Archive for the ‘Affiliate Network’ Category

What is the NetShops Affiliate Program?
The NetShops Affiliate Program allows you to place links on your website pointing to our network of stores. The NetShops network of sites includes Hammocks.com, PatioFurnitureUSA.com, AdirondackChairs.com, Benches.com, PatioUmbrellas.com, PorchSwings.com, SimplyFountains.com, and many other unique sites. By placing affiliate links on your site, visitors have the opportunity to purchase our products. If a product is purchased as a result of a link from your website, we pay you a commission for each sale – even if the customer makes the purchase up to 30 days later.

How many stores participate in the NetShops Affiliate Program?
There are 100 stores and counting involved with this program! This represents nearly 50,000 products, not including color, size and other variations. New stores are added every month, so check back frequently!

Can I add my retail site to the NetShops Affiliate Program?
All stores in our program are owned by us (NetShops, Inc.) so we can guarantee quality and customer service. If you are interested in selling your online store to us, feel free to contact us.

How do I get started?
All you have to do is read and agree to the Operating Agreement, fill out the Affiliate Application, and if NetShops accepts your application you will be notified by email and instructed on how to link to our stores and start earning money.

Can I participate if I live outside the United States?
Although some of the NetShops properties can ship to many International destinations, only sites in English and based in the United States are eligible to participate in the NetShops Affiliate Program. Exceptions may be made in the instance where the majority of your traffic originates within the U.S. All commission payments for affiliates will be made in US dollars only.

How can I promote NetShops stores?
NetShops will provide banners, buttons and text links that you can use on your site. We have found that text links and 468×60 banners are the most effective type of link for generating purchases. In addition to your website, you may promote NetShops stores through an opt-in mailing list. All links on your site must be created using our Campaign interface to ensure proper tracking of click-thru’s and sales. You may not send spam (unsolicited emails) at any time to anyone.

What kind of advertising can I do?
You may use copy taken from any of our stores in an email, but not on a webpage. This is to avoid potential duplicate content penalties from the Google search engine. Some of our most successful affiliate partners prominently display our affiliate links in emails which they send to opt-in lists. Including a personal testimonial about a particular product is also a good way to increase CT’s and sales. Visit NetShops University for more tips on increasing your sales via email and on your website.
no spam

What kind of advertising is prohibited?
1. You cannot send unsolicited email (a.k.a. spam) in any way. There will be no leniency in cases of unsolicited email. Affiliates found to be in violation of this policy will forfeit their commissions and be removed from the program.
2. You MAY bid on product keywords through PPC programs such as Yahoo Search Marketing, Google AdWords, and Kanoodle, but only to drive traffic to your own website. You may no longer use PPC ads to drive traffic directly to our websites. You may NOT bid on our store names (Eg. Hammocks.com) under any circumstances. We appreciate your compliance in these matters. Any affiliates found in violation of these terms will be asked to desist, and in some cases of non-compliance we may cancel your affiliate account.
3. As noted above under the section on datafeeds, you may not append your affiliate ID to product URL’s and upload them to free classified ad sites such as Google Base and CraigsList.

How can I keep track of how many people visit and purchase through the NetShops Affiliate Program?
Simply log into your NetShops account and click on Statistics to access a variety of online reports, where you can track click-through’s and commissions in real-time. To make sure that all clicks and purchases are tracked correctly, all links on your site must be created using our Campaign interface. Keep in mind that each visitor will only be tracked for one click within a 24-hour period. This is to prevent over-inflation of your click statistics. Also, while banners track impressions, text links do not, which can cause your impression numbers to appear to be inaccurate.

Can I refer other websites to your affiliate program?
Yes. Any affiliate which you refer to our program becomes your sub-affiliate, and you will earn 10% of their commission on all sales. This is an excellent way to expand your affiliate income potential. To retrieve creative to assist you in recruiting sub-affiliates, click on Tools > Super Affiliate after logging in.

How much can I earn with the NetShops Affiliate Program?
Affiliate Partners initially earn 10% commission on all sales with the exception of the optical sites like Binoculars.com that pays 5%. If you sell more than $200 worth of product in any given month within one store (campaign), you will receive 12% commission. Occasionally we offer higher commissions as part of a limited-time promotion.

Can I earn commission from more than one NetShops store?
Yes. Simply click on the Campaign button at the top of the affiliates.netshops.com login page, and select the store you want creative for.

May I earn commissions on my own purchases?
Yes. When you buy products from us through your website, you earn the same commission on your purchase that you would from a visitor purchase. If you make multiple purchases, make sure you clear your cookies before placing subsequent orders as we only pay commission on the first sale to an individual.

When and how do I get paid?
You will be paid monthly by check when your NetShops Affiliate Program account reaches a minimum of $50. If your earnings are less than $50, the amount will be carried over to the next month. Commission checks are issued within 35 days of the close of the month. This allows 30 days for customer returns and order cancellations, and 5 days for commission processing.

What is each store’s conversion rate and average order size?
Every store performs differently, depending on factors such as the average cost of the item. Carports are typically more expensive than weathervanes, so the conversion rate is lower – but the flipside is that you will earn higher commissions from a carport sale. Across all stores, our average order size runs between $140 and $160 depending on seasonality. Conversation rates vary between .5% and 12% at a typical NetShops store. If your site is unrelated to the store you are linking to, your clickthru and conversion rates will be very low. If your conversion or click-thru rates are remarkably low, please contact us and we will help you determine what you can do to increase those numbers.
your mamma

How are sales tracked?
We use cookie and referrer tracking to confirm affiliate sales. When a visitor to your site clicks on one of your links to one of our stores, a cookie is set on their computer that allows us to track any resulting sales. We are also able to track sales for people based on a maintained database of known affiliate URL’s. It’s extremely important that you register all your domain names with us, so we can track sales from any of your websites. Affiliates caught trying to earn commission from sites that they do not own OR employing cookie overwriting techniques (you know who you are) will be immediately removed from the program and will forfeit all commissions. We will also, at our discretion, say really mean things about you behind your back and stick pins in little dolls that resemble your mother…so BE GOOD!

How long does each store’s cookie last?
Each cookie – a small file stored on the computer of a user that clicks your affiliate link – lasts for 30 days. This means that if a user clicks on your link and doesn’t purchase right away, they will have a cookie containing your affiliate ID on their computer. If they return to the same store within 30 days and make a purchase, you will receive credit for the sale. Cookies that track click-thru’s from a visitor are reset every day, so if a visitor to your website clicks on your link multiple times in one day, it will only count as one click in your daily stats report.

Click here to sign up with NetShops!

Tags: netshopsaffiliates.com