Comments on: Choosing Pennies Over Customers and Affiliates http://affiliateadvocacy.com/2009/choosing-pennies-over-customers-and-affiliates/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:40:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Gail from GrowMap http://affiliateadvocacy.com/2009/choosing-pennies-over-customers-and-affiliates/comment-page-1/#comment-689 Gail from GrowMap Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:04:05 +0000 http://affiliateadvocacy.com/?p=494#comment-689 Whether a merchant has an affiliate program or not it is unwise to put AdSense or any other kind of ads for competing businesses in their store. We are likely to see this become more common as the economy continues to cut more deeply into ecommerce revenue. I strongly recommend against a merchant EVER doing this and regularly encourage those that do to immediately remove those ads. The pennies you make from AdSense will cost you dollars in lost sales and as Melanie explains it makes you look desperate. Even if that does not register consciously with your buyers it will reduce their trust in your business when it comes to time to buy. Encouraging shoppers to support small businesses is challenging enough without them worrying that you might go out of business because of the economy. Putting ads on your page could be the subtle cue that makes someone decide not to buy because they feel those ads are an indication your store isn't financially stable enough to rely solely on your own sales. Whether a merchant has an affiliate program or not it is unwise to put AdSense or any other kind of ads for competing businesses in their store. We are likely to see this become more common as the economy continues to cut more deeply into ecommerce revenue.

I strongly recommend against a merchant EVER doing this and regularly encourage those that do to immediately remove those ads. The pennies you make from AdSense will cost you dollars in lost sales and as Melanie explains it makes you look desperate.

Even if that does not register consciously with your buyers it will reduce their trust in your business when it comes to time to buy. Encouraging shoppers to support small businesses is challenging enough without them worrying that you might go out of business because of the economy.

Putting ads on your page could be the subtle cue that makes someone decide not to buy because they feel those ads are an indication your store isn’t financially stable enough to rely solely on your own sales.

]]> By: Laurel http://affiliateadvocacy.com/2009/choosing-pennies-over-customers-and-affiliates/comment-page-1/#comment-154 Laurel Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:53:00 +0000 http://affiliateadvocacy.com/?p=494#comment-154 As a merchant I understand the need to have a final way of generatting additional revenue. You spoke to me just after Affiliate Summit East on this very same issue. We removed the adsense ads for the affiliate traffic as you suggested. Our affiliate channel now converts better. At our last company meeting we discussed removing the ads on non affiliate traffic too. After the first of the year we will take those steps and monitor conversions. If conversion increase on these other channels we will take permanent steps. Your analogy of the restaurant menu is spot on. Thank you for bringing this out. Hope to see you in Vegas in January ! As a merchant I understand the need to have a final way of generatting additional revenue. You spoke to me just after Affiliate Summit East on this very same issue. We removed the adsense ads for the affiliate traffic as you suggested. Our affiliate channel now converts better. At our last company meeting we discussed removing the ads on non affiliate traffic too. After the first of the year we will take those steps and monitor conversions. If conversion increase on these other channels we will take permanent steps.

Your analogy of the restaurant menu is spot on. Thank you for bringing this out.
Hope to see you in Vegas in January !

]]> By: Ben http://affiliateadvocacy.com/2009/choosing-pennies-over-customers-and-affiliates/comment-page-1/#comment-153 Ben Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:32:01 +0000 http://affiliateadvocacy.com/?p=494#comment-153 What is the sense in putting ads on your site if your a merchant? I'd rather pull the merchant off my site and put up adsense thaen have a merchant who does something like that. In Business 101 I learned value your customer not give them away! What is the sense in putting ads on your site if your a merchant? I’d rather pull the merchant off my site and put up adsense thaen have a merchant who does something like that. In Business 101 I learned value your customer not give them away!

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