Ten Christmas tips for affiliates

Shawn Collins has published some useful tips for affiliates to maxime their commissions during the Christmas period.

The tips, published on Collins' blog, come from Performics and the e-tailing group.

Here are their ten tips to reach and convert holiday shoppers:

• Centralize and prominently position free shipping offers: shoppers flock to these.
  
• Create a sense of urgency: remind shoppers of the number of days until Christmas.
  
• Create a suggestions page: provide gift recommendations segmented by price/recipient.
  
• Inspire impulse holiday purchasing: showcase top sellers, editor’s favorites, etc.
  
• Make finding merchants and merchant offers simple: visibility leads to conversion.
  
• Aggressively promote sale offers: segment deals by percentage/dollar off, just added sales, soon to expire sales, etc.
  
• Remember last minute shoppers: highlight gift certificates during final shopping days.
  
• Ensure timely delivery: note stock status/shipping availability at merchant/product level.
  
• Support the brand: provide shoppers with comprehensive contact information, including FAQ locations and store-based information.
  
• Think long term: collect email opt-ins for future alerts, newsletters, etc.

Further Reading:
Affiliate Marketing Networks Buyer's Guide (2006)