Some publishers already reeling from lost revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are about to take another hit. Amazon says it will soon drastically reduce the commission rates of its affiliate marketing program—the cut of sales it rewards to participating websites that drive customers to purchase one of its products using a unique URL—across several categories. Updates to the Amazon Associates operating agreement reveal that, beginning Tuesday, April 21st, several product categories that previously were on the more lucrative end of the program for affiliates will see commission rates cut by as much as 60%. Commission rates on products in the furniture, home, or lawn and garden categories, for example, will be cut from 8% down to just 3%. Lower commission categories such as various electronics, as well as other specific categories like kitchen and jewelry, will apparently remain unchanged. We've put together a summary of the changes below, using rates pulled from the operating agreement as well as the update. CNBC.com—which got a hold of an announcement emailed to Amazon Associates members that makes no mention of any particular reason behind the rate reductions—reports that an Amazon rep declined to comment on whether the changes were related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A screenshotted email shared on an online forum for members of Amazon's affiliate program, purportedly sent from an Amazon rep, said the rate changes are "not related to current events." While it's... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'
[ Folio Magazine | 2020-04-15 01:15:20 UTC ]