The Merchant X Files – Part 1
Posted under: Merchant X Files is a once in a while series looking at weird things in affiliate marketing that just cannot be explained! Mysterious issues that involve a merchant, who we will call Merchant X, that can’t be fathomed – not even by Mulder and Scully. The truth may be out there!
Merchant X is on three networks. Following the DGM debacle (ok I said I’d not mention it, but needs must), where Merchant X has done registrations almost daily, links were changed to Commission Junction. Despite relatively little change in traffic there were no sales. After a few days and a slight bit of concern all links were switched to Tradedoubler – where apparently Merchant X converts at “around 5%”. Again clicks go through… but no sales.
In the interim, there were sales for Merchant X on DGM, possibly from non-changed links or cookies. After 7 days of no sales from two other networks, all links were changed (begrudgingly) back to DGM…. and lo and behold sales started again. All the new links were nwk coded – just in case the sales came from pages that previously hadn’t been changed. All sales so far have the new nwk codes with them!
Based on experience, one would have expected to have seen some conversion at the two other networks. It does not make sense that pages that are obviously working suddenly generate no leads just because of a network change.
There are “obvious” affiliate explanations. Choose from a selection like: It just happened to be a quiet period (bank holiday week so feasible), site issues (I don’t think there were any), just one of those things (cop out excuse really).
However there’s also the possibility that it just doesn’t track on the other networks! However, it must do as we’ve seen sales in previous times with CJ… however never with Tradedoubler, despite their “5% conversion” rate.
It’s these kind of issues, ones where there does not seem to be a logical explanation, that makes affiliates concerned about the networks. How many programs have you promoted on one network, then when switching sales have improved or declined? Somehow I think this might not be the only Merchant X File….
Footnote: Just checked the links and found that the DGM2 links no longer work (oh but they will stay working for another 12 months… blah blah we don’t know what we’re doing). So, sickening as it is, they’ve been changed to DGMPro. How registrations fair on this system is anyone’s guess.