Coupon Sites

Affiliate marketing has seen many twists and turns in the last decade.

The advent of the coupon site is probably one of the trickiest.

Coupon sites drive tons of traffic to advertisers’ sites.

But is it worth it for the advertisers to accept coupon sites as affiliates through networks like Google Affiliate Network or Commission Junction?

Many advertiser sites are saying no. One such advertiser is Goedeker’s, a large online appliance retailer.

Why Kick Out Coupon Sites?

“Our data showed we were giving away the affiliate fee to coupon sites instead of having them earn it,” says Matt Davids, Goedeker’s affiliate manager.

“We discovered customers were finding our site through our own PPC, and then searching for coupon and promo codes. Once the customer found the coupon code on the coupon site, they would click through that link back to our site.”

So, why was this a problem for Goedeker’s?

“We were paying twice for the customer,” continues Davids, “it’s as simple as that.”

“Also, all of our coupons codes are available on our site. A customer doesn’t have to leave Goedekers.com to get a good deal. Not to mention, most coupon sites list coupons from stores they are not affiliates with because of the traffic they get from the keywords.”

Goedeker’s Coupon Page

Goedeker’s solution was to remove the coupon sites as affiliates and create their own Goedeker’s coupon code page.

“Yes, that’s it,” says Davids, “we created our own coupon page at Goedeker’s and began building links to it.”

Some would consider this a risky move, correct?

“Possibly,” admits Davids.

“But by putting this strategy in place, it will allow us to offer more coupons and promo codes which will be better for our customers. And that’s truly our goal. We want to provide our customers with the best deal.”

“Why should they go to another site when we have all the coupons they need?”