10 eCommerce Companies that Offer Affiliate Programs
The global eCommerce retail market is projected to grow further in the upcoming years and reach 6.38 trillion USD by the end of 2024. This shows that there is a constantly growing consumer interest in purchasing goods and services online, but with growing demand comes growing supply as well. As WP Forms reports, there are 12-24 million eCommerce websites worldwide with more and more being created every day but only approximately 1 million of these are making more than 1000 USD a year which is a sign of a highly competitive market.
For this reason, it is vital for both B2B and B2C companies to create and execute a marketing plan that will set them apart from the competition. B2B businesses also have similar marketing tools in their hands as their B2C counterparts including affiliate marketing. Using affiliate marketing as a tool is definitely a trend worldwide that is projected to account for 7.4 billion USD in 2021 in the US alone. In this article, affiliate marketing will be explained in detail so you can understand the difference between the dropshipping and affiliate business model. Moreover, you will get a list of ten eCommerce companies that offer affiliate programs to other companies or individuals operating in the eCommerce and dropshipping industry.
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a marketing tool that companies use to advertise their products and services by having third parties generate traffic and leads to their website. These third parties are called affiliates who work in commission-based contracts and get compensated based on how successful they are in promoting the company. We are all familiar with affiliate marketing when it comes to B2C brands or companies as we can see this all over social media and we call it influencer marketing. But when it comes to B2B businesses, B2B affiliate marketing can come in many different shapes and forms. Just to mention a few where affiliates promote the product or service through their eCommerce platform or other networks:
- Running banner ads on the affiliate’s website;
- Creating engaging articles that draw the attention to the company;
- Creating visual content such as videos and images for promotion;
- Sending promotional emails to the contacts on an established mailing list.
Advantages of being an affiliate
This marketing form can yield a great profit not only to the advertising company but to the affiliate as well. The affiliate can earn a periodically recurring income with relatively low effort in the long run which can create a steady passive income for you. In order to achieve this, you will have to:
- Make sure that you have a constant flow of traffic to your blog, website, or social media accounts to ensure that the highest number of people possible see your content created as an affiliate;
- Choose the brands and companies that you can associate with and you believe your visitors will feel compelled to engage with;
- Think about how you can compete with other affiliates that are promoting the same products or services and create more appealing content to do so.
Now that you know the benefits and the mechanics of affiliate marketing, read further to see which companies are offering a dropshipping affiliate program that you could be a part of as a dropshipper.
Top 10 eCommerce companies offering affiliate programs
When you are operating a dropshipping or an eCommerce company or you are part of a market that knowingly consists of many dropshippers and eCommerce enthusiasts, you should consider taking part in an affiliate program offered by professionals within the niche. This can not only boost your monthly income but you will also have the chance to promote something that you really believe in. So let’s get at it and see which B2B dropshipper could you partner with through their dropshipping affiliate program.
BrandsGateway
BrandsGateway is one of the biggest and fastest-growing B2B luxury fashion marketplaces that is offering a dropshipping affiliate program. If you are part of or creating content about the high-end fashion market BrandsGateway is definitely your ideal B2B business to partner up with. If you take part in their dropshipping affiliate program, you will get a 15% commission out of every dropshipping subscription made through a custom link that you add to your website. As soon as someone lands on BrandsGateway’s dropshipping program, they will have up to a year to sign up and start working with BrandsGateway for you to have a share of the deal. And you will be earning a recurring income as long as they are a paying customer at BrandsGateway.
Shopify
Shopify is one of the most well-known and second most used CMS (Content Management System) for online stores worldwide and offers everything that an eCommerce business owner would need to start their online business. If your audience consists of people who aspire to have an eCommerce store, then Shopify’s affiliate program is one you can consider taking part in. Within this affiliate program, you will have the chance to earn a one-time commission once the retailer you have referred has completed their 14-day trial period and signed up for a paid plan. The one-time payment equals 200% of the price of the monthly payment plan selected by the person you have referred. If you are also operating a Shopify website you can benefit from priority support with your store and Shopify content that you can promote to your audience.
Wix
Another popular CMS on our list is Wix, which is a great and innovative platform for eCommerce retailers to create their own websites., Inby 2021, so far, over 2 million users choose this platform to create their eCommerce websites. If your audience is looking for a great solution to host, create and manage their own eCommerce stores, Wix’s affiliate program can be a great choice for you. By being a part of this affiliate program, you can earn 100 USD for each person you refer, once they have upgraded before their 14 days trial period. You will also receive high-quality creatives and banners from Wix in a wide range of languages in order to promote them on your website. The only drawback of this program is that you are not getting paid in a given month if your earnings have not reached 300 USD. This way your earnings will accumulate and would only payout when you reach this amount.
