I must admit when running an affiliate program it can be challenging to constantly come up with promotions that will engage our publishers and get results year-round.
Affiliates are your virtual sales force, and as such they need to be armed with tools that will help them sell! Affiliates love to promote free shipping offers, if you can offer this with no restrictions even only for a 2-3 day period, that will work. If you simply cannot do free shipping without a threshold, then consider free shipping with a minimum order amount. For example, if the average order value for your site is above $50, then you can try “Free Shipping on orders over $50.”
Sephora Free Shipping over $50 offer
According to a recent joint study conducted by UPS and comScore, three out of four shoppers add items to their cart in order to qualify for free shipping when the offer presents itself. The same study showed that delivery options can be a main driver for not shopping online or shopping cart abandonment. In fact, 44% of shoppers abandoned their carts in 2013 prior to checkout for shipping times alone.
Another affiliate promotion option is a % off deal. This can be anywhere from 10% -25% off. This will often help close the sale for customers who are “on the fence”. The shopper’s rational would be that the discount will help offset the shipping cost and make it worth their while buying online. For big holidays like Christmas, Mother’s Day and Black Friday/Cyber Monday, a hybrid offer is sure to be a hit. Try a % off with free shipping to see record setting sales results.
Macy’s hybrid sale offer
TIP: Create a custom promo code that is affiliate channel exclusive, this way you can truly track the success of the sale back to your program.
Uncorked banner example of a hybrid sale with custom promo code for holidays
Key Affiliate Marketing Holidays:
January
- 1/20: Martin Luther King Day
February
- 2/2: Super Bowl
- 2/14: Valentine’s Day
- 2/17: President’s Day
March
- 3/4: Mardi Gras
- 3/17: St Patrick’s Day
April
- 4/1: April Fools
- 4/20: Easter
- 4/22: Earth Day
May
- 5/5: Cinco de Mayo
- 5/11: Mother’s Day
- 5/18: Armed forces Day
- 5/26: Memorial Day
June
- 6/15: Father’s Day
July
- 7/1: Canada Day
- 7/14: 4th of July
August
Slow, so try one of these:
- 8/1: National Girlfriend’s Day
- 8/26: National Dog Day
September
- 9/1: Labor Day
- 9/7: Grandparents Day
October
- 10/13: Columbus Day
- 10/31: Halloween
November
- 11/11: Veteran’s Day
- 11/27: Thanksgiving
- 11/28: Black Friday
December
- 12/1: Cyber Monday
- 12/16-24 Hanukkah
- 12/18 Free Shipping Day
- 12/24: Christmas Eve
- 12/25: Christmas Day
- 12/26: Boxing Day
- 12/31: New Year’s Eve
Affiliate Program Tips for Merchants 