Do Big Merchants Care about Little Affiliates?

[Supercod]

As many of you will have read about Parents Council and Affiliate Marketing | Affiliate Marketing Blog I have become slightly amused at the attitudes of certain “bigger” merchants and some of the Networks they are on. It doesn’t take them much work to deal with an Affiliate who will add just a couple of sales a month yet they completely dismiss them because the volume is not going to be big enough???? Honestly it takes as much work to deal with 1 guy who makes loads of sales as it would to deal with 100’s providing 1 or 2 sales, so question is can’t they see this or is someone feeding a lie that after they have completed the approval part that all of a sudden their work load will go through the roof, maybe they are working on the wrong things. Not approving clearly fraudulent affiliates will increase your workload but come on who’s going to do that and use that as an excuse.

Don’t get me wrong I am not expecting any kind of customer service from a big merchant if I provide a couple of sales a month so would be auto pilot for both parties and I expect them to do the very best by the big affiliate with hundreds of sales but come on, time to stop this pre-judging people because they look like they provide 1 or 2 sales, some of these guys go on to make hundreds later but you were so prejudice that you couldn’t see the potential and are missing an opportunity to find the next big affiliate.

This project has been a bit of an eye opener for me on how Affiliates in 2008 are dealt with compared to just a few years ago. What experience has other affiliates had, who consider themselves to be small for some programs adding 1 or 2 sales a month?

Note: not all big names are the same. Some understand this market. This is aimed at the ones who don’t

[Mogga]

Some "big affiliates" seem to get allowed to abuse other affiliates content. That's wrong.

[paullas]

yes like iwoot just sent me an email saying the have decided to reduce the commission rate from 13% to 8% for affiliates in the Voucher sector from the 1st November 2008 as my site directdiscount.co.uk falls into that category. hmmmm

oh well another merchant to remove from my site i suppose.

[lauriebred]

Things move fast on the Web. Today's small affiliate can be tomorrow's superstar, today's big merchant can be tomorrow's basket case. Personally I completely drop every merchant that acts in an arrogant manner - they are more trouble than they are worth and there is always another product, another supplier.

[loquax]

I agree with you on this... from what I see is that merchants don't have any trust level with affiliates - which surely over time yourself and ourselves should have built up with networks?

I do wonder how much guidance a merchant seeks (or is privvy too) when accepting/rejecting applications?

We still have the "you're a cashback site" thrown at us or because we have a gaming channel it's assumed "you're going to promote our brand alongside a casino as you're obviously incapable of putting our fashion brand to your massively dominant female audience".

Whilst there may not be huge volumes, often affiliates who don't drive loads of conversions can often move faster and quicker to get promos up/down.

Anyway the best thing is when a merchant rejects you on one network and then accepts you on another (or vice versa)... makes no logical sense - and perhaps that best sums it all up! It makes no sense!

Jason

[csn]

Some "big affiliates" seem to get allowed to abuse other affiliates content. That's wrong.

Whilst there may not be huge volumes, often affiliates who don't drive loads of conversions can often move faster and quicker to get promos up/down

Agreed.

Most of the merchants I work with don't seem to know (or care) that I exist. I'm not making enough volume to warrant an email, a phone call, an incentive, etc.

There are a handful that work with that are absolutely superb and practically bend over backwards, presumably looking to the future and understanding that with their help, I can increase volumes for them over time. It's these merchants who have a solid grasp of affiliate marketing and understand that it takes time to develop sustainable and sizeable incomes.

It's this handful I turn to first when I write content or create a new site. I'm more than happy to work harder for those that support and acknowledge me than those who dismiss me because I'm not in their top 10%.

There's a problem with merchants focussing on the big ones though. The larger affiliates are able to start calling the shots. Merchants become too reliant upon these affiliates and can be somewhat damaged if the affiliate walks away from them.

Granted, 80% of the revenue is likely to come from 20% of the affiliates (Pareto) but I reckon the remaining 20% is sizeable and worth maintaining.

The test of whether big merchants care about the little affiliates is usually Christmas. Count how many cards, gifts and incentives land on your doorstep and then take a look at the large affiliates pile of goodies. Whilst this is simply materialistic, it's a good clue as to whom they value and whom they couldn't care less about. Ho ho ho!

