Every merchant has the indisputable right to pay for placement in the paid search arena for their own name/trademark – if somebody simply types Next, Argos, John Lewis into a search box, being too lazy to input the full url into the address bar, then it’s only right and proper in these circumstances that the merhant shouldn’t have to pay affiliate fees.   (whether they found the product previously on an affiliate site is another argument – but for the record I don’t have a problem with this – swings and roundabouts!)

I also appreciate that many merchants don’t have a clue how to implement paid search or simply don’t have the time and are quite prepared to pay someone else to do it for them.

It’s also pretty obvious that those folk who are implementing the paid search on behalf of said merchants are absolutely creaming it in – money for old rope, shooting fish in a barrel etc etc.

Yet it is, apparently, quite easy and quick to implement that even I could probably whip up a few PPC adverts for, let’s say, NEXT – with the added bonus that if there’s not that many ads then the cost is pretty cheap.

But it, appears, to be incredibly tricky to police 24/7 and some, unscrupolous, affililates, take advantage of this and do the brand bidding thing anyway – adding to the merchant’s bill and the network’s coffers.

So, obviously, the poor merchant is actually paying out oodles and oodles of money to agencies/brand bidding groups/networks for something that doesn’t actually cost that  much to implement and can be done quite quickly and doesn’t require too much manpower to oversee.

So why on earth don’t networks or agencies offer this function  as part and parcel of their service without involving any third parties?

Well, apart from the fact that they would lose the oodles and oodles of cash that this racket produces!

first posted February 15th, 2008

You could argue that they have the brand name and this could figure in the conversion rate (I capitulated over Next – but they are the exception to the rule) but if someone is willing to pay a premium price just to shop at Hamleys, then they are going to Google Hamleys. If they’ve landed on your site through a toy related search term, then I think promoting a cheaper merchant is going to bag you the sale and probably double your commission.

Why does it annoy me – ‘cos I find it insulting that some merchants simply try to trade off their brand name and offer such low commissions, as though we’ll agree to anything – but some of you do, wierd!!

Which is what I find inexplicable when there are a plethora (love that word) of toy merchants – especially on Affiliate Window and Amazon – who have great products at great prices at great commission rates. These are the merchants we should be encouraging and not kowtowing to the likes of Hamleys and ToysRus, to name but two.

I understand that networks and agencies have a duty to their merchants to promote them and try to get affiliates on board – but come on, with a little bit of detective work you can unearth some alternative programmes which will pay you what you’re worth.

OK rant over.

First posted 6th November 2007