10 Best Amazon Affiliate Program Alternatives (2023)

What Are The Changes In Amazon Affiliate Programs?

Amazon Associates, one of the world’s most extensive e-commerce affiliate programs, has over 2 million active publishers. This is because e-commerce has been gaining traction for several years. People are increasingly shopping online, taking advantage of Amazon’s lower prices and two-day delivery. Customers trust the platform and prefer to buy from it because of its strong reputation and two decades of experience.

Naturally, all of Amazon’s affiliates were devastated when they received the following one-week notice email on April 14 announcing upcoming changes to the affiliate program’s terms:

Amazon reduced commissions on many product categories as of April 21st, 2020, including:

• Beauty, Headphones, Musical Instruments, Business, and Industrial Supplies: from 6% to 3%
• Furniture, Home, Home Improvement, Lawn & Garden, Pets Products, and Pantry: from 8% to 3%
• Baby and Sports Products Categories: from 4.5% to 3%
• Outdoors and Tools: From 5.5% to 3%
• Health and Personal Care: From 5% to 1%
• Amazon Fresh: From 3% to 1%

10 Best Amazon Affiliate Program Alternatives

AliExpress

As the name suggests, AliExpress is part of China’s Alibaba group. It is a growing online retailer, particularly in Asia, and offers many opportunities to those whom Amazon’s recent changes have harmed.

Affiliate commissions are reasonable – 8.5% for newcomers. The company then offers a progressive commission scale based on your links’ absolute value of sales. If you bring more than $50,000 in business, your commission will increase to 9.5%.

AliExpress offers a wide range of goods rather than being limited to a single niche, which significantly aids its appeal as an Amazon affiliate alternative – no matter your niche, you’re likely to find something relevant to link to among their offerings.

AliExpress also has a generous cookie policy of 30 days. This feature ensures you are still credited for the link even if the buyer does not convert for a month.

Higher commissions and a more extended cookie policy are strong arguments in favor of the AliExpress vs. Amazon affiliate debate, and it’s easy to see why many are tempted away.

Walmart

Walmart could be the most well-known physical retailer in the world. However, in recent years, it has expanded into the online world. Like many other industry companies, it can see the writing on the wall. Online sales are on the rise.

As a result, the company is focusing heavily on affiliate marketing, offering significant incentives to third-party sites in order to increase sales.

Like the other retailers on this list, Walmart has different prices for different types of goods. Some items will only earn you 1% – at most Amazon. This category includes books, movies, music, and video games. Others will pay you a little more. A 4% commission is earned in baby, beauty, home, health, jewelry, technology, and toys.

Walmart makes it especially simple for those with WordPress sites to get started. Install the plug-in via the platform and follow the on-screen instructions. Chrome extensions are also available to help you find and sell products on your website.

The cookie duration is the only drawback. Customers must purchase within three days of following your link to receive the credit. You will only benefit if the conversion takes that long.

Nike

Nike is the world’s largest sportswear retailer. It is currently paying affiliates a respectable 11% commission on validated sales. This is 7% higher than Amazon’s price for the same product category.

The Nike Affiliate Program offers numerous advantages. You get a 30-day cookie period, various banners, and Nike By You promotional material. Nike also provides extensive support and regular updates on new products and marketing materials. You can also obtain free products for competitions and promotions for successful affiliates.

Nike primarily targets well-known websites. It typically collaborates with news organizations, prominent bloggers, health and fitness websites, and fashion websites. There are, however, opportunities for sports websites and shopping directories.

Customers you refer receive a variety of benefits. These include free shipping on qualifying orders and lower free shipping thresholds.

eBay Partner Network

eBay is the second-largest eCommerce in North America and Europe and has a competitive affiliate program. Affiliates can join the “eBay Partner Network” and earn commissions immediately. It, like Amazon, allows third-party websites like yours to earn money through referrals.

eBay has one of the most generous reward programs on the internet. It does not make money from the sale of goods, unlike Amazon. That is for the seller. Instead, it charges users auction fees for its platform and then splits the proceeds with affiliates.

The type of product referral determines the amount you receive. eBay pays affiliates 4% on fashion items, 3% on home and garden items, and 4% on almost everything else.

Bonuses and bounties are also available to affiliates. In the first three months, new members earn double the commission. In addition, affiliates who refer new eBay buyers will receive a 100% commission bonus.

The eBay affiliate program is one of the most effective affiliate marketing alternatives available, with solid results for eBay vs. Amazon’s affiliate program.

Microsoft

Microsoft is commonly thought of as a computer software company. However, given the importance of online sales, it now also provides an effective affiliate program.

Affiliates can sell the entire range of products and services the tech giant offers. Because Microsoft sells to consumers and businesses, a wide range of third-party websites may benefit. Those in the IT and computing niches are natural fits for Microsoft’s affiliate program.

In addition, Microsoft offers some of the best commission rates in its industry, with up to 10% on qualifying sales. It is also willing to collaborate with bloggers rather than just established companies and websites, creating opportunities for smaller players.

You also get a 14-day window for in-app purchases. If a referral makes additional purchases after clicking on your link, you will also be compensated for those.

Microsoft is also among the best in terms of support. You get tools for creating campaigns, tracking them, and promoting them. As a result, you don’t feel disconnected.

Etsy

Etsy rose to prominence a few years ago by selling specialized handmade and vintage items. It has also offered an attractive affiliate program that rivals if not exceeds, Amazon’s for some time.

