Amazon should offer 30 day cookie

10 replies
So many people would replace Adsense and even other affiliate code on their sites with Amazon. With Amazon's excellent presell through their product descriptions, customer reviews that often mean people do not have to read reviews on external sites especially if the product isn't priced hundreds of dollars, and the ability to cross-sell, means they would have a program really enticing to many site owners.

The only reason why Amazon results in a horrible conversion rate for most site owners is due to the 24 hour limitation.
#amazon #cookie #day #offer
  • Profile picture of the author felisitie
    Its unfortunate because people usually do not buy the first time within 24 hours of being exposed to something. If it is true that most people need up to seven exposures before they make a buying decision then its highly unlikely that those seven exposures happen within 24 hours... Any reason why its so short?
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  • Profile picture of the author onSubie
    Amazon would see no benefit from a 30 day cookie.

    Amazon is the leading online retailer. Like YouTube and eBay, I imagine the majority of their traffic goes directly to Amazon and starts searching there.

    The benefit of having good affiliates that can find laser targeted traffic that is hot to buy adds some easy sales to Amazon's bottom line. In return for this hot traffic Amazon offers a commission.

    If the traffic is very hot and suitably targeted they are in "buying" mode and a 24 hr cookie is fine.

    Extending the cookie to 30 days would mean Amazon could be paying commissions for direct traffic that happened to visit an affiliate site 3 weeks ago but was not directly motivated to visit Amazon and buy by that weeks old affiliate site visit.

    It also makes sure that Amazon is only paying out to effective affiliates who actually send buying traffic.

    Unlike a Clickbank or JV Zoo product that is the only item offered through an affiliate link, Amazon affiliate traffic can browse search and be influenced by Amazons suggestions and other sales items. Very often buying items completely unrelated to the niche of the site that sent the traffic.

    A 30 day cookie would encourage affiliates to flood Amazon with curiosity traffic that comes back weeks later without the assistance of the affiliate. It would also increase the number of scammers and cookie stuffers (already a problem) who already exploit the 24 hr cookie.

    As your last line said "The only reason why Amazon results in a horrible conversion rate for most site owners is due to the 24 hour limitation".

    That is sort of the point. If you aren't sending hot buying traffic, Amazon does not want to share commissions for random traffic that comes in weeks later. By using a 24 our cookie Amazon protects themselves from exploitation by weak or unscrupulous affiliates.

    Amazon wants hot immediate sales. If the traffic is not hot enough to convert within 24 hrs Amazon does not want to pay you.
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  • Profile picture of the author modgerody
    It sure would be awesome if Amazon had a 30 day cookie, especially for affiliates.

    Amazon does have a 90 day cookie, but you need to send the user directly from your website to the shopping cart of amazon and then once the user gets to amazon they are prompted to add the products to there shopping cart, once they add it to the cart, they are then placed with a 90 day cookie.

    You can find information about it here: https://affiliate-program.amazon.com..._link_138151_4

    Reading this thread lead by to google some stuff regarding amazons cookies and I found a very interesting article on the owner of digital point getting caught for cookie stuffing on ebay.

    Shawn Hogan, CEO of Digital Point Solutions and former eBay affiliated marketer, is sentenced to $25,000 fine and 5 months in prison.
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    • Profile picture of the author onSubie
      Originally Posted by modgerody View Post

      Amazon does have a 90 day cookie, but you need to send the user directly from your website to the shopping cart of amazon and then once the user gets to amazon they are prompted to add the products to there shopping cart, once they add it to the cart, they are then placed with a 90 day cookie.

      It's not really a 90 day cookie. And you don't have to send items directly to the cart to get it.

      It applies to anything added to the cart during the 24 hr cookie period; not just items added directly to the cart by the affiliate link.

      It only applies to items added to the cart during the 24 hr cookie period, directly or not, and not to any items added after 24 hrs.


