Planet13 - 8:08 pm on Jul 22, 2011 (gmt 0)

Hi there, Everyone:

We need to increase sales on our ecommerce site, and I am looking at some affiliate programs.

Our ecommerce software does allow us to set up an in-house affiliate program. The only problem is, hardly anyone signs up to be an affiliate for us. And those that do don't seem to send us any buyers.

so the questions are:

Should I go with one or more of the affiliate network sites to try and find affiliates (and scrap our in-house affiliate program)? and which networks are best for small, niche oriented businesses?

Or should I try and promote our in-house program, which would be major time consuming, but would keep costs down?

What factors should influence our decision? We are small and niche focused and don't have that many man hours to spare (and no name brand recognition, either).

Thanks in advance.