The Advantages and Disadvantages of Amazon Affiliates Marketing

The benefits of the Amazon affiliate program

It is a known fact that Amazon's affiliate marketing strategy has been pretty successful. It has presented a business model that offers plenty of benefits. Therefore, people are getting associated with this business model. It is creating new avenues and letting the affiliates make a decent sum of money, using their own networking and convincing skills. Being an affiliate, you can expect to earn good provided you know how to channelize sales by reaching out to the right people. It is one such business model that is getting bigger and better. It makes sense, to know a bit more about the Amazon affiliate program.

Although this program is regarded as quite successful, but does it mean that it has absolutely no demerits? It has got merits and demerits both. We need to analyze the same, in order to jump to the right conclusion regarding the Amazon affiliate program.

First up let's try to figure out the advantages followed by the disadvantages of being an Amazon marketing affiliate.

Let's get started then

1. Amazon being a Mega Brand

Amazon being a mega brand, surely offers a great advantage to the affiliates. It is popular all over the world. Amazon is a force to reckon with when we talk about eCommerce, but their affiliate program is equally potent in driving sales and is a renowned business option.

The range of products of this brand is massive, backed by a robust delivery system. When you are in a position to win the trust of people then your business gets exposed to plenty of new avenues, which in turn benefits the business operation immensely. As an affiliate, you find it easier to push sales as soon as you claim that you are associated with Amazon. This Brand trust and faith of the customer helps you to carry out sales and by applying a little bit of innovative methodology you can broaden your sphere of influence and you get higher conversions eventually. People at times are circumspect to buy products online, but with Amazon, you won't face such issues, as people know its brand value and worth.

2. All Products are Available

There is another factor that goes in your favor as an affiliate with Amazon. Amazon's market is massive. When you associate yourself with a brand that has got a huge market in that event you are better placed to push sales of products. You must be aware of the fact, that Amazon is the home of countless products. You have access to everything they sell. Amazon is one such brand that has got a strong customer base. Niche - focussed advertising can prove extremely beneficial in enhancing your profits. You surely get a very distinct advantage by working as an affiliate for such a reputed brand.

3. Benefits from Promote a Product

There is another plus that you get by associating with Amazon. When you promote a product, you get your share however, apart from that, you can get profit from other products as well. That sounds great !! Isn't it.

If people follow your affiliate links and buy more than what you referred, you get a commission on that as well. You must also know about Amazon cookie, it remembers your customer for 24 hours which signifies, if the person leaves and again comes back within 24 hours and buys something even then your commission remains secured. So you can see the advantages and judge for yourself how beneficial it is for you, as an affiliate.

4. Supports from Amazon

Amazon wants its affiliates to be successful in their effort to carry out sales. It is mutually beneficial to both. Sales is the priority for both parties. Amazon supports you as much as possible, to boost your sales. When you send a customer, Amazon helps them to make the purchase finalized. In case the customer opts out and decides not to buy anything by abandoning the cart in that event, Amazon sends emails to the concerned customer so that he or she can come again and finish what they started. Amazon also encourages the customers to go for additional purchases by highlighting other relevant products in front of the customer. So you must have realized by now, how supportive Amazon is and what it does to ensure sales which eventually benefits both affiliates as well Amazon

5. Security

When we talk about security, rest assured Amazon is highly secured both for the customers as well as for the affiliates. This factor is extremely relevant in the context of such businesses. With Amazon, your earning remains safe. Customers' security and safety are never compromised with therefore, all information shared by the customers while buying any product from Amazon is treated extremely confidential. Such information is never shared. Amazon ensures that their affiliate gets the due amount/commission and utmost care is taken to ensure the same by Amazon.

6. Cookies

Cookies are sweet indeed when they're alive for 90 days. Amazon keeps track of the traffic you have directed to their site if they add something to their cart and until they pay for the products, you will be remembered for 90 days. It can very well happen that a customer followed your link but left Amazon without buying any products. In such a scenario, Amazon's cookie will still remember you for 24 hours and the best part is, if they end up buying something even if you have not recommended the same still you are entitled to get a commission on the same. So plenty of benefits coming your away, if you opt to become an affiliate with Amazon.

