Tip of the Day: Set up sku-based incentives for your affiliates

What any retailer never wants to see if excess stock because it not only takes up space, but these items tie up capital that could be invested elsewhere. This is why inventory numbers are regularly checked and if ever there is a product surplus, steps are immediately taken to remarket and remerchandise. Another strategy that a brand can consider is taking advantage of their affiliate channel to promote the product and to help level out the inventory. 

Through their ShareASale merchant account, a brand can set up advanced tracking for individual product skus. This give insight into any transactions within the affiliate channel that include a specific  product(s), as well as which affiliates are driving those sales. Once this advanced tracking is set up, merchants can incentivize their affiliate partners by offering bonuses or increased commission for driving sales to specific products. Or, another strategy would be to bundle the surplus products with other, top-selling items, helping your affiliates even further to drive sales to your brand and ensuring that you can clear out your surplus.

While often overlooked, the affiliate channel can drastically relieve common retailer headaches. By implementing our advanced tracking options, the affiliate channel can play an important role in many marketing strategies, especially to clear out inventory.