Building an online business and earning passive income through affiliate marketing has become quite popular in recent years. As an affiliate, you get to partner with brands and promote their products/services on your website or social media in exchange for a commission on every sale or lead you generate.
While there are affiliate programs in almost every niche, ecommerce remains one of the most lucrative and evergreen ones to get into. After all, who doesn’t love earning commissions simply for recommending online stores and shopping platforms!
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore some of the best ecommerce affiliate programs that you can join to start monetizing your online presence and boost your income.
Why Promote Ecommerce Affiliate Programs?
Here are some key reasons why ecommerce affiliate marketing should be on your radar:
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High Commission Rates: Most ecommerce affiliate programs offer generous commission rates, usually ranging from 20-40% per sale. Some even go up to 200% for recurring payments.
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Popular Products: You get to promote platforms and tools that almost every online business needs these days to sell their products/services. The high demand results in higher conversion rates.
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Reputable Brands: Big brands like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce etc. have affiliate programs. It builds trust with your audience when you recommend reputed names.
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Recurring income: When a referred user becomes a paying customer, you earn commissions for as long as they stay subscribed. This results in monthly passive income.
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Straightforward Tracking: Sales and leads are relatively easy to track in ecommerce affiliate programs through cookies, affiliate links and online analytics.
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No Inventory: You simply refer people to the brand and earn commissions without having to buy or store any inventory.
Clearly, joining ecommerce affiliate programs provides multiple income stream opportunities, even if you’re a complete beginner to affiliate marketing.
Now let’s look at some of the best ones to promote in 2022:
Top Ecommerce Affiliate Programs
1. Sellfy
For bloggers, content creators and savvy online marketers looking to earn commissions passively, Sellfy is a great platform to partner with.
It’s an easy-to-use ecommerce solution that lets you create a website and start selling digital products or merchandise seamlessly. Users can quickly build their online store, add products, customize it, and market to their audience.
As an affiliate, all you need to do is share your unique referral link and direct potential users to sign up for Sellfy through it. You can embed your affiliate link on your blog, email newsletters, YouTube videos, social media channels etc. to drive traffic.
When someone signs up for a paid Sellfy subscription through your link, you can earn a commission between 25-45% on their monthly subscription fee. They also offer bonuses and incentives if you drive a certain number of successful referrals in a month.
The great part about Sellfy is that it’s a platform built for digital creators, bloggers and entrepreneurs. So your audience is more likely to convert as they need such tools to sell ebooks, courses, prints and merchandise.
It’s easy to track your referrals and payments through their intuitive affiliate dashboard. You can also contact their affiliate support team anytime for guidance.
2. PinnacleCart
PinnacleCart is a popular self-hosted ecommerce solution used by over 10,000 online stores. It comes packed with features to help users create a high-converting online storefront quickly.
As an affiliate, you can earn $2,000 in commissions simply by promoting PinnacleCart to your audience and referring users to sign up for a paid subscription.
You also earn a $15 bonus for every free trial sign up you generate. So even if someone starts with the free plan initially, you make some bonus income while having the chance to convert them into a paying customer later.
PinnacleCart is an ideal affiliate program to promote because it provides a complete ecommerce solution for small businesses ready to create their first online store. The easy-to-use interface, multitude of templates, built-in marketing features and secure payment options make it a great choice for beginners.
As an affiliate partner, you get access to their affiliate resource center with banners, text links and other promotional assets. Detailed analytics help you track conversions in real-time so you can optimize your affiliate link placement for better results.
3. Shift4Shop
Formerly known as 3D Cart, Shift4Shop is a hosted ecommerce platform with powerful features to help users create high-converting online stores quickly.
It comes with ready-made templates that are mobile optimized. Users also get access to the HTML/CSS code to customize the design and branding.
Key features include:
- Drag and drop page builder
- SEO-friendly templates
- Integrated payment processing
- Real-time shipping calculators
- Inventory and order management
- Detailed analytics and reporting
As an affiliate partner, you can earn $100 for every new subscriber you refer, which is a great commission rate for a hosted platform. They also offer attractive bonuses when you hit certain conversion milestones.
You get marketing collateral like banner ads, text links, promo codes and more to help drive conversions. Their system tracks and attributes each referral to your account accurately.
Overall, Shift4Shop is a powerful ecommerce solution suitable for all business types and affiliate marketers get ample support in promoting it.
4. Squarespace
If you have a design-focused audience interested in creating sleek online stores, Squarespace is a great ecommerce platform to endorse.
It’s an all-in-one solution that makes it easy for users to build a professional looking online store with minimal effort. Squarespace offers elegant themes/templates created by world-class designers that stand out from the crowd.
Some key features include:
- Top-notch website design
- Easy customization
- Built-in SEO
- Inventory management
- Secure payments
- Appointment scheduling
- Shipping and taxes
- Analytics and reporting
As an affiliate, you earn a $200 commission for each user that signs up for a paid Squarespace subscription via your referral link. It has a cookie duration of 45 days.
One of the best things about Squarespace is the simplicity. Users don’t need any technical expertise to create a beautiful online store with their designer templates.
