium outfits that dont have a so called "brand" is daft.

So from an "affiliates" pov to be limited to the very big merchants isnt positive at all, I,d rather see a good mix of both.

Big Merchants = Trade Doubler & CJ
Average Merchants - Small Merchants = Affiliate Window & Affiliate Future.
Small Merchants - Glix Galaore.

For a company thinking about coming over and setting up an affiliate network just so that they can have niche programs is a waste of time.

Simply say have a look at AW or AF they sign up you get paid for it. So already got the networks to house them, just need to point them to the right direction, an Australian company coming over isnt going to make every mountain climbing shop or other niche market think they need advertising.

The cost of coming over and setting up a network would be say a very rough ball park figure £100,000 they wouldnt make that. Interest would be there but would take quite a few years and a few of the other networks going bankrupt before they have a massive turn over in business.

Pretty much talking about peeing into an ocean from the Queen Mary 2, ships so big and the oceans so vast, your P, might not even make it into the ocean yet alone make a splash.

The main thing is that you can set up a network from anywhere in the World. Buy a .co.uk or a .com address set up a website and try and get some merchants onboard and gauge what the interest is, if you cant get merchants then you`ll know it`s pretty much not worth coming over for, if you can get merchants and sales boom then maybe it`s worth international offices.

Just fly me over and I`ll come work for you, but want somewhere warm and sunny near the beach with no snakes or spiders. If you want to make money from the UK market, were chip in some money and you can deport Rolf Harris back to Oz for us, had enough of him now

[Mogga]

With the way changes are happening in the various networks I'd say theres still room for another.

[loquax]

I wouldn't regard the likes of B&Q and Lloyds on AW as "small merchants" and some of the "small merchants" we promote earn a lot more than the "big merchants" - so without wishing to address every point specifically, personally Mark I think you're talking out your arse.

------

To address Peter at CM... the one thing I would say, having used the AU version - a better navigation system of your site and more options to integrate the Monster Mall and customise it.

If you had the right merchants, big or small, then we'd take a look - the big problem for you though would be getting exclusive merchants on board - and you may find that a collobaration or partnership with a UK network might be an avenue worth exploring if you were looking to set up here?

Jason

[Mark Norville]

Affiliate Window have about 5 - 10 top names out of say 200 + merchants.

Compare that with Trade Doubler and CJ who have probaly have say 20 top names out of say 200 +.

There is such a thing as using artistic license, so you have to read a bit between the lines to get the meaning.

Christ what do you want, at 19:58 I had a fart, 19:58.03 I went to the toilet kind of replies to post?

TD and CJ are the major networks, they have the more high street names. FACT they also have smaller names.

Affiliate Window have a few top names, but are not populated via them as much.

Therefore they are on average a network with average to small merchants, there not a big network. Not as such as CJ with Argos, TD with Air France, Currys etc etc. Need I go on or do you want me to fart the national anthem because you think a smaller network is not average merchants, just because they have 5 top names.

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Affiliate Window Top Brand Names

B&Q, Dominos Pizza, Eurobet (Coral) Hard Rock Casino, Littlewoods Game On, Lloyds TSB, Oddbins, Pitney Bowes and Sporting Index.

So nine names, four names that practically every man and his dog knows. The others most people would know.

Compared to names like

mobiles2u4less, dvds2takeway, dvdsrus Im-a-turnkey-merchant kind of names.

[loquax]

I refer you to the comment I made above.

Jason

[Mark Norville]

If I had an anchor, I would call it Jason after you.

If you want some company to spend X amount of money just to come over to start a network in an already increasing number of networks, just so they can pretty much have the same merchants as the other networks fine.

Personally the networks already have the high street names, some have more than others but you have Dixons, Currys, Comet, this that and the other.

You have the smaller merchants on most networks, some of the merchants are affiliates who have started up business under other names and using drop suppliers to provide goods. Not every merchant but a couple.

If you know of any small business that want marketing, then you say well can try Affiliate Window or Future as there cheaper than TD or CJ. And you get paid for it. Having a new network is not going to get small firms advertising if there not already, there not going to find Oz Networks and suddenly think great I`ll advertise with them just because they have set up a network.

I`ve just mentioned four networks, what about glix galore, buy at, advertising.com, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc.

Who are already in the UK, who have been affiliating for a while and now setting up their own networks going up a stage on the ladder.

As already said about half an hour ago, if they paid 25p more than other networks for a merchant, then yeah you might use them, especially if they are reliable and paid on time. If there the same price as the other networks for a merchant and unknown. I`m not going to switch from using networks that I know and reasonably trust just to try a new network.

They need something which everyone else hasn`t got, if they got Mac Donalds takeaways online and were the only ones to have those as a merchant, then yeah you would think there excellent and use them as a network.

If they cant get something new, it`s not worth them coming over, spending a vast amount of money unless their prepared to try swimming against the tide and maybe drowning.

People who come into affiliate marketing such as me and you for instance.

Type in free bets in google. Who`s number 1 me or you?

You. Unless I get to number 1 and offer something different then I need to get traffic and sales from other sources that your not covering. If I can do that then there`s enough room for both of us. If I cant get traffic from other places and I`m about 2,000th in the google ladder and move up 2 spaces a year and get no sales, then it`s not worth me being here.

Shopping portals are 10 a penny and you have some very big sites and a lot of them, e.g you`ve got the super affiliates who have one hit website, so they release another one under another name and with different meta tags and different search engine rules.

So you have a lot of google traffic, where as I have none. Even if I get to number 2 and your number 1, if your website is better than mine and offering more features etc etc. The chances are people will bookmark your website and then refer to that every so often rather than keep searching for something different.

So either they have something bloody good and dont mind losing money if they go under but as there in Oz, there already under. Or take the risk and spend a lot of money and try and compete with an already established marketplace.

[Domain Assets]

I think Jess summed it up pretty well! See above!

Also if I was planning to open a new network I would sit, watch, & learn.

Yes its time, but the value in that alone will be great, there are a few networks out there that can teach you how NOT to be a network

& some that really do the business, take everything onboard & add some magic

Research of exactly what is going on with the current networks is crucial to how you would/could approach coming into the UK market.

GL

[morleymouse]

carrying on from Domain Assets, read through these forums. see what we moan about, dont like and what we want. its all here.

[drivetowin]

I think Jess has pretty well summed it up, from our perspective the key 3 things we want are:

Good choice of merchants - big is good but so is small and niche - example is we have a private scheme with a very specialised insurance broker who exactly suits the target market for one of our sites - hence sales of at least one policy per week.

Reliable payment - this is key to building a good relationship with the network - if I am going to put the effort into promoting your merchants I want to be as sure as I can be of getting paid for my efforts.

Product feeds are now a must.

There is certainly room for another network if it can meet the above - if nothing else it would stop the existing networks becoming complacent.

If the rumour mills are correct then at least one (and maybe two) of the current UK networks won't be around in their present form by the end of 2004 anyway - not unless their management teams get more focussed and see what's looming around the corner anyway

Mark - have you ever thought about opening a chip shop or are all the chips on your shoulders?

Competition is the name of the game - and it's good for everyone - but don't think that in any field the guys who are at number one or two at the moment can't be toppled - I have just launched a price comparison site which currently has only thirty pages indexed by google but for the products on those pages, for a number of search terms, my new site now comes above kelkoo, dealtime et al in the search results - so ok the overall traffic on the site is still very low (Googles only got another 15,000 pages or so to go to catch up) but if the traffic from my 30 pages is anything to go by - if getting all the pages in gives me 50x the current traffic then I'm well on my way to buying my house without a mortgage - well that's my target for 2004