Archive for May 2009
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AvantLink Newsletter May 26, 2009 Vol 1, Issue 3 |
Affiliate Newsletter
Our Affiliate newsletters feature technology news, promotional opportunities, new merchants, industry insight and more.
We have a lot of new technology to highlight this Spring, which is the emphasis of this newsletter. To help facilitate the use of these new tools, and to get the word out there, Scott Kalbach has done a great job producing v2.0 of our Screencast Series for Affiliates. These screencasts do an incredible job of detailing the powerful tools and scripts you have access to free of charge. We also have a lot of outstanding new merchants since the last Affiliate newsletter, and you’ll find those listed below.
Table of Contents:
1. Affiliate Screencast Series v2.0
2. Inactive Merchant Link Handling
3. RSS Product Feeds
4. Web Service Datafeed Client Improvements
5. Welcome New Merchants
Affiliate Screencast Series v2.0
We started producing v2.0 Affiliate (and merchant) tutorials/screencasts for the large selection free Affiliate tools we offer. In time we plan to have a dedicated section of the Affiliate account interface where we will list documentation files and tutorials. But for now, please click the links below to see the first four v2.0 screencasts for Affiliates:
- Product Ad Widget Screencast – Product Comparison Widget
- Product Ad Widget Screencast – Content Match
- Screencast: Web Service Datafeed Client – Configuration and Installation
- Screencast: Web Service Datafeed Client – Customizing Your HTML Template
Inactive Merchant Link Handling
Introducing brand new functionality for handling inactive merchant links that result from merchants deactivating Affiliates, or leaving the AvantLink network altogether. Affiliates have always had the option of sorting to, and browsing “My Inactive Merchants”, but now there is an option on that page to “Configure inactive link handling” as well.
When a merchant terminates their association with your affiliate account, or leaves the AvantLink.com network altogether, any affiliate links you have to that merchant will cease functioning. For large sites with many deep links to relevant content, it can be a time consuming operation to fully target a new merchant, and while this conversion is in progress your site visitors experience will be less than ideal. This page can help you control how those links behave while you update your site to advertise for other merchants…
We recently added an “RSS Product Feeds” configuration page to your affiliate login (accessible from the “Tools” page, under the “Datafeed Manager” section). When you click the option to “Create an RSS product feed” you will be able to choose a particular merchant datafeed, restrict to a department/category/subcategory, and set various product-level filters. You can also customize whether or not to include product images, abbreviated/short descriptive text, and merchant names in the RSS item content. The end result is a fully tracking-enabled RSS feed URL that points to our Affiliate marketing API.
Web Service Datafeed Client Improvements
We’re proud to say that we have recently rolled out a massive list of improvements to one of our flagship Affiliate tools: the Web Service Datafeed Client. Before getting into the exact details it should be noted that all existing deployments of this tool will work perfectly with the new improvements.
Highlights of the changes:
- Improved the built-in searching functionality.
- Better construction of page keywords (normally used in meta tags).
- Improved/simplified the use of local template files.
- Revamped the communication between your local server and our web service.
- Added support for XML-based sitemap functionality.
Latest merchants to open their Affiliate programs on the AvantLink network (April/May 2009). Click here to browse all merchants.
- Vargo Outdoors (Outdoor/Recreation), 10% commission
- Opedix (Apparel), 12% commission
- TrekLightGear.com (Outdoor/Recreation), 8% commission
- BerenShoes.com (Footwear), 3% commission
- Junonia (Apparel), 8% commission
- Play Outdoors (Outdoor/Recreation), 10%-12% commission
- TopoRanch.com (Apparel), 8% commission
- Backstage Gallery (Photographic Art), 8% commission
- Nantucket Brand (Apparel), 20% commission
- FontanaSports.com (Outdoor/Recreation), 10%-12% commission
- Makai Bikes (Cycling), commission
- InlineSkates.net (Outdoor/Recreation), 8% commission
- WaterOutfitters.com (Outdoor/Recreation), 8% commission
- HucknRoll.com (Cycling), 5% commission
- RealCyclist.com (Cycling), 5% commission
| © COPYRIGHT 2009 Avant Marketing Group. |
Introducing a new exclusive AvantLink merchant:
Pedal season is in full swing here in Park City (and in fact around the USA), so it’s exciting for us to announce two new online stores from the Backcountry.com suite of retail sites: RealCyclist.com & HucknRoll.com! Cycling related sales are one of the fastest growing segments of recreation-based online retail. Jump on this opportunity and sign up to promote the top road biking brands in the cycling industry.
