E-commerce Affiliate Networks

Get up to speed with e-commerce affiliate marketing and increase your earning potential by tapping into the expertise of e-commerce affiliate networks and learning how to choose top E-commerce Programs.

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Best E-commerce Affiliate Networks in 2024

Reputable e-commerce affiliate networks connect like-minded merchants and content creators, where advertisers increase brand recognition and sales while publishers get an additional revenue stream.

For e-commerce affiliate marketers, it is of the utmost importance to locate top-quality affiliate networks and programs that feature widely recognised brands and pay competitive commission rates.

By being affiliated with content creators, merchants benefit too, as advertisers are identified more easily and get targeted traffic. Subsequently, their return on investment increases, and their relatively low-risk and low-cost affiliate marketing scheme yields continuous results. Our comprehensive guide will assist marketers and merchants in locating top-tier affiliate networks.

What Is an Affiliate Marketing Program?

An affiliate marketing program is a scheme in which both publishers and merchants benefit. Merchants, or advertisers who sponsor affiliate marketing programs, provide publishers with link-creation tools and banners to promote their products and services. That way, merchants gain access to new audiences and reliable referrals. On the other hand, content creators, who can easily locate merchants through reputable affiliate networks, earn commissions on the sales that are the direct result of their promotion.

Therefore, in an e-commerce affiliate program, publishers’ affiliate links tell merchants which affiliate partner directed web traffic to their platform and which affiliate marketer should be paid a commission for a particular sale. In addition to direct sales, e-commerce affiliate marketers can also be rewarded when they generate leads, clicks, downloads, or other actions outlined in the terms and conditions of the affiliate program.

How Do E-Commerce Affiliate Networks Work?

In the simplest of terms, e-commerce affiliate networks are platforms that connect brands with content creators. They are practical solutions for both merchants and publishers.

Through affiliate networks, e-commerce businesses can search for affiliates and easily locate publishers, such as bloggers, content creators, vloggers, and social media influencers. They then provide affiliate partners, who are usually in the same niche as their brand, with digital cookies and monitor the individual performance of each affiliate through affiliate tracking software.

Similarly, online publishers leverage e-commerce affiliate marketing networks to partner with reputable brands that are relevant to their audience, as well as get enticing commission rates and regular payments.

Advantages of E-commerce Affiliate Networks

Brands turn to e-commerce affiliate networks to find compatible affiliate marketing partners. With little to no red tape and super-fast registration processes, the best e-commerce affiliate networks connect online businesses with affiliate marketers within days. And that is only the beginning. Below, we look at the advantages of affiliate marketing networks for e-commerce businesses and how you can profit from becoming an affiliate partner.

Increased Earning Potential

Content creators can increase their affiliate income through affiliate marketing campaigns, with different e-commerce networks offering different commission models. The most common is pay-per-sale (PPS), but there are also pay-per-click (PPC) commission structures, where PPC management services play a key role in reaching target audiences, as well as pay-per-lead (PPL) commissions.

Trust and Reliability

E-commerce affiliate platforms examine content creators and e-commerce sites before accepting them. Trust and dependability are crucial, particularly in affiliate agreements, where much depends on trustworthiness. Thus, if you are both part of the same network, you are more likely to collaborate with a global brand than if you attempt to develop the connection alone.

Tracking and Analytics

The best e-commerce affiliate networks and online publishers benefit directly from affiliate tracking software. It is a crucial source of information for e-commerce brands when it comes to keeping track of performance and determining how much they will pay affiliates. So, if content creators notice that their payouts are low and their performance is poor, they can invest in SEO services to generate more traffic.

Marketing Expertise

The best e-commerce affiliate marketing networks provide members with invaluable marketing expertise and tools. They also provide affiliate tools to boost brands or affiliate websites. Whether you are looking to target new audiences through specialised e-commerce copywriting services or want to increase brand awareness, these e-commerce tools will provide you with the data to help you plan your next move.

5 Best E-commerce Affiliate Programs

When browsing through affiliate programs, there are various factors you need to consider, from commission models and cookie duration to payout requirements and the support an affiliate sponsor will provide. Therefore, it can be quite a challenging task to find reputable e-commerce affiliate programs yourself.

Our affiliate program shortlist is aimed at helping you overcome that obstacle. We invite you to go through our list of the 5 top Eccomerce affiliate schemes and inform yourself about the benefits the best affiliate programs offer and how you can monetize the content you are passionate about.

