I started to notice a bunch of emails coming in from “TradeDoubler - Response Team UK” I thought isn’t that nice they now have a response team, so I hit reply on one of the emails to ask a question about the promotion only to find the email address the Response Team was using is “no_reply@ext.tradedoubler.com” LOL classic, have to love whoever came up with that idea 
Joking aside I have found TD to be pretty responsive for myself when contacting them in the past. But still had to share that one with you, brightened up my day 
Posted in General April 23rd, 2007 by Clarke | No comments
Weekly update of new Merchants (to 20th April 2007) that have went live across all the UK Networks.
Affiliate Future
Affiliate Window
Affilinet
Buy.at
- Specsavers
- The Magazine Group
DGM
- PlusNet
- Shakespeare Finance
Paid On Results
PrimeQ
Profitistic
- MotoTyres UK and IE
- TravelRes UK
- Viagogo
Zanox UK
- MotoTyres UK and IE
- TravelRes UK
- Viagogo
I will soon be stopping this service on my blog due to UKAffiliateMarketing.com going live very soon and will be transfering the list over to that site.
Posted in General April 20th, 2007 by Clarke | No comments
Google Checkout UK hit the streets last Friday with many early adopter Merchants jumping on the bandwagon. Some of them even wrote to Affiliates to let them know that because they where first, Google was offering all customers who bought goods via the Google checkout system £10 off any order over £30. What a cracking deal for the customer and something Affiliates could easily push except there is one tiny little problem - none of the sales track!!!
Yes that’s right any Merchant you are currently pushing that has Google Checkout enabled and is via a Network not approved by Google, means that the Merchant can not show the tracking code for that Network and in turn means no sales are tracked. So Affiliates lose out on any potential commission they could have made.
Now the Networks are not to blame here, most of them didn’t know Google Checkout UK was going live in the UK last Friday, indeed the only Network Approved already had to battle to get it sorted 6 months ago for the US side of the Networks Operation.
The shocking part is that the Merchant currently making money from Affiliate traffic that can not be tracked via Google Checkout actually think they are doing nothing wrong. One of them is quoted as saying “our agreement with Google does not permit us to restrict offering Google Checkout for a proportion of our customers”. All I can make from this is that they don’t much care about the Affiliate Network Terms that say they have to track all sales done online and worse still they are showing no matter what way they try to spin it, that they value Google Checkout above their current Affiliates supplying them sales. The theory must be “lets cash in now and hope the Affiliates will forget what we have done once it’s all sorted”, but who knows the true motives, we can only go on what we see as fact.
Affiliate sales are not tracking, Affiliates are losing money, the Merchant is not! If the Merchant was losing money do you think they stick to the Google Checkout Terms if that is in fact part of the terms.
Other people reporting about Google Checkout UK are Fraser Edwards and Jess Luthi, to keep up with the current state of play for UK Networks you will find a thread I have made over at A4U plus other threads highlighting the current issues.
A4U - Networks Status with Google Checkout
A4U - Google Checkout - Sales not being tracked
A4U - Merchants Seen Using Google Checkout
Posted in General April 20th, 2007 by Clarke | 1 comment
As I was away on Holiday for a couple of weeks this is a bit of a bumper update covering 3 weeks of new Merchants (to 13th April 2007) of Merchants that have went live across all the UK Networks.
Advertising.com
- Additions Brochure Request
- Littlewoods Brochure Request
- Ramblers Association
Affiliate Future
- 888Bootcamp
- Altec
- Consumer Info
- Emergency Abroad
- Flirty or Dirty
- Hotetur Hotels
- LoveHoney
- Makoosh
- Primepoker
- Rapid Home Sale
- sapphire villas
- Select Hire
Affiliate Window
- BT Tradespace
- DHL Express
- Fushi
- Gardening Direct
- Halifax Pet Insurance
- Heal’s
- La Redoute
- Nationwide Autocentres
- Mini Marvellous
- The Magazine Service
Afform
- Experian Just Rewards
- Get me a Quiz
- Get me Gaming
- Kingolotto
- Magazine Group
Buy.at
- Care International
- Energy Helpline Business
- Endsleigh Insurance
- Pipex
Commission Junction
DGM
- Insure and Go Travel Insurance
Paid On Results
- Dead Good Undies
- Kiddies Kingdom
- Millet Sports
Profitistic
Webgains
Zanox UK
Great amount of new merchants, so plenty of choice to be had if your looking to replace a few spots on your website to try out new fresh Merchants.
Posted in General April 13th, 2007 by Clarke | No comments
With the Grand National coming up this weekend there is the normal flurry of activity around bookie sites. I have my own Grand National Betting site and normally rely on my email lists from UK Competitions and Free UK Stuff to bring in a coupe of quid, as I have never really spent any time on the SEO for this site.
