Not too long ago the UK-based Internet Advertising Bureau‘s (IAB) Affiliate Marketing Council has released its new Ethical Merchant Charter. The document aims at promoting “greater transparency in the industry and ensure better relationships between publishers and merchants” and is the second best practice initiative by IAB in 2009 after the Code of Best Practice for Online Voucher Codes released in January of this year. The Charter briefly educates merchants on how to best communicate with affiliates, work out systems of proper channel attribution, be fair while reversing affiliate-referred orders, and provide for a transparent working environment.
The guidelines – created and approved by all members of the council – address the following issues:
- Greater transparency on why sales get deleted
- Deduplication
- Guidance on what type of affiliates to work with
- What merchants should pay for
- Recommended notice periods
You may view the full text of the Ethical Merchant Charter here.
It is undoubtedly a great addition to what IAB is already doing through the affiliate marketing section on their website, and other efforts. Definitely an example for U.S. affiliate marketing communities and industry’s organizations (PMA and Affiliate Voice) to follow.