Shopify

The Shopify Affiliate program allows content creators, educators, social media influencers, and entrepreneurs to build on their talents and monetize their services while entertaining, teaching, and inspiring audiences. To become part of the program, you need to prove that you generate regular website traffic and original content, as well as some prior experience with e-commerce platforms. Shopify will let you know whether your application has been accepted within five days.

As soon as you are accepted, you will be given access to Shopify’s third-party affiliate software, through which you can set up and track your affiliate links. You will benefit from a fixed-bounty commission structure for the paying subscribers you refer without limits. Affiliates are paid via direct bank transfer or PayPal, and the minimum balance for a withdrawal is $10.

Program	Shopify Affiliate Marketing Program
Commission Models	A $150 fixed compensation for qualified referrals
Payment Terms	Payouts require a minimum balance of $10 and are released bi-weekly or when a certain threshold is reached.
Cookie Duration	30 days
Affiliate Support	Live Chat, Email

Our Verdict About Shopify

The Shopify Affiliate Program is geared towards diverse affiliate sectors and gets our stamp of approval. With its fixed compensation for referrals, it offers predictability in payments and the consistency that affiliates crave. Customer support is quite responsive, and the duration of cookies would satisfy most affiliate marketers.

Competitive fixed-bounty commission
Long cookie duration
Robust tracking tools
Third-party tracking software is easy to set up and use

A limited selection of products for affiliates to market
Better at catering to businesses than affiliate marketers
Minimum payout threshold

Amazon Associates

Launched in 1996, Amazon Associates is arguably the most reputable affiliate program. To become an Amazon affiliate, you first need to be approved by Amazon, and, as soon as you do, you will get a chance to promote the wide range of products Amazon offers and incorporate them into your affiliate business.

Amazon Associates customises linking tools so that individual bloggers can seamlessly integrate related products. The Amazon Associates program also tailors linking mechanisms in a way that allows large publishers and influencers to play to their strengths and make the most of their association with the e-commerce behemoth.

Program	Amazon Associates Program
Commission Models	Up to 10% in associate commissions.
Payment Terms	Monthly payments, approximately 60 days after the end of each month
Cookie Duration	24 hours
Affiliate Support	Email

Our Verdict About Amazon Associates

Amazon Associates is as large as affiliate programs can get. The program runs efficiently and provides affiliates with various opportunities to showcase and monetize their potential. Because Amazon has a dominant market position, though, its affiliate program isn’t under much pressure to improve. That said, Amazon Associates will always get the green light from us due to its reputability and e-commerce omnipresence.

Fantastic array of products
Decades of experience in the affiliate industry
Excellent conversion rates due to intuitive check-out procedure
Tailored linking tools

Commission rates are not the most competitive
Cookies duration can be longer
Marketed products may no longer be listed or may have sold out
The market is quite competitive

eBay Partner Network

eBay was launched in 1995 and quickly established itself as a dominant force in the C2C and B2C market segments. Despite weathering many transitions, the auction site is still one of the best-performing e-commerce businesses. With the establishment of the eBay Partner Network in 2008, the e-commerce platform expanded its digital marketing possibilities and advertising potential.

Good examples of the program’s perks are the intuitive and straightforward registration process, as well as the capacity to foster long-term relationships with affiliates. The affiliate program also enables you to make the most of a wide array of linking tools, such as an easy-to-use link generator, smart shares, dynamic banners, bookmarklets, and other browser extensions and plugins.

Program	eBay Partner Network
Commission Models	Between 1% and 4% depending on category
Payment Terms	Paid once per month (via EFT or PayPal) on the 10th when minimum balance is $10+
Cookie Duration	24 hours
Affiliate Support	On-site contact form

Our Verdict About eBay Partner Network

The eBay Partners Network is one of the most prominent affiliate programs in the e-commerce industry. With a customer base that’s in the millions and many product niches and categories to choose from, there is almost no limit to the people you can reach. The regular and reliable payments, as well as the decent selection of tools, render the eBay Partners Network a smart choice for most affiliates.

A renowned brand and an established platform
Tons of categories to link to and promote
Great selection of tools
Easy to register

No shortage of competitors
Not the most expedient help desk
Cookie duration can be longer
There’s a $10 minimum payout requirement

HubSpot Affiliate Program

HubSpot’s tiered affiliate program, launched in 2017, is a great way to monetize your content, especially in digital marketing. You can earn a 30% recurring commission for a year when you join the program. However, 100-200 qualifying signups per month will elevate you from HubSpot Affiliate to Super Affiliate. You qualify for Elite Affiliate with more than 200 qualifying sign-ups per month.