      Example:
      Joe visits Affiliate Site X and goes to Amazon with an affiliate link (not directly to the cart). Joe buys nothing and adds nothing to his cart.

      12 hours after that visit Joe goes to Amazon and browses around. He sees two items he likes and adds then to the cart: Item A and Item B. But for whatever reason he does not complete the purchase. Those two items only have a 90 day cookie as long as they remain in the cart.

      4 days later, Joe returns to Amazon on his own. Item A and B are still in his cart and they are under a 90 day cookie. But this visit is outside the 24 hr cookie window.

      Joe adds Item C and Item D to the cart and removes Item B then completes the transaction. The only item the affiliate gets a commission on is Item A, which was placed in the cart under the 24 hr cookie.

      He does not get a commission for Item C and Item D because they were added to the cart after the 24 hr cookie expired. And he does not get commission for Item B which was removed.

      The 90 day cookie only applies to items added to the cart during the 24 hr cookie and the 90 day cookie only applies if the items are left in the cart.

      In the above scenario, if Joe removed Item B by accident so added it back immediately after removing it, the affiliate would not get commission because it was re-added outside of the 24 cookie, which had expired


      You can read at your link to Amazon exactly how it works.
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  • Profile picture of the author Anton543
    I really doubt people require seven exposures to buy something if it's priced at, say, $40, unless it's a complex tool say, but something costing over a hundred it might be more understandable people might be keen to research thoroughly beforehand. But these days, with typical thirty return period offered by stores (legal requirement I think), buying something isn't as much risk as it was earlier.
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  • Profile picture of the author modgerody
    Here is a video explaining exactly how the amazon cookie system works...I suggest anyone whos interested on the topic to watch this, and you will have all your questions answered.

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  • Profile picture of the author Anton543
    Another thing, if people buy only after several exposures then why do online stores spend so much money on Adwords? They would only spend if they were converting. Maybe they are catching on to people who have already been exposed to the product.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Anton543 View Post

      Another thing, if people buy only after several exposures then why do online stores spend so much money on Adwords? They would only spend if they were converting. Maybe they are catching on to people who have already been exposed to the product.
      There are more ways to convert someone than Ad > Click > Buy.

      You'll notice that many online stores work hard to get people onto a list of some kind. The smartest ones use email , but they also look for social engagement (likes, shares, etc.).

      Once the visitor is captured, the online store has much more control over those exposures.

      Add retargeting pixels, and getting 7+ exposures is automatic.
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      • Profile picture of the author Anton543
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        There are more ways to convert someone than Ad > Click > Buy.

        You'll notice that many online stores work hard to get people onto a list of some kind. The smartest ones use email , but they also look for social engagement (likes, shares, etc.).

        Once the visitor is captured, the online store has much more control over those exposures.

        Add retargeting pixels, and getting 7+ exposures is automatic.
        Most stores I notice grab people's email during the checkout process. I get regular emails from various stores and in each case my email was handed over during checkout.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
    Hey Anton,

    Perhaps you answered your own question...

    Originally Posted by Anton543 View Post

    With Amazon's excellent presell through their product descriptions, customer reviews that often mean people do not have to read reviews on external sites especially if the product isn't priced hundreds of dollars, and the ability to cross-sell, means they would have a program really enticing to many site owners.
    In fact, many DO choose to advertise Amazon products in lieu of simply serving adsense ads. Probaby for all the reasons you mentioned above.

    The only reason why Amazon results in a horrible conversion rate for most site owners is due to the 24 hour limitation.
    Perhaps those that experience a "horrible conversion rate" need a longer cookie because they aren't delivering buying traffic to the Amazon site. The Amazon affiliates who know how to "warm" their visitors prior to delivering them to an Amazon product offer often experience much higher conversion rates than even an affiliate who sends their traffic to a competing offer and then expects the cookie to result in sales over the coming 30 day period.
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    Sid Hale
    Coming Soon... Rapid Action Profits (Pro)

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