Except for voucher and cashback sites, almost anyone can become an affiliate of the eCommerce site. Aside from English, affiliate support is available in several other languages, including French, Italian, Spanish, and German.

Commissions are typically around 4% of the total sale value, higher than Amazon’s current 3% offer on homewares. You’ll also get a 30-day cookie period and help running competitions.

Because of the wide variety of products available on its website, Etsy has a broad appeal. On the other hand, bloggers, fashion, and craft sites find it particularly appealing. The variety of distinct products provides an ideal backdrop for the creation of custom native content intended to elicit click-throughs. As a result, Etsy tends to have a high conversion rate. People value the importance of marketing.

Although the commission is not significantly higher than Amazon’s, Etsy has a monopoly on many of its products. Members of your target audience must purchase from the website. There are no other options.

CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction)

CJ Affiliates is one of the oldest affiliate networks for publishers and advertisers. bloggers, hotel offers sites, and travel deal sites can all use the platform to earn advertising commissions by promoting their products and securing conversions.

Annual publisher commissions on the platform currently exceed $1.8 billion (£1.3 billion). And new opportunities are constantly emerging. CJ Affiliate estimates that it generates over 4.8 million new relationships per year.

CJ Affiliates, formerly known as Commission Junction, is not like most other affiliate networks. For example, it gives publishers real-time analytics, eliminating the need to refresh the page to get updates. The software is also highly user-friendly, making navigating all of the selling options simple.

If you are a well-known publisher (for example, a blogger with over 10,000 page views per month), you will be eligible for CJ Affiliate’s Content Certified program.

The network automatically connects you to many of the world’s best-selling brands when you sign up. These are the top brands that are most likely to sell.

To become a CJ Affiliate, you must be an 18-year-old publisher. The network does not set commissions. Instead, each merchant negotiates their rate, and publishers decide whether or not to accept it.

ShareASale

Another affiliate network that helps publishers “of all shapes and sizes” is ShareASale. It collaborates with content creators and influencers, as well as loyalty and incentive websites and media partners. Affiliates earned a total of $915 million (£670 million) in 2020.

Traditional affiliate marketers, bloggers, vloggers, website owners, podcasters, and social media influencers can join the network for free. The platform provides tools to help you find relevant retailer partners to promote for commissions. Simple reporting tools show you how much money you make and when you’ll be paid.

More than 15,200 brands from virtually every industry are available for promotion through the platform. However, ShareASale is not an extensive brand network. It instead focuses on more niche and emerging advertisers.

Under the net 30 model, ShareASale pays publishers on the 20th of each month. That means you’ll be paid on August 20th for all sales made between June 20th and July 20th.

Regarding payment methods, ShareASale accepts direct deposit, Payoneers, and mailed cheques for those who prefer to do things the old-fashioned way. There is currently no PayPal.

Rakuten

Linkshare, an affiliate network, was founded in 1996 during the early days of affiliate marketing. Rakuten, the Japanese electronics giant, bought them out in 2005, forming Rakuten Linkshare, now known as Rakuten Marketing.

Because of the sheer quality of the brands you can promote, Rakuten is an appealing network for publishers to join. Microsoft, Billabong, Lyft, NordVPN, Nvidia, and Macy’s are just a few examples.

Rakuten is simple to use. The dashboard looks the same as when Linkshare was first released, so it may appear dated. However, it’s surprisingly simple once you’ve gotten used to the retro look.

You can find affiliate programs by conducting a keyword search or by browsing the navigation menu for brands that are relevant to your niche. Some programs can also be accessed automatically through the platform, but many require manual approval before you can begin.

The platform pays a net of 60, which means that funds are released to you approximately every sixty days. You can contact customer service for more information if you have a payment problem. PayPal, check, or direct deposit into your bank account are all acceptable payment methods.

Zazzle

Zazzle is a website that sells cards, invitations, clothing, homeware, and electronics. It has also recently entered the personal protective equipment market, selling facemasks.

The company has one of the most profitable affiliate programs of any online retailer. Members can earn double-digit through its affiliate program, which pays them whenever they generate a sale through blogs, websites, social media, or email.

Zazzle’s standard referral payment is 15%. However, it provides a volume bonus of up to 17% per sale, which is significantly higher than Amazon and possibly the best baseline affiliate marketing commission percentage available.

According to Zazzle, signing up for its program takes less than a minute. Once logged in, you can select from millions of products to promote, tailoring your approach to your target audience. Depending on your preference, it pays out via cheque or PayPal, and the minimum payout for UK affiliates is £50.

Zazzle has an Associate Centre where you can get more information on terms, policies, and everything else you need to know. You can keep track of your referrals, commissions, and more right here.

Final Thoughts

If you continue to rely on Amazon’s affiliate program, you risk losing money. The company claims the changes are necessary due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus, but this makes no sense given that their sales are soaring due to the pandemic and their stock is rising. Rates, however, are unlikely to return to pre-crisis levels, according to various reports.

Fortunately, there are many other 3rd party affiliate programs available, and many of them will be far more profitable. For example, certain brands, such as Newegg and Advance Auto Parts, have greater resonance in many niches than Amazon. Furthermore, these Amazon affiliate program alternatives typically offer much higher commissions.

So, while Amazon’s changes may be detrimental, avoiding them is relatively simple. Furthermore, other businesses will be eager to capitalize on the recent changes. You might make more money after making the switch.