Amazon Affiliate Program
For companies that sell very niche products I wanted to pass on an opportunity that one of our partners turned us onto, simply for feedback and comments. As an Amazon Affiliate, bloggers, web stores and other content site owners can offer selected Amazon products on their web site and will earn up to 15% on any purchases made.
The Amazon Affiliate Program provides an XML file that automatically updates inventory availability and as well as customer feedback, item images, info, etc. to pull through your web site. When a customer clicks on the item in your site, the shopper is taken to the Amazon product page to complete the process. The affiliate doesnt have to merchandise or buy inventory which is perfect for a blogger – but could also make a lot of sense for companies that sell very narrow or niche type products – like Action Figures, Charm Bracelets, or even…Tiny Houses.
Let me explain. I follow the Tiny Houses Blog – for no other reason than Im fascinated that people want and can live in a house that is less than 300 square feet. As I click through the blog entries Im often linked to sites that sell – what else?- Tiny Houses. Im absolutely amazed at blog entries that showcase the products, books, plans, and other associated items (compost toilets?? tiny stoves?? multi-use furniture??) for purchase that support this movement.
Using the Amazon Affiliate strategy, these eCommerce sites that sell plans for Tiny Houses, could also create eCommerce sites, or extensions of their web sites to include complementary products that shoppers of Tiny Houses would be interested in yet, wouldnt be a feasible strategy for the company to actually invest in a full scale retail operation. With very little effort, these Tiny House sites could increase traffic and support an alternative means of revenue with very little effort.
There are pros and cons of the Amazon Affiliate program. 9 Reasons Why I AM An Amazon Affiliate takes you through the Pros while John Chows blog entry Why I am NOT an Amazon Affiliate gives you the Cons.
I know its not a conventional multi-channel strategy – but a potential strategy none the less. Thoughts? Anyone doing it and making $$ – or receiving other benefits youd like to share? nChannel will soon launch an Amazon connector that will do much of what I share in this article on eBay. Maybe well include this Amazon affiliate feed too in our Amazon Connector too. Id be interested in your feedback. E-mail me at info@nchannel.com
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