Retail surgery: Affiliate marketing is dominated by voucher code and cashback sites. How can I drive sales without constant discounting?

Voucher and cashback sites are an effective way of drumming up sales but there are drawbacks. Sales can drop off quickly once discounting stops, they may not all be incremental, and repeated discounting can have a negative brand impact.

An affiliate programme that focuses on true content sites alone lets retailers engage with potential customers, but is unlikely to create the short-term sales growth that most retailers are looking for.

Jane Gleadall, co-founder at multichannel consultancy Biglight, advises combining the positive aspects of discounting and true-content affiliates to achieve a balance between sales and brand objectives. “Engage with discounting sites so they know who you are and what you are trying to achieve. Develop innovative ways to generate revenue for them that exposes your site to a wider audience without straight discounting.” She also advises retailers have a strong sales hook, such as ‘£X off your first order’ and run these tactically.

Start to build relationships with true content sites that appeal to your customers and feed them great deals and content. If you keep these consistent with your email marketing and any online PR and social media communications you do, it will “reduce effort and help build up a head of steam around your brand”, says Gleadall.

She adds: “This approach has the potential to deliver sustainable sales growth, without a negative impact on the brand. The more effort you put in, the more you’ll get from your affiliate partners.”