HubSpot uses Impact to host affiliate links and track affiliate performance. The program offers an $80 welcome bonus and affiliate challenges to boost earnings. Dedicated e-commerce affiliates will particularly appreciate the 400+ promotional assets, which include a copy bank and banners, as well as HubSpot’s Affiliate Resource Centre.

Program	HubSpot Affiliate Program
Commission Models	30% recurring commission for up to one year
Payment Terms	Withdrawals can be made via EFT or PayPal when your balance is at least $10
Cookie Duration	180-day cookie window
Affiliate Support	Live chat, On-site contact form

Our Verdict About HubSpot Affiliate Program

With a generous cookie duration of 180 days and an even more enticing 30% recurring commission for up to a year, the HubSpot Affiliate Program is a logical choice if you are a content creator who can promote CRM (customer relationship management) platforms. However, make sure to factor in the smaller customer base compared to Eccomerce sites like Amazon and eBay.

Competitive commission model
Cookies last for a long time
Vast resources are available for affiliates
Progress is tracked via a reputable third-party platform

Limited range of products and services are promoted
$10 minimum payout threshold
You won’t get a commission if customers have already signed up
You don’t get paid for additional upgrades

Walmart Affiliate Program

Walmart, whose origins date back to 1962, is one of the biggest department store and hypermarket chains in the world and has consistently made it onto Forbes’ list of the Top 50 Companies in America for the past century. In 2000, Walmart launched an online store, allowing influencers, content creators, and publishers to place Walmart text links and banner ads and earn commissions. Walmart’s affiliate commission of 4% on qualifying sales is quite competitive.

Walmart uses Impact Radius to track sales, commissions, and impressions, like many affiliate programs. When a Walmart customer clicks your link and buys something, you get paid. Walmart provides affiliates with a weekly newsletter featuring expertly designed banners and text links and allows affiliates to create their own links too. Joining the Walmart Affiliate program is free of charge.

Program	Walmart Affiliate Program
Commission Models	Up to 4% on eligible sales
Payment Terms	Commission is paid on monthly net sales minus shipping, handling, sales tax, and returns.
Cookie Duration	3 days
Affiliate Support	Email

Our Verdict About Walmart Affiliate Program

Walmart is a globally recognised retail giant with more than 4 million products to choose from. So, there is no shortage of promotion options for affiliates from various niches. However, Walmart’s strength is also its weakness, as all the products it offers can also be found in local stores, affecting conversion rates.

Globally renowned brand
User-friendly platform
Fantastic range of products to promote
Cookie duration is sufficient and more generous than that of many competitors

The commission rate is slightly on the low side
Walmart could put more focus on its affiliate program
Customers can visit local stores instead of Walmart.com
Conversion rates are often lower than expected

5 Best E-commerce Affiliate Networks

Affiliate networks facilitate the growth and expansion of both publishers and merchants and provide agencies with a myriad of useful tools and solutions too. However, if you want to enjoy these perks, you need to locate the top affiliate networks.

Whether you are a seller or a content creator, with a proven e-commerce affiliate network, you partner with goal-oriented businesses and individuals and maximise the potential of your products or services. Below, we look at the five best affiliate networks and analyse them to help you find the one that is a good fit for you.

Rakuten Advertising

Rakuten Advertising, a Japanese e-commerce giant, has one of the best global affiliate networks with over 150 thousand partners and 25 years of experience. More than 100 in-house partner relationship experts help Rakuten affiliate partners grow and reach new audiences.

In terms of how the affiliate network works, signing up is pretty straightforward, and applications are reviewed within five days. Content creators and publishers can promote over a thousand renowned brands and earn varying commission rates depending on the brand they pick. As for partnering with these brands, some companies will respond to application requests instantly, while others will take their time to manually approve your request. Lastly, the link-creating tools are easy to use, and there is a $50 threshold for payments.

Network	Rakuten Advertising
Commission Models	Vary depending on brand
Payment Terms	Payouts are issued via bank transfer (ACH), check, or PayPal and the minimum payout is $50.
Cookie Duration	Not publicly disclosed
Affiliate Support	Live Chat, Phone, Email

Our Verdict About Rakuten Advertising

Rakuten Advertising is a world-renowned affiliate network to partner with. So, becoming part of it comes with all the perks you would expect to get from reputable networks, from trustworthiness to regular payments. However, the minimum payout threshold is slightly on the high side.