RealCyclist.com is a pure road bike store featuring brands like Pinarello, Castelli, Pearl Izumi, Shimano and more. This store is the nexus for dedicated roadies. Benefits of the program include:
- Earn Up To 8%
- 120 Day Cookie Duration
- Best Brands In The Bike Industry
- Dedicated Program Management
- AvantLink Exclusivity
Let us know what we can do to help you get started promoting RealCyclist.com. Contact anyone at AvantLink or the program manager Brian Boyd, bboyd/at/backcountry.com.
Introducing a new exclusive AvantLink merchant:
Pedal season is in full swing here in Park City (and in fact around the USA), so it’s exciting for us to announce two new online stores from the Backcountry.com suite of retail sites: HucknRoll.com & RealCyclist.com! Cycling related sales are one of the fastest growing segments of recreation-based online retail. Jump on this opportunity and sign up to promote the top mountain bike brands in the cycling industry.
HucknRoll.com is the premium, authentic, core mountain bike store that focuses on the passion of dirt riding. It is not about how fast you get up or down the hill, it is about the experience of grooving on the dirt. Keep the rubber side down! Benefits of the program include:
- Earn Up To 8%
- 120 Day Cookie Duration
- Best Brands In The Bike Industry
- Dedicated Program Management
- AvantLink Exclusivity
Let us know what we can do to help you get started promoting HucknRoll.com. Contact anyone at AvantLink or the program manager Brian Boyd, bboyd/at/backcountry.com.
Introducing a new exclusive AvantLink merchant:
We are pleased to bring you two more programs from Summit Sports, Inc. (existing programs before today on Avantlink from Summit Sports: SummitOnline.com, Skis.com, SnowboardFusion.com & TheDailySteal.com). In addition to the InlineSkates.net program, you can now become a part of the WaterOutfitters.com Affiliate team and begin generating sales targeted to passionate, water sports enthusiasts. Promote the best brands in the industry including Hobie, Liquid Force, Rave, O’Neill and more. From their Affiliate program details on AvantLink:
Our team of customer service and support individuals is available to guide all customers in the direction of the right product for them. We offer a 110% price match guarantee and a customer rewards program as well. We offer a 120-day cookie duration period and flat rate commission payout of 8%.
Highlights of the WaterOutfitters.com Affiliate program include:
- Commission Payout: 8%
- Cookie Duration: 120 Days
- Avgerage Order: $170+
- 30 Day Return/Exchange Policy
- 110% Low Price Guarantee
- Product Datafeed
- Customer Reward Program
- Product Video Reviews
Let us know what we can do to help you get started promoting WaterOutfitters.com. Contact anyone at AvantLink or the program manager Andrew Schaad, aschaad/at/skis.com.
Introducing a new exclusive AvantLink merchant:
We are pleased to bring you two more programs from Summit Sports, Inc. (existing programs before today on Avantlink from Summit Sports: SummitOnline.com, Skis.com, SnowboardFusion.com & TheDailySteal.com). In addition to the WaterOutfitters.com program, you can now become a part of the InlineSkates.net Affiliate team and begin generating sales for one of the most popular activities in the world. We carry top inline skate brands including K2, Rollerblade, Roller Derby, Riedell, Triple 8 and more. From their Affiliate program details on AvantLink:
Our team of customer service and support individuals is available to guide all customers in the direction of the right product for them. We offer a 110% price match guarantee and a customer rewards program as well. We offer a 120-day cookie duration period with a flat rate commission payout of 8%.
Highlights of the InlineSkates.net Affiliate program include:
- Commission Payout: 8%
- Cookie Duration: 120 Days
- Average Order: $125+
- 30 Day Return/Exchange Policy
- 110% Low Price Guarantee
- Product Datafeed
- Customer Reward Program
- Product Video Reviews
Let us know what we can do to help you get started promoting InlineSkates.net. Contact anyone at AvantLink or the program manager Andrew Schaad, aschaad/at/skis.com.
Introducing a new exclusive AvantLink merchant:
Awesome beach cruisers and cool bicycle accessories at incredible prices! Makai Bikes is an internet-based online bike store based in Hermosa Beach, California. In Hawaiian, the word Makai literally means “toward the ocean”, and this word is the primary inspiration for their selection of beach cruiser bikes and accessories. Be one of the first to promote a very unique “Cycling” category product line from a retailer that knows Affiliate marketing.
Check this out from their About page, and I think you’ll agree that this is a killer opportunity for Affiliates with cycling or beach lifestyle traffic.
The really cool thing about buying a bike from MakaiBikes.com is that we’ve cut out the middle-men, which is partly how we offer competitive prices. Our bikes are shipped direct, which saves you money. We think you should be able to buy a good quality bike at a good price with no hassles! Don’t you?
