Affiliates, Be Proactive (as You Prepare for the Holidays) Too!

I’ve talked about the importance of communicating holiday shipping schedules back in 2009, and also in 2010, and even on a recent webinar this year.

And while this is certainly a best practice for merchants (and affiliate managers) to follow, affiliates want to be prepared for the unfortunate situation that most merchants will actually not take heed. The latter may even have the shipping calendar posted on their website(s), but it is no secret that the gap between marketing departments and those responsible for affiliates is too often too wide.

So, be proactive* yourself, and ask your merchants to supply you with this data! After all, it will impact your income too.

*Proactive adjective \(ˌ)prō-ˈak-tiv\ : acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes [source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary]

Here’s a classic example of how proactive affiliates do it (an email we received yesterday for one of our clients from one of their affiliates):

Are you, as an affiliate, reaching out to your merchants, making it easier for them to help you market them? Not that you have to, but it, obviously, pays off when/if you do.