Easy-to-use link creation tools
Wide range of popular brands
Reputable networks and partners
Top-notch affiliate support

Cookie duration is not publicly disclosed
$50 minimum payout is slightly high
Application approvals may take time
Reporting can be better

Awin

Established in 2000, Awin connects affiliates with more than 25,000 world-renowned brands. It empowers partners by providing them with a wide range of technologies and solutions. Awin excels at helping affiliates target specific audiences by providing specialised solutions for advertisers, publishers, and agencies. These are further subdivided. For instance, if you are a publisher, you can monetize your services with solutions for content creators or influencers, editorial and media sites, technology partners, and other publishers.
The Advertiser Directory is a particularly useful solution, as it contains thousands of Awin advertisers you can choose from.

Promoting brands on social media is Awin’s forte, as the network allows influencers to add affiliate links to their videos, newsletters, or bios, meaning they can monetize their influence without even having a website. Advertisers and businesses can choose from a range of plans that fit their needs, such as the simple and cost-effective Awin Access and the more sophisticated Awin Accelerate and Awin Advanced solutions.

Network	Awin
Commission Models	Depends on the brand and service promoted
Payment Terms	Minimum payout of $20 - international wire transfer, ACH, SEPA
Cookie Duration	Varies but the network standard is usually 30 days
Affiliate Support	Live Chat, Phone, Email

Our Verdict About Awin

Awin is one of the largest e-commerce affiliate networks and has been a dominant force in the industry for more than 20 years. It offers a myriad of solutions for both publishers and advertisers, and it allows partners to customise commissions and cookie duration periods. Needless to say, it gets our stamp of approval.

Access to over a million of partners
User-friendly dashboard
A commission setting online tool to customise commissions
Simple integration of websites with affiliate programs

Sign-up fee
Delays may occur with payment approvals from partners
Having some existing knowledge is desirable
Awin doesn’t support PayPal

CJ Affiliate

Founded in 1998, CJ Affiliate is a reputable online advertising company specialising in performance-based marketing. The company that used to operate under the name Commission Junction has been the number one affiliate marketing vendor since 2015. CJ’s partners see a 30% increase in the number of clients after migrating to the affiliate network, and the network reaches about one billion consumers each month. What sets CJ Affiliate apart from other affiliate networks is the continual assessment of its data-driven solutions, which leads advertisers and publishers to maximise opportunities for growth.

CJ Affiliate guarantees maximum return on investment by reducing publishers’ breaches of guidelines and preventing non-compliant activity. Unfortunately, this also results in a longer onboarding process. The pre-payment verification of each individual publisher doesn’t make the process faster either. However, the innovative tools and solutions for tracking and forecasting, as well as the decent commission rates and audience insights CJ offers, are well worth the wait.

Network	CJ Affiliate
Commission Models	Vary from one product to another
Payment Terms	Commissions are first locked and reviewed, and payments are made around the 20th and 28th of each month via bank transfer, Payoneer, and check. The minimum payout is $50.
Cookie Duration	The standard period is 45 days, but it varies between 1-120 days.
Affiliate Support	Phone, Email

Our Verdict About CJ Affiliate

If you are looking to partner with big brands, few affiliate networks are better than CJ Affiliates. A few words of caution, though. First, the CJ platform is far from user-friendly. Second, the onboarding procedure is quite lengthy. If you have no problem with both, you are bound to enjoy working with CJ Affiliates.

Data-driven solutions
Facilitates the expansion of affiliates and advertisers
Innovative tools for forecasting trends
The network is loaded with big-name brands

Drawn out sign up procedure
The dashboard isn’t user-friendly
New affiliates may need help at first
No PayPal payments

ClickBank

Established in 1998, ClickBank is an e-commerce company that allows merchants to list products and affiliates to promote them. With over six million clients and a fantastic range of product categories, it is impossible for publishers and advertisers not to find the right match.

ClickBank does many things to stand out in a competitive e-commerce affiliate industry. The enticing commission models have yielded some impressive results in this regard. With commission rates that can go as high as 75% for some products, it is easy to see how ClickBank manages to outdo rival networks. The cookie duration is also longer than competitors such as Amazon. On the downside, at ClickBank, there are fees that both affiliates and sellers should familiarise themselves with before joining.

Program	ClickBank
Commission Models	From 1% to 75% in standard commissions
Payment Terms	Payouts issued via direct deposit, wire transfer, check, or payoneer. Minimum payout is $10.
Cookie Duration	Varies, but can be up to 60 days
Affiliate Support	Phone, On-site contact form

Our Verdict About ClickBank

If you were browsing around ClickBank’s site, you probably noticed the network’s competitive commissions. That is the number one reason why we are green-lighting the network, as its fees and customer support are nothing to write home about.