Coursera
If you have an audience that is interested in improving themselves through taking online courses in dropshipping or on any other topic, Coursera’s affiliate program can be the perfect match for you. Coursera offers over 4000 courses on a wide range of topics that you can choose from to promote your audience. Once you have chosen the courses you think your visitors will be the most interested in, you will receive ready-made banners and text links to place on your website or in your social media posts. You can earn between 10% and 45% of the commission on the price of the course once the person you have referred to signs up for it. This is a one-time payment that is calculated based on the monthly fee of the given course. Moreover, you can earn commission on multiple courses that your referred visitor is signing up for as long as they are using your affiliate link.
Dropified
Dropified offers a software solution for dropshippers that are selling through WooCommerce, Shopify, and other platforms to allow them to easily import, manage and ship their products from multiple suppliers. If you think that this service would be interesting for your audience you can opt-in to Dropified’s dropshipping affiliate program and start making money through referrals. When you refer a new partner who signs up with Dropified you will be earning a commission on their subscription plan for the first 12 months of their partnership. Dropified is providing you with a 60-day cookie and other promotional materials like website banners and email content so you can best target your audience with their offering. With this dropshipping affiliate program, you will need to make sure that you keep bringing in new subscribers so you can enjoy a steady income stream even after your first referred dropshipper is partnering with Dropified for over 12 months.
Volusion
Volusion is offering eCommerce services to help business owners easily create, manage, and expand their stores. If you have an audience that is in need of upping their game in the eCommerce business, Volusion’s affiliate program is definitely one that will be interesting for them. As an affiliate, you will receive a 200% commission on the first month’s payment when the person you have referred is registering for a plan. As plans are ranging from 29 USD and 299 USD or even higher you have a great chance to earn a great commission on each referral you score. In addition, you can also benefit from a 35% discount on monthly plans and dedicated partner support while building and managing your own online store.
Wholesale2b
Wholesale2b is not a traditional dropshipping supplier but rather a company that offers you technical solutions for your dropshipping website and acts as a middleman between a dropshipper and its suppliers. By taking part in their dropshipping affiliate program, you can promote a service to your target audience that helps them to get started in the dropshipping business and opt-in for an integrated software that will not only help them source products but also take care of returns and automate the fulfillment process. As an affiliate, you will receive banners and links that you can place on your website or integrate into your social media or email marketing strategy. Once one of your referred dropshippers signs up for the services of Wholesale2b you will be receiving a monthly share of their subscription fee as long as they remain a member.
FindNiche
FindNiche is not a classic dropshipping supplier or facilitator but rather a company that helps dropshippers to – as their name suggests – find their niche. Dropshippers can order AliExpress and Shopify analytics and Ad spy on social media platforms to find out which dropshipping products and niches are doing the best and are desired by customers to explore winning products. This service can be beneficial for both beginner and experienced dropshippers so it holds a good perspective for you as well when it comes to its dropshipping affiliate program. With this dropshipping affiliate program, you can earn a lifetime commission on each payment the dropshipper you have referred makes. Your earnings will be paid out monthly once they reach the 50 USD payout threshold.
HubSpot
HubSpot is one of the most widely-used CRM (Customer Relations Management) platforms that can be a huge help when it comes to dealing with happy or unhappy customers. When you have an audience that is already owning an eCommerce store and looking to grow further HubSpot’s affiliate program is one for you to explore further. As an affiliate, you will have the chance to earn 100% of the monthly price of which plan your referred person chooses. You will have two options to go with, you either choose a monthly recurring rate of 15% for an entire year or you can pick a 100% flat rate option that you will receive after the referral as well. Moreover, you will be able to profit from all purchases your referred eCommerce business owner does as long as they are using your affiliate link through which they complete the purchase.
DropShipping One
Last on our list is DropShipping One which is a platform that allows dropshippers to connect with dropshipping suppliers from around the globe. They are offering products from large companies and small artisans alike to ensure a wide and unique product range for their dropshipping partners. DropShipping One is only focusing on linking the dropshippers with the suppliers and does not provide automation or after-sales services. When you are part of their dropshipping affiliate program you are provided with website banners and a personal link that you can use to advertise to your audience. The cookie provided by DropShipping One will be live and track a new customer’s activity for 90 days so they have this timeframe to register and purchase a service in order for you as an affiliate to receive a commission. Once a referred dropshipper makes a purchase you will receive a percentage-based commission as long as they keep purchasing and using the services of DropShipping One.
To conclude
As you can see from our extensive list above, there are a good number of affiliate programs you can choose from when you are part of the eCommerce or the dropshipping market. By joining one or a few of these affiliate programs, you can not only create targeted advertising that would interest your visitors but also a continuous flow of income for yourself without investing too much time and energy in it.
About the Author
Lilla Stefanovszky
Fashion marketing professional turned digital marketer. My name is Lilla and I have been working in the fashion industry for 5 years. Currently working at BrandsGateway and helping with the development of the marketing strategy and on occasions writing articles for our audience. When away form the computer, I enjoy outdoors and running with my dogs.
