Coupon Affiliate Strategy

We often hear stories of how coupon affiliates can steal sales or deplete a brand’s value.

This view is often a result of bad experiences or emotional decisions based upon the state of coupon affiliate programmes 10-15 years ago. Today’s publishers are a different breed.

Read our data analysis of coupon affiliate programs to see for yourself if they’re really able to boost brand visibility and help convert new-to-file customers.

Working with the right affiliates, is a crucial part to coupon success. It allows your program to gain proper exposure needed to grow.

Here’s how we helped a leading footwear brand save over $90,000 in commissions by implementing ShareASale’s Conversion Lines technology.

The Problem

When a well-known retailer of fine men’s and women’s footwear came to JEBCommerce, its leadership team had slashed the affiliate program to five active publishing affiliates who they felt were adding significant value to the brand.

At a fraction of the total affiliates they previously had, the program saw a dip in revenue. After these changes were made, the affiliate channel contributed just over five figures each month (down from $200K – $300K monthly).

After years of below average results, our client was uncertain about the added value of coupon publishers.

One key concern, expressed by the retailer, were search rankings among coupon affiliates. Because affiliates tend to rank high on organic search results, customers will often search for a last-minute deal before completing their transaction.

From the advertiser’s perspective, the sequence that follows—click through to the affiliate site, find the merchant, then click back to the merchant site—is an indication that a coupon publisher stole the sale rather than generated it.

Cart snipping, as it is more commonly referred to, is frowned upon since a purchase was likely to happen without the assistance of the affiliate.

It was these types of occurrences that were costing the advertiser an estimated $90,000 in commission each year.

With these concerns in mind, JEBCommerce stepped in to optimize this retailer’s affiliate strategy, with a focus on clear, predictable results. With the help of ShareASale and their Conversion Lines technology, our team was able to optimize the client’s attribution through the affiliate channel.

The Fix

As always, we started with the data. Our preliminary analysis found the footwear brand was working with Tier 2 and Tier 3 affiliates which were not producing revenue for the program.

Between the 5 affiliates actively producing revenue, the company was averaging $21,744 per month in the 4 months prior to JEBCommerce coming onboard.

To remedy the situation, JEBCommerce paired the company with the best possible affiliates —research developed by our PubDev Department, which is devoted to securing and cultivating the most effective partners for our clients.

To clear the air about coupon/loyalty publishers stealing sales, we implemented Sharesale’s leap frog technology. This technology allows us to set logic that tracks instances where a cookie is dropped within 2-3 minutes of a transaction occurring. To establish accountability, all coupon and loyalty affiliates in the program were given unique tracking code which allowed us to track conversions they assisted with. If a coupon/loyalty affiliate assisted in a conversion that occurred within the 2-3min window, the commission is attributed to the affiliate that was next in line on the click path, or not paid at all.

The minimal sales that occurred within 3 minutes of the cookie drop were considered sniped, so no commissions were paid. This gave our team powerful data to demonstrate the true value of coupon publishers, and avoid paying commission where commission wasn’t due.

To establish accountability, all coupon and loyalty affiliates in the program were given unique tracking code which allowed us to track conversions they assisted with. If a coupon/loyalty affiliate assisted in a conversion that occurred within the 2-3min window, the commission is attributed to the affiliate that was next in line on the click path, or not paid at all.

By sticking to the notion that the true value in any affiliate partnership is not quantity, but quality, JEBCommerce helped this leading retailer optimize its coupon publisher strategy, enhance brand visibility and boost customer loyalty.

Within the first four months of JEBCommerce’s engagement, the program averaged an astounding $113,507 per month in revenue from more than 87,000 clicks — a 420% lift.

The increase of sales-producing affiliates was 400% in that same period. All while not paying for the sales that didn’t add value. Today, the program has grown an additional 300% in revenue and continues to generate new-to-file customers.

From our experience, the right coupon publishers can bring in new customers who have yet to establish brand loyalty.

The true value of coupon publishers is in the discovery; getting out in front of the people who are making a buying decision and, thanks to the coupon site, now have your brand on their radar.