What is an Affiliate eCommerce Store?

What is an Affiliate eCommerce Store?

An affiliate online store is a store that doesn't sell/displays its products. Instead, it redirects to other retail stores through affiliate links, it sell other company products.

Let's break it down for easy understanding. You can make an affiliate store which will display the products and items of a certain retailer. So, when a visitor clicks on any product at your store, they'll be redirected to the original store where they can add the item to a shopping cart and complete the checkout process.

You'll get your commission for the sales you made. All the information about the traffic you redirect is handled through an affiliate link, which will carry your unique information. So, in short, you don't have to do much of an effort or invest a lot of money to start selling online. All you have to do is open an affiliate store which and invest a decent amount of time optimizing it to see results.

Creating own Affiliate eCommerce Store

Creating an affiliate marketing business online can be accomplished in a few easy steps:
Buy a domain name and register it.

Pick a basic hosting package.

You can get your website made from a small web development company or even a freelancer for very affordable rates. If not, then use free platforms like WordPress.

Join the affiliate programs that are suitable for you.

Start adding products and running your business.

How Affiliate eCommerce Store works?

How the site makes money

Every item sold on the site has a mark-up of 50% added to the price. When you sell an item, the customer pays you and you then order it from the drop-shipping company with a couple of clicks, and keep the profit. You’ll have to put an effort yourself to keep the affiliate links updated along with the product description and images. No matter how many latest tools you use, a certain amount of time and effort will be required to make your store a success.

The Affiliate products 

The products have been hand-picked are sourced may from Amazon, eBay, Ali Express, Alibaba, Flip-kart, etc with the suppliers being based mainly in the United States or China. You can add more products and easily edit the products currently listed. 

Business expenses 

For WordPress it 'll cost on the purchasing plugin, you can also add the products manually Free of cost. While for Shopify store; the basic Shopify Plan costs $29/month. This includes hosting, a Free SSL certificate for optimum website security, and access to a wide range of apps and tools that will help you take your business to the next level. 

The domain will need to be renewed with the registrar before the 12 month registration period expires. You can usually renew for less than $20 for 12 months and should be able to find a good deal if you renew for a longer period.  

Running the store 

Because you don't have to package the goods and arrange the shipping, and thanks to Shopify's efficient order tracking system, orders take very little time to fulfill and can be done in a matter of minutes. This allows you more time to focus on promoting your store and building the business.

Building the business

As an example, you could add a wider range of products, make use of social media including Facebook and Google, run targeted ads to generate more traffic, and add content to your site to improve it's chances of being found in search engine results. Additionally, you can build a list of email subscribers and send them exclusive promotions to boost your customer loyalty.

WHY use Woo-commerce store instead of Shopify store?

Woo-commerce doesn't have any monthly subscription fees as Shopify has and as a newbie, if you keep your initial expenses lower then it can really help you grow by focusing on the important things  and investing in the right stuff.

As an open-source platform, the code is available. This means the customization possibilities with a platform like Woo-commerce are inexhaustible. You can create a store with a real personality. Mobile Responsive themes are there that will look at your stores amazing on mobile phones.

The ability to dig deep and edit your store’s metadata means Woo-commerce gives you everything you need to harness the power of Search Engine Optimization and dominate those Google rankings.

On Shopify to make serious changes, you will need to learn the company’s own coding language, Liquid. This requires at least  some technical skill on your part. Shopify has set pricing, whereas Woo-commerce is more flexible. Shopify’s prices range from $29 to $299 per month.

Advantages of Affiliate eCommerce Stores

Zero liability when it comes to actual sales and order fulfillment. You’re only responsible for redirecting or encouraging conversions, at most. The actual process of sales, including shopping cart checkout and shipping, are handled by the retailer. Not to mention that you won't have to deal with customer service and returns.
You can have a wide variety of products from renowned brands in your store simultaneously. This will not only increase your commission, but will also increase your visitor conversion ratio.

Affiliate programs can help you grow your product range without much investment. If you’re an online retailer, then you can add products of affiliates to increase the variety you offer.

It’s a more affordable approach to start your own online business.

Disadvantages of Affiliate eCommerce Stores

Although it offers easy money, the margin is pretty small. If you have a target in mind, then you might have to send a large number of customers to achieve that number.

There’s no reliability in your business model, as you’re dependent on retailers who offer affiliate programs. If they decide to cut you off or pack their business up completely, then you’re business is left with nothing.

Your user experience may be muddled or disorganized, especially if you’re listing products from several retailers, which you will be for the sustainability of your business. Redirecting users to a different store for different products can jumble up your store’s own data and design considerably.