Ecommerce Blog

A

Original post by Robert Scoble

A

Original post by Robert Scoble

A

Original post by Robert Scoble

A

Original post by Robert Scoble

A

Original post by Robert Scoble

Original post by Kevin Kelleher

The Next affiliate programme has, its fair to say taken a bit of a beating of late. One of my main concerns (and other’s too) was that they didn’t participate in any form of dialogue with affiliates and chose to keep quiet whilst we were all in uproar.

However that changed in mid March when a representative from i-Level started a thread in the ʎU Forum. Hats off to Fiona, this is what we wanted. She hung around too, and while I’m sure she didn’t appease all affiliates she did a good job trying.

Then today, I and other affiliates received an email from Roz at Buy.at detailing some conference calls and an affiliate day that i-Level/Next and Buy.at are planning.

Here’s an extract from the email:

The Next affiliates team would like to invite affiliates to participate in a series of sessions which aim to address the current issues surrounding the programme. We hope that through open discussion we will be able to address any concerns; understand affiliate requirements; and move the programme forward for all involved.

Conference Calls – w/c 7th April 2008

We will be holding a number of conference calls during w/c 7th April. Dates and times will be subject to interest.

Suggested topics of discussion are as follows:

The Online Marketing Mix

• Where affiliates fit in with overall strategy
• Competitor brand bidding
•Affiliate brand bidding

Commission structure

• Directory program vs Transactional commission, conversions and EPC
• Transactional - why we pay what we do & what we are working towards
• Flexibility & Bonuses

Understanding Affiliate Promotions

• Why we need to know where the traffic is coming from
• The application form process
• Affiliate requests based on type (incentive, PPC etc)

Consumer Incentives

If you feel that we have missed anything please let us know so we can add it to the agenda.

Affiliate Event – 25th April

Following on from the conference calls we would like to invite affiliates to an evening event on Friday 25th April 2008 at i-level’s offices in London. Here we aim to address the following:

• All of the above issues and any resolutions which come out of the conference calls
• Who’s who on the team
• Next’s sales channels
• Consumer demographics
• Above and below the line advertising with timelines
• Panel discussion

Affiliates have the opportunity to propose a few questions prior to the event to get the panel discussion moving.

We aim to keep the presentation and discussion to 90 minutes. We also have a room booked in local bar for refreshments and networking afterwards.

I’m really pleased that i-Level and Next are facing their recent challenges head on. Let’s hope that the people who feel passionately about the recent problems attend the event or at least the conference calls. If anybody wants any more information about this then please get in touch with Roz Fenwick at Buy.at.

What I’m listening to right now: Musiq Soulchild Ft Estelle – “People Everyday”

Post from: Affiliate Marketing Blog Here.org.uk

Credit where it’s due, well done Next and i-Level

Share This

Original post by Kieron

A

Original post by Om Malik

A

Original post by Om Malik

A short while after I blogged about the Coke Zone campaign last Friday I had a phone call from the account manager responsible for the programme to address my concerns. Great, I like to get these things sorted and get on and make money. So we had a brief chat about how to communicate effectively with TradeDoubler as my 9 emails seem to have been lost in the system, and I was told why my commission had been set to 0.00p. Apparently it was a bit of a mix-up to cut a long story short, anyway its resolved now, which is the main thing.

However, the big issue I had was the fact that Coke don’t allow the word(s) “Coke Zone” in affiliate URL’s. I stated that I though this was a bit silly and doesn’t help us as affiliates earn money. He sympathised, but said at the end of the day it is Coke’s campaign and they must run the campaign by Coke’s rules. Fair enough I say but have you seen these fellas?…..

www.ipoints.co.uk/collect-ipoints/details/1yM3KZrqaUSe/Coke+Zone
www.quidco.com/coke-zone/

Both are popular cashback/reward sites that are clearly displaying the term “Coke Zone” in the URL. So is it one rule for one and one rule for another or are these guys just being naughty? Or maybe they just didn’t read the terms and conditions? Anyway he said he would investigate and call me Monday (today). Great I say as I will be updating my blog today. As of 7pm I haven’t received any calls.

