Special Report: Affiliate Marketing

“Once you discover who your highest producers are, you may have to adjust your commission,” he points out. Further, he notes, while any product that can be sold via direct channels can be sold by affiliate marketing, it’s difficult to retain that flexibility on products with thin profit margins.

At the top of Cholawsky’s must-have list for merchants starting out in the affiliate channel is a solid e-commerce platform. For example, since affiliates mostly drive traffic to your site, you’ll want to be sure you have a well-designed site — one that facilitates an easy shopping experience and encourages visitors to buy, she says. For example, if your shopping cart stalls during the checkout process, or the images on your landing pages don’t load properly, that’s a non-starter in affiliate marketing, she notes.