Give us a ring: PayPerCall in the UK affiliate market

There are many other ways we buy products and therefore many other channels for performance marketing – a telephone call for example.

Pay Per Call

Let’s give an example to explain the principle, say, a mortgage. It’s a huge financial investment for anyone, something that a consumer wants to research and get right. They need to make sure it’s tailored to their specific requirements, and consequently isn’t a purchase you would usually make online. A 2009 survey by Harris Interactive showed that 54% of online consumers want human interaction when making a substantial investment, like the aforementioned mortgage. If you could research a mortgage online, looking into your different options that you want, you might then pick up the phone to get some professional advice on your decision. This discussion might then lead to a purchase. Now, imagine if an affiliate can publish and track this sale through a unique telephone number – it opens up a world of opportunities for new brands and services which were previously unattainable in the affiliate space. This is the reality of PayPerCall.

The clever part of PayPerCall comes with the tracking and attribution. PayPerCall solutions provide unique, Freephone numbers which can be tracked back to individual publishers, giving consumers the choice of a call or a click to purchase.

Why should a publisher run a PayPerCall Programme?

So, PayPerCall works for complex purchases, decisions where consumer want some support or advice. But what does this mean for publishers? And why should a publisher run a PayPerCall programme – what will it deliver?

If you think about it, there are a few logical conclusions to be made as to why PayPerCall can deliver, as well as a few statistics as well. Let’s think about a consumer journey, actually, let’s go back to our mortgage customer. The customer has done their research, they know the difference between variable and fixed rate mortgages and which one they want. They definitely know their budget and probably know the house they want to buy – they’re well on their way to making a purchase. The last step is to call someone; it’s the final hurdle before purchase and consumers tend to be more committed to purchase.

Now for the statistic to support these sweeping conclusions; the average conversion rate per call is between 30% - 50%, substantially more than conversion rates for clicks, the average cost for a call is $10 as merchants realise the higher conversion to sale.

CJ's PayPerCall Offering

I hear you ask “Call tracking has been around for a while, what’s different about CJ PayPerCall?" – Well, for starters it’s one of the most advanced solutions in the market with user level tracking down the key words used on a search engine, quality call pricing, customisable intelligent IVR and a lot more including a wealth of data that makes running a Pay Per Call campaign easy to optimise and run. All that on the CPA performance model you are used to in the affiliate world.

There has been plenty of interest from advertisers on the CJ Pay per Call solution and we’re setting up some programmes as I type. Whether an advertiser or publisher, if you’re keen on getting involved in PayPerCall, get in touch: ukpaypercall@cj.com or give us a ring +44 (0)208 785 5870.

By Florian Gramshammer, UK Country Manager, Commission Junction