This year I have taken a different tack and instead of promoting the normal run of the mill Bookie sites that require people to spend some money before I make a commission, I have been pushing Free Horse Racing Tips via Affiliate Network Paid On Results simply because for the whole of this month they are offer £2.50 per confirmed valid email address.
I have to say it been a bloody good alternative to promoting the bookies this time around, with a conversion rate on the busiest day so far of 56.25% and averaging around 36.05% click to sign up so far this month, that’s about £90.12 EPHC or £0.90 EPC not bad for just an email.
You may be wondering why I am giving away my own Affiliate “secrets” well it’s simple, if I find something that works on Paid On Results for me that others have not picked up on I like to share this because the more people making money via Paid On Results the better
Posted in General April 12th, 2007 by Clarke | No comments
Here is this weeks list (to 23rd March 2007) of Merchants that have went live across all the UK Networks.
Advertising.com
- Acuvue
- BCA books
- Test and Vote
- Volkswagen Jetta
Affiliate Future
- Devicewire
- EyeExperts
- La Manga
Affiliate Window
- Direct TVs
- Don Arts
- eshopmegastore
- Loan-line
- Majestic Wine
- Rebelio
- Robert Dyas
Buy.at
Commission Junction
As I will be going to the A4U Amsterdam Trip next week I will not be doing a new Merchant update and may possibly leave it until the week after I return from my Holiday to Portugal.
Posted in General March 23rd, 2007 by Clarke | No comments
Here is this weeks list (to 16th March 2007) of Merchants that have went live across all the UK Networks.
Affiliate Future
- Affiliate Manager Book
- Hotetur
- Switch Homes
- Wine and co
Buy.at
- Cruise Thomas Cook
- Kitchen Science
- Laskys
- National Magazines
- Teleflorist
DGM
PrimeQ
Webgains
Posted in General March 16th, 2007 by Clarke | No comments
An interesting development over on the A4U Forum today, they are looking for ‘resident bloggers’ who are experts within their field to contribute to the new portal on a regular basis who are committed to at least one submission per month.
Basically a free way to get your voice heard in the biggest Affiliate Community in the UK but from what I understand from the re-branding of the site it’s set to take on the Global stage so very much an opportunity for everyone world wide to get involved.
You can find out more over at A4U but certainly an interesting development, will be taking part myself.
Posted in General March 9th, 2007 by Clarke | No comments
Here is this weeks list (to 9th March 2007) of Merchants that have went live across all the UK Networks.
Affiliate Future
- Auto Europe
- Fabstuff
- Memory Bits
Affiliate Window
- Panda Software
- The Body Shop
Buy.at
DGM
Webgains
Zanox
Posted in General March 9th, 2007 by Clarke | No comments
As Posted on the A4U Forum a quote from this weeks NewMediaAge.
Next year we’ll reintroduce affiliate marketing but as it should be, as opposed to affiliates as they were,” said Nick Robertson, ASOS CEO. “[There'll be] no silly commissions being paid to grubby little people in grubby studios growing income at our expense, getting in the way of genuine sales.
Yes that’s right the very people that helped grow ASOS in to a brand online are as far as they are concerned grubby little people.
grub·by (grb)
adj. grub·bi·er, grub·bi·est
1. Dirty; grimy: grubby old work clothes.
2. Infested with grubs.
3. Contemptible; despicable: has a grubby way of treating others.
Photo: ASOS Affiliate Get-together 2006*
I am guessing none of the Affiliates promoting ASOS where “Infested with grubs”, so that only leaves “Dirty; grimy: grubby old work clothes.” or “Contemptible; despicable: has a grubby way of treating others.” Now having a look at all the old posts about ASOS on the A4U Forum and knowing many of the people involved in promoting ASOS I can’t remember thinking this year I will send so and so Soap on a Rope as his Christmas present as he is a little smelly. So that leaves us with number 3. and this I guess is what Nick Robertson ASOS CEO must mean by describing Affiliates as “grubby”.
ASOS was once very well respected in the Affiliate Community taking action against spyware when it first reared its ugly head and often giving out awards for Affiliate of the year and so on. So what marks this drastic turn around in how they view Affiliates? A simple lack of understanding of the industry, they lost there best people, folk like Jess Luthi who understood Affiliates and how to get the very best out of them.
You do have to wonder how Nick Robertson can come up with remarks like this when the simple fact of the matter is Merchants are in full control of there program, they say who can and who can’t promote them, they dictate the brand name policy, and they set the commission and cookie period and so on. So if he is angry, he should be angry at himself for not taking the time and making available the resources to understand and continue to take advantage of such a hugely profitable system for promoting Merchants online.
*That’s a joke, it’s actually Friday night in Glasgow. Another joke, it’s the really funny Shaun of the Dead film, now on DVD no doubt promoted by an Affiliate some place in the world
Posted in General March 8th, 2007 by Clarke | 9 comments
