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Holidays: Start Stuffing Those Stockings
by Kath Blackwell
It's that time of year again…time to start thinking about, preparing and BUILDING for the holidays!
It's time to deck the halls, start spinning the dreidel and get going on that shopping list! If you haven't started sprucing up your sites for the holidays, don't worry. There's still plenty of time to get out that box of decorations, grab some new holiday-focused sponsors and ring in the New Year with a mailbox full of big fat checks!
According to an article on InternetStockReport.com, the top 4 e-tailers in the market as of the end of August, were Amazon.com, eToys.com, Ashford.com and RedHat.com. Finding out what's HOT on the market can be a great way for you to take the shopping "temperature" of the average online consumer. Lots of demographic studies are available on the Web today for the webmaster who enjoys knowing what his surfers want. You should definitely take advantage of these resources and use the knowledge wherever possible on your shopping pages. Let's focus in a little more on the "big 4" as reported by the InternetStockReport.com study.
One such example is a local site in my own area that is run by our local radio group and features information on things going on in the community. It is supported by radio group advertising and is therefore a slave to those sponsors in many ways. The list of most recommended restaurants, shopping facilities and area nightclubs is filled with sponsor names and information. There are no true "best spots" being recommended here, rather it's a phone-book style guide of places to go. Those who advertise are listed, those who don't - aren't. It's as simple as that.
AMAZON.COM
(In-house Affiliate Program)
The big bad boy on the block, Amazon is one of those "love em" or "hate em" type programs. They are causing quite a stir in the webmaster community while fighting for the right to own the copyright on affiliate programs, but lots of webmasters still use them and enjoy the paychecks they get from this long-running service.
Lots of options are available for the Amazon e-tailer. You can sell books, music, videos, electronics and much more from this very diverse program. After recently swallowing up ToysRUs.com, Amazon is set to be this year's biggest toy seller on the net. Because the Amazon brand name is popular, it has become widely trusted by consumers around the globe. A solid reputation for quick delivery, great prices and quality service, Amazon.com is a great choice for meeting the needs of a wide range of your customers.
The bad side? Unfortunately there always has to be some kind of drawback with any company that's as large as Amazon.com has become. Amazon's reputation with webmasters isn't as solid as it used to be, as a result of their policy of surfer purchase tracking.
There are special restrictions on what Amazon refers to as a "session" time frame. If and when, your referred surfer makes a purchase resulting in a credit, referral fee or commission to your account, depends upon how much time has elapsed since his/her login via the "special link" that you provide to Amazon.com from your site. The restrictions involved in these maneuvers are very lengthy and seem to be as easy to understand as the proverbial VCR instructions.
Just make sure to read the rules - a few times if you're still unsure of them - and create your links specific to the guidelines set by Amazon's TOS (terms of service). Understanding what is expected of you, and how their commission structure is set up is half the battle. Now all you need is some targeted, credit-card-in-hand shoppers, and you're ready to go!
eTOYS.COM
(LinkSynergy aka Link Share Affiliate Program)
The second big toy boy on the block, eToys.com, is loved by parents and children everywhere. Due to their recent merger with KBToys.com, eToys is set to give Amazon a run for their play money this holiday season. Full of lots of new, popular, educational and original items, one could spend hours searching this site for gifts for kids of all ages.
With options to shop for your relatives & friends by age, price, specialty or collector toys, brand name items, category or "most popular items," this site will make your surfers' holiday shopping a breeze! Specials, discounts, Internet-only deals, and much more make this site as thrifty to shop as it is fun.
Unfortunately…webmasters will find that eToys/KBToys only pays you for the "bounty fee" of referring new customers to their program. You get $7 per unique NEW customer that signs up in their database through the specialized links on your site. Again, similar to Amazon's first-time only customer pay-outs, it's sort of hit-and-miss as to whether or not the sales you are sending will result in an actual paid referral. Hopefully this new trend in commission tracking won't become a popular one, but just in case, the best thing about the net is that there are always new surfers and new affiliate programs coming online each and every day.