Competitive commission models
An established platform with a wide range of products
Registering is pretty straightforward
Voluminous ClickBank Knowledge Base

Customer support not always up to the task
Products of inferior quality that should be avoided
Inactive account fees
$49.95 Activation fee for ClickBank Sellers

ShareASale

Established in 2000, ShareASale is an affiliate marketing platform that has more than 25,000 merchants and over 270,000 publishers, generating approximately 200 million in sales. It was acquired by affiliate network rival Awin in 2017. ShareASale has competitive solutions for affiliates and merchants, while closely working with agencies too.

The network’s forte is the wide variety of custom tools. For instance, merchants can benefit from a recruitment tool to target affiliates operating in their niche and an influencer activation solution to generate sales through social media. Affiliates, on the other hand, can make the most of ShareASale’s custom short links, plugin integrations, and a product discovery bookmarklet tool for fast and easy creation of links.

Program	ShareASale
Commission Models	Varies between products
Payment Terms	Payments on the 20th of each month via check, direct deposit, and payoneer. The minimum payout is $50.
Cookie Duration	30 days
Affiliate Support	Email, Phone

Our Verdict About ShareASale

ShareASale works with renowned brands people recognise easily. That’s always a good start when choosing affiliate networks. It also has a reasonable cookie duration window and customised tools for publishers, sellers, and agencies. The slightly steep fees might concern some merchants, though.

Tailored tools for affiliates and merchants
Registering is a straightforward process
Accounts are usually approved within a couple of days
Advanced filter/search option

$625 joining fee and $35 recurring monthly charge for merchants
Anachronous dashboard
Inactive accounts risk being closed
No PayPal payouts

Criteria to Choose the Best E-commerce Affiliate Programs

E-commerce sales and affiliate earnings are, of course, closely related to customer purchases. However, merchant and affiliate revenue figures rely heavily on the quality of e-commerce affiliate programs. Read on to learn which factors you need to consider to find and join the best e-commerce affiliate program.

Commission Structure and Rates

There are various commission structures, ranging from revenue share payments to pay-per-sale schemes and pay-per-click arrangements. You should only enter affiliate relationships where commission rates will be worth your while. Also, check your affiliate program terms to see whether the commission is the same. Often, commission rates in e-commerce affiliate programs vary depending on what and who you promote.

Support and Resources for Affiliates

To make affiliate marketing work for you, access to resource banks is crucial too. They have round-the-clock affiliate support that you can reach via various communication channels. You shouldn’t underestimate dedicated support, as it can save you a lot of headaches when unexpected problems occur or give you information about fees, payment terms, and commission rates if you can’t find those details yourself.

Marketing Resources

The best affiliate marketing programs help you optimise your operations. You can invest all your energy in search engine optimisation (SEO) and selecting link-building services that will rank your site at the top. The e-commerce affiliate program will provide you with text links, dynamic banners, product images, smart shares, and all other marketing materials crucial for seamless affiliate linking to major brands.

Product Relevance and Quality

E-commerce affiliates should focus on both the commission model and the quality of the products they promote. If a product or service is relevant and is in line with the content you are publishing, that is an excellent starting point for a productive affiliate marketing partnership. If the commission rate is decent, you may have found the ideal e-commerce affiliate program for you.

E-commerce Affiliate Networks and Programs Conclusion

e-commerce affiliate networks and marketing programs allow content publishers to form productive relationships with online businesses that generate revenue both now and in the long haul. The tools they provide and the safe collaborative environment they promote bolster affiliates’ chances of success and result in high ROI rates for merchants.

Take your e-commerce venture to the next level with our premium digital marketing solutions and experience all the advantages of being affiliated with the top e-commerce networks.

Frequently Asked Questions

You now have a better idea of what constitutes a top-quality e-commerce affiliate program and how to find the best affiliate networks. However, if you need additional information about e-commerce affiliate networks, we invite you to check out our FAQ section.

E-commerce affiliate networks enable merchants and publishers to connect, where the publisher promotes the merchant’s products or services and gets a commission for doing so.

E-commerce affiliate programs help merchants sell more products as they allow them to partner with affiliates, i.e., publishers, content creators, and influencers who promote the advertiser’s products or services.

When looking for the best e-commerce affiliate programs and networks, you need to consider several crucial factors, such as the commission model, the duration of cookies, payout terms, whether customer support operates 24/7, etc.

E-commerce merchants can reach more customers when they are partnered with affiliates who publish content related to the niche they operate in. That way, advertisers can promote their products and services more organically, benefit from more sales, and increase brand recognition.

The obvious benefit for publishers and influencers is that they get a commission for all the customers they direct to the merchants. As for brands, they benefit from increased exposure, brand recognition, and higher sales as a result.