Figleaves Reducing commissions to voucher, cashback, loyalty and points affiliates

[renegade]

Tweet

I've not even seen a 20% code but the 10% automatic was historically good for me. Figleaves were once my most profitable merchant but that changed when they changed their policies. I think customers are more than happy with 'just' a 10% discount.
--<br>Posted via my Mobile Device

I never saw, nor published, a 20% Figleaves code either and, like you, always did well from the 10% code.
This is simply a ballsup by Figleaves and the knee-jerk reaction hasn't helped matters either.
The program is pretty much an irrelevance these days compared to a couple of year ago, we do better with La Senza who don't generally issue codes, it's a crazy world in code-land innit?!

[jonsp]

If merchants are loosing money then they won't be around in this guise much longer!

It might be fair to assume that if Figleaves are making a sale the 20% discount + 8% commission would make the sale unprofitable. That said lingerie is not a one off purchase - a woman would buy lingerie for herself several times a year potentially for the next 30 years and a bloke buying lingerie for his wife/girlfriend might do so on 2 or 3 dates a year. If Figleaves gets the order right and allows returns for items that don't suit they've acquired a very valuable customer who's going to come back again and again - it would be well worth Figleaves making a loss on the first sale to attract a new customer.

Maybe Figleaves took this decision not because they're losing money on affiliate sales but because they just don't need affiliates. They've incentivised their own employees to distribute codes - maybe not by paying commission but just by the prospect of career advancement for doing a good job. They've got a fairly savvy PPC campaign going - for example
blue 36c bra - Google Search

This brings up a page of paid results but Figleaves are the only advertiser to match the term.

Why would they pay affiliates to do something they can do themselves :-)

[Cheapdvds]

the fact is , its their fault , not affiliates and they have just been twats for issueing this code to staff in some sort of competition that in effect has brought their own program to its knees.

ho ho ho , merry christmas

[Green2K]

The google trends graph tells you all you need to know about where figleaves are headed versus the competition.

Google Trends for Websites: lasenza.co.uk, figleaves.com, asos.com, topshop.com

[ian]

It might be fair to assume that if Figleaves are making a sale the 20% discount + 8% commission would make the sale unprofitable. That said lingerie is not a one off purchase - a woman would buy lingerie for herself several times a year potentially for the next 30 years and a bloke buying lingerie for his wife/girlfriend might do so on 2 or 3 dates a year. If Figleaves gets the order right and allows returns for items that don't suit they've acquired a very valuable customer who's going to come back again and again - it would be well worth Figleaves making a loss on the first sale to attract a new customer.

Would a potential repeat customer will pay the full price on the second or third visit, or will they use another code? Once you've opened a customers eyes to voucher codes, it's going to be really tricky to get them back onto the full price items.

Can of worms...opened.

[jonsp]

The google trends graph tells you all you need to know about where figleaves are headed versus the competition.

Google Trends for Websites: lasenza.co.uk, figleaves.com, asos.com, topshop.com

It tells you that the company doing best is the company that pissed off the affiliate community by calling them amongst other things "grubby little people"
Nick Robertson from ASOS is ignorant, rude and I will never promote ASOS again

There might be a lesson in that.

[Green2K]

It tells you that the company doing best is the company that pissed off the affiliate community by calling them amongst other things "grubby little people"
Nick Robertson from ASOS is ignorant, rude and I will never promote ASOS again

There might be a lesson in that.

I think the lesson is that Nick Robertson is a very smart and capable guy who having used the affiliate channel to kick start the brand, had then done his sums and ended up winning (as the graph shows). Figleaves on the other hand have angered a channel they need by virtue of their own incompetence, which is frustrating for everyone because there are no winners here.

Green2K.

[Mogga]

ASOS[/url]

There might be a lesson in that.

Maybe,. But ASOS is an amazing online shop. Was very easy to promote them as they were on the ball constantly. Didn't they have a really lovely affiliate manager at one point too?

