Will Amazon end their affilliate program?

[freqee]

I can't imagine Amazon really needing their affiliate program at this point. Plus, with all the affiliate links, everyone who makes a purchase probably has somebody's affiliate cookie whether they know it or not. So that's 5% Amazon is losing on probably almost every sale.

Affiliate programs are generally to help with marketing efforts, but Amazon no longer needs people sending them traffic. Everybody searches on Amazon first anyway, and every Google search usually has an Amazon link as the first results.

Just curious if you think Amazon is going to kill off their affiliate program soon. I bet it gets shut off within 2 years. By doing so Amazon would instantly boost their profits 5% and they would lose almost no traffic.

 

[moneysenpai]

They would never, they make more money from it than they would lose.

 

[mortalis]

Everybody searches on Amazon first? On Google most affiliate marketers are not simply targeting product KWs. Amazon doesn't rank high for buying advice queries and a huge amount of affiliate traffic doesn't even come from people who were searching things on Google. Killing the affiliate program would be a terrible idea.

 

[Bluearrow]

Why should they end easy stream of profits? Everyone working hard for selling their stuff and trying to rank for all keywords they need to rank.

 

[freqee]

Why should they end easy stream of profits? Everyone working hard for selling their stuff and trying to rank for all keywords they need to rank.

Amazon doesn't need to rank for keywords. Everybody who buys anything visits Amazon before purchasing to check the price and availability. Affiliates aren't making buyers aware that Amazon exists. Everyone already knows they exist and that they sell everything.

Even people who are buying local check Amazon before doing so.

People aren't searching for a product to see who sells it. They already know Amazon sells it and they will visit to check the price at some point during their buying decision.

 

[MisterF]

Why should they end easy stream of profits? Everyone working hard for selling their stuff and trying to rank for all keywords they need to rank.

I had a conversation 2 months ago about this with someone, who told me ( in his opinion ) Amazon affiliate would be dead in 3-5 years from now.

His reason was why do they need affiliates? You have Alexa, Google Voice, Siri etc now, so you can order through those mediums.
Amazon do a lot of subscribe now options, so people can set up renewable subscriptions.

I told him he was wrong and that people can shop like that to reorder dog food etc if they choose. However not everyone is interested in Alexa etc, so although that market may increase, it's never going to be the only way people buy.

My other point was not every affiliate site is a pure affiliate buying site. By this is mean the sites which are 99% ' buy this, buy this ' format and offer little other information.

There are some amazing blog sites out there where you can read a really good article and notice a link to a product, where you then click through and actually buy.

Amazon will always be popular thanks to their FBA, their refund policies, buyer protection and although their commissions are crap, people trust the brand. I can't see them dispensing with affiliates as such, but while ever they cut % commissions, they'll naturally lose affiliates who move platforms.

 

[WarLords]

Will Adsense end their ads network?

Well the simple answer is NO however the case is, they make profit off that

 

[cerebration]

I don’t think they will shut it down.

If they shut the program down, all the affiliate website would turn to other affiliate programs and when you search for top 10 ‘insert product’ for 2020, the articles that you’d read will lead to another supplier and not to Amazon - that’s where Amazon loses money.

Buyers want things made easy for them.

And while I agree that some people will just check the product and then head to Amazon to order it - there are people who just want to press Buy Now and have it delivered at their door.

 

[unsungwarrior]

This is a very important question if you are thinking in invest in content and SEO for amazon associates websites.

Here is an article that is very much related to this topic:

9 Reasons Why Starting an "Amazon Affiliate Site" is the WORST Thing You Could Do as a Newbie (And What You Should Do Instead)

https://nichehacks.com/amazon-associates-program/

 

[ziko12345]

I can't imagine Amazon really needing their affiliate program at this point. Plus, with all the affiliate links, everyone who makes a purchase probably has somebody's affiliate cookie whether they know it or not. So that's 5% Amazon is losing on probably almost every sale.

Affiliate programs are generally to help with marketing efforts, but Amazon no longer needs people sending them traffic. Everybody searches on Amazon first anyway, and every Google search usually has an Amazon link as the first results.

Just curious if you think Amazon is going to kill off their affiliate program soon. I bet it gets shut off within 2 years. By doing so Amazon would instantly boost their profits 5% and they would lose almost no traffic.

Youre right amazon is pretty big but they make way more money than they lose.
Way way way more!!

 

[Zwielicht]

Thread Moved​

 

[FUTUR TIM]

Another thread built on theories. Do you work as an accountant there to speak about their losses?

 

[djbrayner]

They won't, that's the key to making money for them.

 

[KelvyTheBlacky]

Your argument ia total crap! Do you think people that buy from affiliates don't know Amazon exists and they could simply visit the site directly?