So it’s a great platform to endorse to creative entrepreneurs, designers, artists, bloggers etc. who want to start selling online in a stylish manner.
5. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is one of the top self-hosted ecommerce platforms used by over 60,000 online stores.
It packs a rich set of features to help users set up an online store and start selling quickly. Some key aspects include:
- Multi-channel sales support
- Powerful store management
- Built-in marketing tools
- SEO optimization
- Responsive themes
- Secure payment processing
- Detailed reports
As a BigCommerce affiliate partner, you can earn lucrative commissions:
- 200% commission on the referred user’s first month subscription fee
- $1,500 for each enterprise plan conversion
Their high commission rate makes it extremely rewarding to promote BigCommerce. And the fact that it caters to both small and large enterprises means you have a big target audience to direct to the platform.
You also get an intuitive affiliate dashboard to track your referrals and analyze your promotion strategy. Their affiliate team provides dedicated support.
Overall, BigCommerce is a top-rated ecommerce platform suitable for all business sizes. Promoting it as an affiliate can become a significant source of recurring passive income.
6. Shopify
Arguably the most popular hosted ecommerce platform today, Shopify needs no introduction. It powers over 1 million online stores with a rich set of features.
Shopify makes it easy for anyone to set up an online store and start selling quickly. Users can choose from a wide range of templates, customize it, add products, and start collecting payments instantly.
From small individual sellers to large enterprises, Shopify caters to businesses across niches and sizes.
As an affiliate, you earn a flat $58 commission when you refer a user who signs up for a paid Shopify plan. Their cookies last for 30 days.
The best part is that Shopify handles the entire customer acquisition process themselves. As an affiliate, your core focus remains driving relevant traffic to your referral links.
You can embed Shopify affiliate links across your website, content, email newsletters etc. Their dashboard gives you insights into your conversions and payouts.
Shopify is undoubtedly the #1 ecommerce platform today in terms of popularity and market share. Promoting it as an affiliate is guaranteed to boost your earnings each month.
7. Wix
Wix is a leading website builder used by more than 200 million people worldwide to create websites across niches.
A significant percentage of users leverage Wix to build online stores and start selling products or services online.
It offers hundreds of customizable templates tailored for ecommerce businesses. Users also get access to the HTML/CSS code for deeper customization.
Some key ecommerce features include:
- Drag and drop store builder
- Multiple payment options
- Shipping calculators
- Inventory management
- Coupons and discounts
- SEO optimization for products
- Built-in marketing tools
As a Wix affiliate partner, you earn $100 for each user that purchases a premium ecommerce plan subscription via your link.
You get access to their affiliate platform containing banners, text links and other promo tools to drive conversions. Wix provides reliable tracking and payments as long as their cookies are intact.
Overall, Wix is a great website builder to recommend to your audience, especially those looking to build online stores. The pre-designed templates make it easy for even non-technical users to launch their ecommerce business.
8. Weebly
Weebly is another popular website builder platform with an intuitive drag and drop interface. It allows users to easily create blogs, websites and online stores without coding.
For ecommerce, Weebly offers powerful features like:
- 100+ templates optimized for stores
- Built-in SEO
- Shipping calculators
- Tax calculations
- Inventory management
- Coupon codes
- Secure payment processing
- Abandoned cart recovery
Everything is optimized for mobile as well. Users can easily manage and view analytics for their online stores on the go.
As a Weebly affiliate, you earn commissions when a referred user signs up for a paid subscription plan. Their cookies last for 120 days which gives you plenty of time to convert traffic.
You get access to banners, text links and reporting tools to promote Weebly. Their intuitive affiliate platform makes it easy to track your earnings in real-time.
For bloggers with audiences interested in launching online stores, Weebly is a great platform to endorse as an affiliate.
How to Get Started as an Ecommerce Affiliate
Here are a few tips when getting started with ecommerce affiliate marketing:
Pick platforms your audience needs. Do research to find ecommerce solutions suitable for your audience. That way conversions become easier.
Get approved for programs. Submit applications to join affiliate programs you want to promote. Most will approve quickly.
Grab creatives. Once approved, get banners, text links and other promo materials for the platforms you picked.
Add affiliate links. Start placing your ecommerce affiliate links in strategic places – website pages, content, email newsletters etc.
Promote patiently. It takes patience and persistence to drive steady conversions as an affiliate. Stay consistent with promotion.
Track performance. Use affiliate dashboards and analytics to track conversions and optimize your strategy.
Give honest reviews. Write honest reviews of products/services you endorse so you build audience trust.
The key is to stay consistent with affiliate promotion month-after-month. Over time, it can become a steady source of sizeable passive income.
Final Thoughts
Promoting ecommerce affiliate programs is a great way for bloggers and influencers to monetize their online audience. You get to recommend helpful solutions relevant to your followers while earning commissions passively.
Platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix etc. offer generous recurring payouts, making affiliate marketing extremely lucrative.
We hope this post gave you some ideas on top ecommerce affiliate programs that provide immense value to your audience and help grow your income.
Start by picking 1-2 platforms to focus on based on your niche. Then create content that educates your audience on the benefits of these solutions. Slowly build trust and drive conversions to maximize your affiliate commissions.
