How To Obtain Dynamic Content from Affiliate Programs

Can u make your site look like a million bucks by using affiliate programs

[Orion]

Hi,

I am trying to build an extensive shopping site that could have tens of thousands of pages to promote the products of other merchants, and I would like to find a short-cut in obtaining dynamic content that I can format as I please.

Typically, I would want to obtain a XML feed direct (or even Excel spreadsheet) from the merchant with product information, pricing information, category, etc. But it is very difficult to get the feed, since the marketing person has to speak with a technical person in house. I don't want to crawl the merchant sites, because it will be less reliable and break down every time the merchant site changes.

I've looked at the dynamic content offered by CJ and Linkshare, and usually it is either:

a) Inflexible (like a storefront). Who wants to look like every other affiliate site :-)

b) Insufficient information. i.e. It shows a picture, but no merchandising description, or price.

I admit that I have only vaguely looked at Amazon's SOAP box, but I don't want to just be an Amazon mirror site.

Ideally if all large affilates could get this kind of information, the quality of sites would improve, and drive more traffic to those merchants who participate.

Has anybody had luck in this area, or have advice?

Thanks

[tigger]

I've dropped quite a few emails to large stores with no response at all, I get the impression they are only interested in dealing with the likes of CJ or TD

[Grumpus]

I haven't found much luck finding other places than Amazon that provide a decent feed, XML or otherwise (such as Amazon's "Recommends" link boxes). I'd be interested in hearing if anyone knows of other places as well. The best I've been able to come up with are search boxes which work better than plain old banners, but don't really do what you need them to do.

The Amazon Feed is really really cool, though. I strongly recommend looking into it more - tie it in with your own information and articles and you've got something really nifty. It'd be nice to get other places with XML feeds, though for price comparisons, availability differences, and all of that sort of stuff.

G.

[Grumpus]

get the impression they are only interested in dealing with the likes of CJ or TD

For the most part, that's what I think you're going to find. CJ and the likes handle all of the BS work involved in running an affiliate program. 90% of affiliates out there provide only a cheap means of traffic and no real sales volume, so for most companies, it's hardly worth the effort to provide a feature rich theme. Amazon does it because associates are THE key factor in their marketing campaign and their business model is designed so that they spend a healthy chunk of their overall ad budget on the development and improvements for their associate program. A brick and mortar company using associates to "suppliment" hardly have the resources to dedicate to it.

G.

[Orion]

Thanks for the feedback. My partner spoke to our contact at BeFree, and they are going to give us some information on the feeds they provide. I'll let you know if this is anything more than what already exists at CJ or Linkshare.