ASHFORD.COM
(In-house Affiliate Program)
One of the best spots on the net to find unique and luxurious gifts, Ashford.com has a reputation for providing access to the finer things in life. Diamonds, gold jewelry, watches, exquisite pens, home décor, brand name sunglasses, fragrances, corporate gifts - just about anything to fit the bill. With prices that range from just under $25 to $20,000, Ashford.com gives you the opportunity to make your 7% commission quite substantial, depending upon your customer base.
One of the most exciting things about the in-house affiliate program at Ashford.com is its pay structure and commission retention program. Note to readers: these people GET it! There is a 60-day cookie built in to the system, which allows you to continue to collect commissions from your referral shopper long after they've left your site behind. If they come back to Ashford.com through a link on your site after the 60-day cookie has expired, you start all over again - new commission and new cookie.
The only drawback to this program is that they pay out 40 calendar days AFTER the close of each business month, and checks are not cut until the affiliate reaches a $50.00 quota. If this is not an issue that concerns you, then Ashford.com might be just the affiliate program you've been looking for, to treat you to a very happy New Year!
REDHAT.COM
(Corporate Affiliate Program)
With an affiliate program designed to attract software, hardware and other system oriented businesses - the services offered at RedHat.com are probably not for you. Unless you are running your own computer or Internet product line, you won't be eligible to join RedHat.com at this time.
However…the products offered via RedHat.com that make it one of the top four e-tailers in the near-to third quarter of 2001 are what you should be interested in finding out more about. Lots of affiliate programs - including the big Reporting.net, LinkShare.com, CJ.com and others - carry some sort of software/hardware store. Having a computer-oriented store on your site is definitely a must-have for any serious webmaster, as it is already a guaranteed fact of life that the customers that come through your virtual door have a need for some sort of computer product.
Whether they need educational software for their grade school kids, a new operating system for their office computer, a larger hard drive for their personal computer - or maybe just some cool new speakers, CD-RW disks and accessories, most computer store programs can fit the bill! Offering one of these stores will help you to reach many different audiences and will help satisfy just about any kind of traffic you are receiving. Check out what's available on the 'Net and see what suits your needs best. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the results.
OTHER OPTIONS…
Maybe toys, luxury gift items and computer products aren't your cup of tea? Maybe you're looking for something specific, specialized and totally targeted to your traffic? Situations like these are what the larger affiliate programs work with best. Search the sponsor options to find the program that suits your traffic and site theme best. If your traffic is a Tim Burton fan-club site, consider adding a DVD selection, behind-the-scenes books, biographies, audio selections (the music for his films is quite popular) and even collector items. A football-oriented site could feature player products, autographed items, game tickets, sports memorabilia, fantasy game memberships and other awesome gift items. Sometimes sticking with a specific theme can mean a better overall sales ratio than just offering a simple toy, book or music store.
Or maybe you want to just go with the flow? Maybe you are looking to meet the needs of everyone who walks through your virtual door? Banner programs like the ones found at Advertising.com are very helpful in this case. Scatter some throughout your site, perhaps even mixing them with storefronts from toy, book and music stores for extra opportunities at making a sale from a click-thru. The opportunities for making sales during the big holiday season are endless.
DECK THE HALLS…
And DON'T FORGET about grabbing some fancy window dressing for your site! Lights, animated graphics and other festive items can make your site fun, memorable and can add to the holiday spirit of shopping. Holiday shopping is a celebration in itself. It's up to you to get your surfers in the mood to shop, spread the joy of the season and whip out those credit cards!
Create an entire holiday environment complete with links to freebies like graphic downloads, holiday games, recipes, poems, words to popular carols and stories. You can link to outside sources, give referrals to freebies that pay per download or even create your own! Remember…'tis the season of giving and all starts with you and the attitude and feeling you present when your surfers enter your site.
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