7. Wide range of Niches

Amazon provides you the best platform and products that can be promoted. Let it be toys, trousers, books, headphones, drones, or for that matter shoes. You get the freedom to promote low price products as well as high-end products if your channel covers the topic. The range of products Amazon offers is massive which acts in your favor as an affiliate. Amazon also updates the list of products by removing or adding products based on the demands of the product either declining or increasing. So it is crystal clear when you get such a support system and environment, it extends great support to your initiative in carrying out sales of products.

8. Amazon is a Powerful Platform

Affiliates know for a fact, it is easier to sell products of Amazon in comparison to other brands having a similar business. The brand name always comes to your rescue in pushing sales and convincing customers. Amazon is very conscious about its products. If a product is not in demand, Amazon never tries to feature the product. Amazon always pitches products that are saleable rather than asking you to sell products that are on the wane in the market or which has got no buyers.

9. Good Art of Selling

Let's be very clear about a simple fact, when it comes to online selling, no other company is as effective, efficient, and professional as Amazon is. A lot of people will vouch for this fact especially the ones who are associated with the business operation of Amazon in some capacity or the other whether directly or indirectly. From the buy button to the image Placement, from the customer reviews to the relevant product - everything is there to facilitate sales. The entire machinery is meant to support sales when we talk about Amazon. They have put such a system in place, that as an affiliate you are bound to feel good going by the way they extend their support and cooperation pertaining to sales initiative. You have enough reason to cherish and rejoice once you start to work in the capacity of an affiliate with Amazon.

The Negative sides of Amazon affiliate marketing

Bear in mind that even this business giant called Amazon has a few drawbacks while dealing with its affiliate program.

1.Minimum Affiliate Commission

The commission you receive as an affiliate tends to vary from 4 to 10%. So it's not very tempting for a lot of people. It's a fact, that the commission paid by other companies is higher in comparison to Amazon. It is surely a constraint for people, who wants to earn big as an affiliate. So low affiliate commission is something which hurts the affiliate, but again going by the success of the Amazon affiliate marketing program, it needs to be acknowledged that no other program of other companies that are in a similar business, is as successful and powerful as the one supported by Amazon. Its reach is massive therefore, affiliates find it easier to sell products of Amazon.

2.Cookies for 24 hours only

You could be under the impression, that people will visit your blog, follow through with your affiliate and it will kickstart sales. Well, you may see a different scenario in reality. Despite visiting, people may not buy instantly.

Amazon remembers the cookie for 24 hours only. It's not long enough if you compare the same with other affiliate companies. As stated earlier, you get 90 days to get a commission provided your customers visit your links and add something to the cart, but you get only 24 hours if they miss out to add the item to the cart. It is a disadvantage from the affiliates point of view. Most of the other affiliate networks allow 30-day minimum cookie settings, but Amazon seems to work differently in regards to this policy. These points may discourage somebody to become an Amazon affiliate, but again you get plenty more in terms of a market and a platform to carry out sales with Amazon. This is something that prompts people to associate with Amazon.

3. No PayPal

When we talk about controlling the online payment system, PayPal seems to have an edge however, Amazon does not allow this option. It could be beneficial to the affiliates if PayPal is included for payment to the affiliates. Even those marketers who live outside the U.S. also suffer on account of the fact, that PayPal is excluded however, PayPal is not considered as a viable option by Amazon.

Conclusion

As we have seen, the Amazon affiliate marketing program has made a name for itself by being extremely successful as a business model. It has merits as well as demerits, but its merits outnumber its demerits so, it makes sense for the affiliate to give it a thought and become part of this system. Every business model comes with certain constraints/limitations and may not live up to everybody's expectations, but as long as it is serving the customers alongside safeguarding the interest of various stakeholders/vendors or for that matter it's affiliates, as evident in the case of Amazon affiliate marketing strategy then there is nothing to be skeptical about it. The affiliates can feel safe in terms of earning by being part of this program. This is what the bottom line is.