[dougs]

Mogga

I assume you mean us.....call it how it is matey

Doug

[Travel Pixel]

There are good merchants and bad, good agencies and lazy agencies to answer your question.

If they understand the concept of the longtail and incremental reach they will make an effort with smaller affiliates.

I've dealt with both, some really excellent affiliate managers in travel aswell as some lazy ones. Agencies are usually worse in my experience.

Just make sure you remember who they are when you get big!

:tup

[DannyW]

My experience of being one of the smaller, part-time affiliates isn't really as it's panning out in this thread.

I'm finding many of the main networks and agencies are gladly working with me and not against me and even trying to push certain exclusive promotions for some merchants; and some will msn or even phone with new offers etc...

It wasn't like that 6 months or so ago, but I've found from an affiliates stand-point, that sticking your neck out and trying to build relationships has gone a long way.

[loquax]

but I've found from an affiliates stand-point, that sticking your neck out and trying to build relationships has gone a long way.

I think you'll find some have stuck their neck out so far they're in danger of becoming mistaken for ostriches!



Jason

[kcheung]

oh well another merchant to remove from my site i suppose.

you could replace them with Gadgetepoint.co.uk (18% comm till xmas, and a 5% discount code)

[buspassjohn]

oh well another merchant to remove from my site i suppose.

Why not push prezziesplus.co.uk ? we have a commission rate of 8% for the first sale per month and 13% thereafter plus fantastic customer service and superb growth rate.
Voucher codes are also available, see AW

[Frostie]

yes like iwoot just sent me an email saying the have decided to reduce the commission rate from 13% to 8% for affiliates in the Voucher sector from the 1st November 2008

I have emailed Awin and IWOOT for clarification on this

Really hacks me off that a blanket is used far too easily and I am very disappointed at the appearance of a send and run technique used by Awin on this. Only last week in the presentation at the A4U Expo did we say there is is NO SUCH THING as a voucher code affiliate! Yes - a voucher code site!

I wonder if anyone with a whitelabel site from iCodes or Promotions will be treated the same? That surely would cover 95% of affiliates!

All the sales I have made with IWoot over the past 2 weeks (not a lot) have come from my Christmas Present website... not a single 1 from my discount websites. So why should I be penalised? :td

I've emailed asking that something be done to protect sales that do NOT originated from my discount. I have implemented a clickref to help identify sales and where they come from. If nothing is done, then luckily for me I can choose to send the sales to;
PrezzyBox
Firebox
Gizoo
PressiePlus
....
..
.

[paullas]

I have emailed Awin and IWOOT for clarification on this

Really hacks me off that a blanket is used far too easily and I am very disappointed at the appearance of a send and run technique used by Awin on this. Only last week in the presentation at the A4U Expo did we say there is is NO SUCH THING as a voucher code affiliate! Yes - a voucher code site!

I wonder if anyone with a whitelabel site from iCodes or Promotions will be treated the same? That surely would cover 95% of affiliates!

All the sales I have made with IWoot over the past 2 weeks (not a lot) have come from my Christmas Present website... not a single 1 from my discount websites. So why should I be penalised? :td

I've emailed asking that something be done to protect sales that do NOT originated from my discount. I have implemented a clickref to help identify sales and where they come from. If nothing is done, then luckily for me I can choose to send the sales to;
PrezzyBox
Firebox
Gizoo
PressiePlus
....
..
.

Yes i spend at least 16+hrs a day building and trying to develop good sites as zak from prezyzbox will vouch for and it does hack me off things like this. so ive just left iwoot from AW as i would rather promote prezzybox and others as i know ill get good help/advice from them anytime i ask and not get kicked in the teeth just because i have a few discount vouchers on directdiscount.co.uk which incidently is a site where i mainly have deeplinked products into categories, a price comparison, a compettions pages and more feeatures. the discount vouchers section is a small part of my site. talk about using the same brush to class even the small affiliates who are trying new things.

rant over, sorry....

[renegade]

I would wholeheartedly agree with you Clarke. I have recently been working with a friend who is passionate about green issues who set up a blog with an online shop (affiliate marketing pages) and just signing up to the networks and getting approval has been an eye-opener which has shown me there really is a barrier to entry and catch 22 situation all new affiliates will face. It was only through my network connections we managed to get her site approved and without that she would have given up.