Last week Commission Junction affiliate network announced that out of the merchants who use affiliate networks as platforms for their affiliate programs, close to two-thirds (63% to be exact) choose Commission Junction, which is “more than twice as often as any other affiliate provider.” The data was based on the usage of affiliate networks by merchants on the Internet Retailer Top 500 List.
Kerri Pollard, General Manager of Commission Junction, said: “Our Top 500 dominance illustrates that our clients get amazing results with our ‘platform + publishers + people = performance’ approach.”
The announcement further read:
Commission Junction also commands the greatest number of the list’s largest online retailers who have third-party affiliate programs, including 64% of the top 100. The significance of this is simple: revenue. According to Internet Retailer, the 100 biggest merchants on their list generate 86% of all sales for the entire 500.
How should this data be read by merchants?
Here are my thoughts:
- If you aren’t yet involved in affiliate marketing, I hope the above figures will convince you to re-think your current approach to online marketing, and incorporate a performance-based program in it too.
- Commission Junction in currently the preferred affiliate network among larger brands.
- But not all merchants have $3,000-$4,500 to invest into the start of an affiliate program. For those that don’t, there are other solid options. See my side-by-side comparison of U.S. affiliate networks here.
Have I missed anything else?