E-commerce — is the sale of goods online. A user chooses a product on a website or in an app, places an order, and receives it by delivery.
In traffic arbitrage, e-commerce is one of the basic and easy-to-understand verticals. A webmaster attracts buyers to a product page (a landing page or online store) and receives a payout for a placed order or completed purchase.
What products are most often promoted
Product offers sell a wide variety of physical goods: electronics and small gadgets, clothing and footwear, home and garden products, car accessories, cosmetics, children's products, and gifts.
How order payment works
Depending on the offer and the affiliate program terms, the buyer can pay for the order in two ways:
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Prepayment (SS): the user pays for the purchase immediately by bank card directly on the website when placing the order.
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Cash on Delivery (COD): the buyer submits an order on the website, confirms it with an operator by phone, and pays only when collecting the parcel at the post office or from the courier.
How webmasters get paid
Two models are most commonly used in e-commerce affiliate programs:
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CPA (Cost Per Action) — a fixed payout for a target action, such as a confirmed order or completed purchase.
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CPS (Cost Per Sale) — a percentage of the completed sale amount.
What is important in e-commerce
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Demand and trends: popular «hyped» products can quickly surge in sales, but audience interest can disappear just as quickly.
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Seasonality: sales volumes strongly depend on the time of year, major sales, and holidays.
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Logistics: the longer the delivery takes and the harder it is to collect the order, the higher the risk that the buyer will change their mind about taking the product.
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Order completion: when working with Cash on Delivery, it is important not only to collect orders but also to bring the customer to the actual payment for the product.
Important: Usually, the webmaster receives a payout immediately after the order is confirmed by the call center. However, the advertiser always tracks how many people actually collect and pay for their parcels. If the purchase completion rate drops, the traffic is considered low-quality: the advertiser may freeze payouts, reintroduce a hold, or remove the webmaster from the offer.