[figleaf]

Hi

I just wanted to drop in as I saw my name mentioned.

To clarify, I left figleaves one month ago and had no part in this promotion or the subsequent communications that affiliates received.

I will make no further comment on the matter.

Cheers

Simon

[KirstyM]

Why would they pay affiliates to do something they can do themselves :-)

They've only been running the PPC you speak of for a few weeks. As someone who promotes them via PPC and SEO I know there are yawning huge holes in their search engine coverage. Less so on the PPC front recently.

Not a criticism of their promotion, its just that a site of that size has limited ways it can rank for key term variations... whereas affiliates have the flexibility to cover all the bases. They may well have formed the opinion they don't need affiliates, however I get the feeling there's a "have your cake and eat it" situation on the go here!!

I personally find it interesting that this happened as soon as the door shut on their in-house affiliate manager. Just goes to show what happens to a rudderless ship.

[befuddle]

For those who promote this brand via Linkshare, if you don't opt into the 2% commission level, then you'll be removed from the program.

That's me removed then. Just get on with killing the program, don't make me login to a network to have to accept this 'short term' commission change.

Wonder if the next announcement will be in February.

[Barry]

Just got back after a chrimbo weekend with some family and cant believe this thread has stopped here.

Obviously without any participation from Figleaves themselves I have to try to draw a conclusion from this thread only (as I have draw a blank from the email addresses and names used to post the 20% off stuff on my forum, but have concluded they did appear in many different places around the same time with same usernames on forums and same codes) - must add they were removed from my forum pretty much straight away as its for merchants only with official 'company' email addresses.

My thoughts at the mo are - was this all part of their plan? ie ban the use of illegal codes in the affiliate channel - then actively get people within their company to post codes willy nilly in order to have an excuse to drop rates?

Or were their employees told to post on any 'public' forum without an affiliate link, but most their employees failed to realise that the forums that most of them posted them too (without af link) were owned by high profile site owners?

Either way, they need to sort this out as the figures are all wrong. If people wants to stay on the program with a pitifall 2% then figleaves will be onto a winner with only having to pay out 2% - but if affiliates decide to drop the program then they can just carry on issuing 20% off codes which will cost them -20%.

They really are going to lose out if they kick too many people from the program. Surely it would make better sense to try to keep their affiliates at 8% and then give them a hard coded 10% off voucher. This saves them 2% on their normal marketing strategy of giving codes out at 20%?
< edit > sorry forgot to factor in network override, but you get my meaning < / edit >

Ta

Baz

[Mogga]

I'm going to redo the underwear sites I have and have a serious think about what level of commission I need to get - and exclude any merchants offering stupidly low amounts.

[lisaanne]

I think this is all just shockingly bad business practice!

You can't release and voucher code - and then complain when people use it! Like so many people have said in this thread - do your maths!

I didn't realise employees were told to promote the codes - ridiculous of them to complain then!

I think it's fair enough to get reduced commissions on voucher code sales, as it's easier to make a sale using one, and - like someone said -thanks to Martin Lewis, people look for them.

But - like someone said on here, just cos he's got a voucher code site, he doesn't want his commission reduced on his contents sites too. Yeah, we've got sites that mention voucher codes (only when there is one!) - but we also just have regular listings and articles and features.

I think ideally, commissions should not even be judged by site, but on the transaction itself - as someone could easily go through one of our sites and not use a voucher code, or go through the same site and find one.

And has anyone just got the email about reducing the cookie to 3 days?!!!!! OMG!

Are they just trying to kill their programme?

[Mogga]

And has anyone just got the email about reducing the cookie to 3 days?!!!!! OMG!

Are they just trying to kill their programme?

I have. Was irate enough to start another thread on it.

Yes. Someone's given their affiliate program a good kicking and put it on the critical list!

They've got 70% off offers on their UK site but their US site has a 90% sale on.