Anyway, as I was searching Google for “Coke Zone” I came across this thread on a forum…

www.hotukdeals.com/item/160572/coke-zone/

The thing that really jumped out at me was the following:

Surprised anyone wants them really, the ‘prizes’ are rubbish! Just wallpapers and stuff, I only joined because I got 45p from quidco

So here we have a member of Quidco publicly saying that he only signed up to Coke Zone to receive his 45p. It led me to wonder how much traffic from cashback/reward sites can be classed as “genuine”? I.e. a user who has a real interest in the product and who’s not signing up just to receive some free cash. I know this is a big issue for the industry as a whole and these type of sites probably merit a blog post of their own, but it did get me to thinking what could Coke (and other lead generated campaigns? do to get past this?

Offer a 2 tier commission structure: Let’s say the cost per lead is £1, then why not say half it for cashback/reward sites? I think we have to be real and honest here and admit that it’s the nature of the beast that a good percentage of these users will only sign up for the cashback/reward. So if this is recognised then lets offer a different commission rate for this type of traffic. Some merchants (gaming merchants spring to mind) already do this.

Don’t work with cashback/reward sites at all: Maybe a bit controversial but if the quality of the traffic isn’t there then what’s the point. On the other hand can you afford to ignore over 100,000 Quidco users?

What are people’s thoughts on this? I don’t honestly know what the answer is.

What I’m listening to right now: Joe – “We’re Family”

Post from: Affiliate Marketing Blog Here.org.uk

Coke Zone campaign on Tradedoubler update - and will Coke get a return from cashback sites?

Share This

Original post by Kieron

Rohit Bhargava leads the interactive marketing team at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and is a recognized blog author, industry speaker, and expert on integrating social media with marketing, advertising and public relations. He recently wrote Personality Not Included: Why Companies Lose Their Authenticity-and How Great Brands Bring it Back. Rohit was kind enough […]

Original post by blogadmin

A

Original post by Robert Scoble

As customer reviews become more and more common on ecommerce sites, we can expect innovations to emerge in design, usability and quality.

It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on Amazon for usability innovations. Today we’ll look at an example of how Amazon helps customers filter product reviews when there are literally hundreds of them. Not only does Amazon help customers hone in on specific types of reviews, it also takes the opportunity to show relevant merchandising based on the customer reviews themselves. In this post I’ll also suggest something that Amazon isn’t doing yet that could help you save sales when review content actually discourages a customer to purchase the item in question.

I’m going to use the example of a book that’s going to be a top-seller on Amazon simply because it’s endorsed by perhaps the most influential television personality in the world - Oprah Winfrey. Most people will not feel the need to read reviews because they trust her opinion so much. Others will be so excited about the book they will read the reviews just to tide them over until the book arrives at their door.

(more…)

Original post by Linda Bustos

This post is inspired due to the fact that I’ve just dropped my car off at the garage as it needs a service. While I was waiting around I counted how many cars where in the lot, there were 58. Now out of these 58 different models of Land Rover they were all either black or silver/grey. What’s that all about?

The lady at the garage said that in the 5 years she has worked there, mine is only the second Range Rover she has ever seen in white.

So why are so unadventurous when it comes to picking colours for our cars? I do think black looks good if it is kept clean and highly polished but there are sooo many of them around there is just no individuality in owning one. And as for silver, well I’ve never liked silver as a car colour to be honest. Dull, dull, dull. But even worse is grey, grey is associated with boring old politicians isn’t it? What really makes me sad is when I see supercars in grey, I mean that is just wrong. There are a couple of Aston Martin’s and an Audi ̼ in my neighbourhood and for some reason I just don’t understand, the owners chose them in grey. Shouldn’t a supercar be something of a statement?

So let’s pretend that you’re in the market for a new car and that the colours silver, grey or black didn’t exist. What colour would you choose?

P.S. Here’s some “inspiration”

What I’m listening to right now: Taio Cruz – “Come On Girl”

Post from: Affiliate Marketing Blog Here.org.uk

If grey, silver and black were uninvented; what would you choose as your next car colour?

Share This

Original post by Kieron

A

Original post by Om Malik