What kind of offers work in the Affiliate space?

Another question we get often, usually during our first week working with our clients, our on-boarding period, is what offers work the best in the affiliate space?  Well, allow me to lay out the three offers that work the best across the board.  Use these and you’ll increase conversion rate, average order size, new customer acquisition, overall revenue, profitability, attain world peace and 0% unemployment.

Um, wait.  That won’t work.  I wish I had a short list like that, but I don’t and I don’t believe anyone does.  There are simply too many variables such as your product, pricing, competition, seasonality, macro economic pressures and more.  A “free gift with purchase” offer that worked last week, may bomb next month because of any combination of the above.  That same offer may work with Affiliate A but not work with Affiliate B and they may not show those results the second time.

“So how do I know what works for us?”  Now you have the right question.  It comes down to the ABT’s (not ABC’s, sorry Alec Baldwin) ALWAYS BE TESTING.  You have to test as many types of offers as you can in many different ways.  Keep track of everything going on around that offer and it’s results, who promotes it, the profitability, consumer reaction and feedback and overall number of redemptions.  Test, track, analyze, alter and repeat.  Here are some types of offers to try out:

  • Free Shipping over $XXX – push that order size threshold above your AOV to see if you can get consumers over your standard AOV
  • Build an Order – XX off orders over $75 or $XX off of orders over $125
  • Free gift with purchase
  • % off discounts
  • % off discounts on one product
  • % of discounts on categories

Don’t stop testing and don’t stop building your book of results and analysis.  Next year, you’ll have a whole data set to fall back on and build on.  Good luck!