Savvy consumers will always do some digging before buying a product, especially if it's their first purchase of the item. If Amazon could help with providing the '10 best....for 2019 kind of info', then yes i guess affiliates could get wiped out pretty quick.

If not, then i guess we're here to stay!

 

[patriotnews]

I dont think they will end the program, they "dialed" it in with their reductions for the items they felt needed help.

Here is my question, to those that run affiliate sites, do you use other's links when buying items outside of your niche? As a way to support the community?

 

[blackpanther111991]

Amazon used to have a trust factor with their built-in customer reviews, but trust in reviews has gone way down since it's easy to spam fake reviews. Trust in affiliate sites have also gone down since most affiliate sites recommend products that they never even tried. However, what still remains are video review/unboxing videos, namely on Youtube. Amazon has its own video review system but it's nothing like Youtube. So I feel that because Amazon and Youtube pairs so well together, they have no reason to get rid of their affiliate program which allows other people to market them on the biggest video site. Amazon can dominate search results but they can't dominate Youtube channels that have their own trusted followings. Think about a Youtuber like PewDiePie. He could get a cool gadget off Amazon, wear it, tell his subscribers where to get it and make Amazon a quick buck that easily. The same goes for big sites doing Amazon reviews like Buzzfeed.

Now I could imagine their affiliate program becoming more restrictive, but not it being eliminated.

 

[SunnyLeon]

Amazon used to have a trust factor with their built-in customer reviews, but trust in reviews has gone way down since it's easy to spam fake reviews. Trust in affiliate sites have also gone down since most affiliate sites recommend products that they never even tried. However, what still remains are video review/unboxing videos, namely on Youtube. Amazon has its own video review system but it's nothing like Youtube. So I feel that because Amazon and Youtube pairs so well together, they have no reason to get rid of their affiliate program which allows other people to market them on the biggest video site. Amazon can dominate search results but they can't dominate Youtube channels that have their own trusted followings. Think about a Youtuber like PewDiePie. He could get a cool gadget off Amazon, wear it, tell his subscribers where to get it and make Amazon a quick buck that easily. The same goes for big sites doing Amazon reviews like Buzzfeed.

Now I could imagine their affiliate program becoming more restrictive, but not it being eliminated.

That's how you see things, from a marketer's point of view. There are still a lot of people that aren't aware of fake reviews or don't know how an affiliate website is created, they just google for the best camera, find a website with 10 options, read their descriptions and pick one of them regardless of whether the website owners have tried the product or not. And being taken from google #1st place to some review website and then to the amazon website really builds trust for the buyer, on one hand because the review is recommended by google, then because the product is recommended by the review website and finally because the website selling the product is a renowned one like amazon. So yeah, affiliate websites still have a big place on the emarket.

 

[KHR]

I can't imagine Amazon really needing their affiliate program at this point. Plus, with all the affiliate links, everyone who makes a purchase probably has somebody's affiliate cookie whether they know it or not. So that's 5% Amazon is losing on probably almost every sale.

At this point, Amazon losing nothing because they are cutting Affiliate Fees from Selles for every sale. Moreover, they are keeping that money if any sales made without an affiliate, it's their extra profit.

 

[blackpanther111991]

That's how you see things, from a marketer's point of view. There are still a lot of people that aren't aware of fake reviews or don't know how an affiliate website is created, they just google for the best camera, find a website with 10 options, read their descriptions and pick one of them regardless of whether the website owners have tried the product or not. And being taken from google #1st place to some review website and then to the amazon website really builds trust for the buyer, on one hand because the review is recommended by google, then because the product is recommended by the review website and finally because the website selling the product is a renowned one like amazon. So yeah, affiliate websites still have a big place on the emarket.

I say this as someone who uses amazon, reddit, and youtube, read people's comments in-depth, and also listen to coworkers and family talk about their search for xyz. Consumers are more savvy to blackhat techniques than most people realize, it's just that they don't really care. They also find Amazon products and search to see if they have any video reviews on Youtube. I'd say affiliate review sites are mainly used for organizing rather than the actual "reviews". People can't be bothered to search through and filter all of the amazon results so they just look for a quick recommendation and go from there. An Amazon affiliate review site is about getting people to go to Amazon. A Youtube video review can actually get them to make the purchase. Combine both for the best result, I would say.

Are there a lot of people who just see and buy? Yes, of course, but I believe that number is getting lower and lower and replaced by consumers who research their purchases. Because the window for an Amazon cookie is so short, it's better to go ahead and provide the research material (video + article).

 

[freqee]

Another thread built on theories. Do you work as an accountant there to speak about their losses?

They're a public company, you can look up their losses with a simple Google search. Also, a big part of business is predicting the future without having all the facts available, or as you call it, having a "theory".

If you run a business and wait for proof of everything before you take action, you'll always be behind everybody else.