Highlights of the Makai Bikes Affiliate program include:
- 5% commission
- Commission paid on shipping charges
- Popular cycling niche
- Strong conversion rate
- 120-day cookie
- Savvy program management
- Dedicated email support
- Powerful affiliate tools
Let us know what we can do to help you get started promoting Makai Bikes. Contact anyone at AvantLink or the program manager Todd Henley, affiliate/at/makaibikes.com.
Introducing a new exclusive AvantLink merchant:
FontanaSports.com has over 50 years of experience in the outdoor sporting goods industry. Put their experience to work for you and join the FontanaSports Affiliate program. Start earning commissions immediately on over 5000 SKUs of outdoor clothing and gear from the top brands in the industry. This merchant has a very good datafeed quality score, so get their products integrated in your site(s) today.
FontanaSports.com averages over 3% site-wide conversion rate, with an average order value of over $125. We take great care to ensure customer’s return, and with a 120 day cookie you’ll get credit for return sales.
Highlights of the FontanaSports Affiliate program include:
- Generous 10-12% commissions
- 120-day first-party cookie
- Average order size $125
- Free shipping on purchases over $50
- Dedicated program management
- Free datafeeds & scripts
- Dynamic product ad widget
Let us know what we can do to help you get started promoting FontanaSports.com. Contact anyone at AvantLink or the program manager Ryan Koechel, ryan/at/fontanasports.com.
Over the course of the past few days David has built, tested and rolled out new functionality for handling inactive merchant links that result from merchants deactivating Affiliates, or leaving the AvantLink network altogether. Affiliates have always had the option of sorting to, and browsing “My Inactive Merchants”, but now there is an option on that page to “Configure inactive link handling” as well. From the configuration page for Inactive Merchant Link Handling:
When a merchant terminates their association with your affiliate account, or leaves the AvantLink.com network altogether, any affiliate links you have to that merchant will cease functioning. For large sites with many deep links to relevant content, it can be a time consuming operation to fully target a new merchant, and while this conversion is in progress your site visitors experience will be less than ideal. This page can help you control how those links behave while you update your site to advertise for other merchants…
By default, if Affiliates do not define specific actions for inactive merchant links, an error message like the following list of similar merchants will be displayed as a result of an inactive link.
You can also control the behavior of that click through message in the following other ways. Configuration options for handling inactive merchant links include:
- Show a listing of similar merchants (default click-through handling)
- Send traffic directly to an alternate merchant (when you use this click-handling option you’ll select which “Alternate/Replacement Merchant” and “Destination URL”)
- Send traffic to a custom page of my choosing (when you use this click-handling option you’ll select ”Destination URL”)
To control the click-through handling for any inactive merchant links in your account follow these simple steps:
- Login to your Affiliate account and click “Merchants” from the main menu.
- Sort Merchant Status to “My Inactive Merchants” and click “Get Merchants”.
- At the right of each inactive record you’ll see a link “Configure inactive link handling”.
Look for help 
notes a long the way. Questions, comments, suggestions always appreciated.
Introducing a new exclusive AvantLink merchant:
Our Apparel category is really starting to round out nicely, and with Nantucket Brand we’re excited to offer yet another direct brand-to-consumer Affiliate program. Nantucket Brand is offering Affiliates a generous 20% commission on all referred sales. Be one of the first online to promote this unique casual lifestyle clothing company with a product feed, compelling web promotions and the dedicated support of JackMarketing.
Nantucket Brand was founded in 2005 by Nantucket Island native Andrew Maury and is now run by the Maury family, including Andrew’s parents and brothers. More from their Affiliate program detail page at AvantLink:
Why not give Nantucket Brand a try? It is a great opportunity for you, and we would greatly appreciate your help in building a global brand. It is a rare combination, indeed, when such a young online brand has such retail experience and a “brick and mortar store” reputation with the world’s elite. The imagery on the site projects a lifestyle that people all over the world dream about…
Highlights of the Nantucket Brand Affiliate program include:
- 20% commission
- JackMarketing Program Management
- The name of “Nantucket” – the playground of the rich and famous.
- 90 day cookie
- Free widgets, datafeeds, tools & scripts
Let us know what we can do to help you get started promoting Nantucket Brand. Contact anyone at AvantLink or the program manager Jack Kotowski, affiliates/at/nantucketbrand.com.
We started an account at Twitter about a year ago. All we did at first was syndicate our blog headlines using their API, and we were getting some followers here and there. I think we were in the first wave of Affiliate networks to use the service.
In February of this year we added a few social networking icons to our site, under the login form on the homepage. Since, we’ve seen the Twitter account grow steadily and I’ve been trying to engage everyone there on a more personal level. I’m getting better at it, so come on over and FOLLOW AvantLink 
-Gary M
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