How do I get started?
First, sign up. Next, log in and submit your referring URL(s) for approval.
Once you receive your approval, log in to your account and get banners and
links. If you need help testing your banners and links, or if you want to use
some of our advanced affiliate tools, simply contact us.
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How are my sales tracked?
In MerchantZoo, sales are tracked by the referring URL. If a person finds your
website, clicks the banner or link on your site that leads to one of our
Merchant websites, and follows through to complete the sale, then MerchantZoo
credits you with that sale once the sale is approved (filled) by the Merchant.
You can verify that you received a sale in your Affiliate stats when you log
into your MerchantZoo Affiliate Account (the logins box is at the top, left of
the page). Sales statistics update once the sale has been approved by the
Merchant.
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What is a referring URL?
The referring URL is the web page from which a visitor came. For example, if
you are on http://www.yoursite.com/index.htm and you click on a banner link
that takes you to http://www.merchantsalesite.com/cart, then
http://www.yoursite.com/index.htm is the referring URL.
The referring URL(s) that you list in your affiliate account are flagged by the
MerchantZoo system to track the clicks that are referred from your site to the
merchants' sites. This is why it is important to list your referring URLs.
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Do I need a website to be an
affiliate?
Yes. Since MerchantZoo tracks the referring website and credits the referring
website with leads, sales, etc. then you need to have a website. Websites can
be as simple as having a single page with banners or links to the appropriate
merchant site. Ideally, if you have a website that already has traffic and you
are looking for a great way to monetize your site, simply
sign up for MerchantZoo as an affiliate and place a banner or link on
your site. MerchantZoo has an ever growing list of great products and offers
from various merchants, so why not put that offer in front of your current
website visitors and make some money off your traffic?
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How do I test that my
links are working correctly?
Once you have a link set up on your site, simply click on the link(s) from your
site to one of the merchant websites. After that, log into your MerchantZoo
affiliate account, click on the "View Referral Report" link on the left-hand
side, and verify the clicks have been counted.
*Note: Clicks may not be tracked and recorded immediately. It can take several
minutes before the new clicks update in your affiliate account.
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How do I
test to see if my order tracking is working correctly?
You can place an actual order by following the affiliate link from your site to
the merchant website. Place your order, then, once the merchant has filled your
order, you can log into your affiliate account to see credit for that sale.
For faster testing, we highly recommend contacting our
Affiliate management team to help you place a test order and see your
sale credited in your affiliate account. This is a free service and you don't
have to place an actual order yourself!
*Note: Most merchants fill their orders within 24 hours of the sale
transaction. Once they mark the order as "filled", MerchantZoo credits you with
your sales commission.
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How often do the referral stats
update?
Referral statistics are updated once every 24 hours. If you have a discrepency
or want to know more about the statistics, please contact us.
If you believe you are missing statistics from your account, please
contact us as soon as possible to get the problem resolved.
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My links/banners are
set up and I ran a test order. Why am I not getting credit for that order?
Sales have to be filled by the merchant, which is generally done within 24
hours of the order being placed. Once the merchant fills the order and ships
it, they mark that order as "filled" at which point MerchantZoo credits you
with your sales commission.
If you are testing on your own, you might have to wait to get confirmation of
that test order. For faster testing and confirmation, contact
our affiliate management team to help you place the test order. Our
affiliate mangers can approve the test orders immediately for testing purposes.
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What is the second-tier
affiliate commission?
The second-tier affiliate commission is another easy way for you to earn more
money on your website. Simply place a link on your website to the
affiliate signup page on MerchantZoo. Then, encourage your friends,
website visitors, and other webmasters to sign up through your site for the
MerchantZoo system. When someone signs up through your link, they automatically
become a second-tier affiliate of you. That means you earn the second-tier
affiliate commission on any sales they refer.
For example, if you are promoting Product XYZ which offers a 35% first-tier
commission and a 5% second-tier commission, you earn the extra 5% whenever one
of your second-tier affiliates refers a sale. The two-tier system is an easy
and effective way to get the most money from your site.
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How do I receive second-tier
commissions?
First, you need to have a link on your site to the affiliate
signup page on MerchantZoo. Next, you need others to follow that link,
sign up in MerchantZoo, and start promoting. If one of your second-tier
affiliates refers a sale, once the sale is filled, that affiliate earns the
first-tier commission for the particular product and you earn the second-tier
commission at the same time. You can see your second-tier affiliate commissions
by logging into your MerchantZoo affiliate account.
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How can I sign up other affiliates?
Everyone benefits when you sign up other affiliates through you as second-tier
affiliates. The process is simple for you.
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First, go to the affiliate signup page
on MerchantZoo.
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Next, copy the URL and add it as a link to your page (you can call it
"ProductName Affiliate Program", "Join our affiliate program", or anything you
want).
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Finally, get others to follow the signup link from your site.
If someone follows that link and signs up, they are automatically credited to
you as a second-tier affiliate which means you earn the additional second-tier
commission on any sales that second-tier affiliate refers.
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How often do I get paid?
MerchantZoo pays affiliates on a monthly basis, usually on or before the 15th
of each month. Unlike most affiliate programs, MerchantZoo pays out monthly
regardless of the amount. There is no minimum amount you have to earn before
you get a check (or Pay Pal deposit).
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What payment methods are available?
MerchantZoo currently offers two payment methods: payment by check or payment
via Pay Pal. If you choose to be paid through Pay Pal, you must have a valid
Pay Pal account already established.
Need a Pay Pal account?
Click here to set one up.
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How do I set up my text and
banner links?
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Delete your cookies.
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Go to the page on your site which contains the link to the merhcant website.
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Click on the link.
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Click thru to the cart on the merchant website site.
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Refresh your stats page (you may need to log back in).
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Do I receive recurring revenue?
Yes. One of the great features about the MerchantZoo system is that you get
credit on recurring orders*. This can be a very lucrative piece of your
affiliate earnings, particularly for consumable products that need to be
replenished on a regular basis.
Remember, we are affiliate marketers and we developed the system to appeal to
other affiliate marketers. This is one of the things we have always liked, and
we figured you would, too!
*You receive credit on orders as long as the user does not erase the cookies on
his or her computer, which contain your referring URL.
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Will you create
customized banners for my website?
We will create customized banners for your site. All you have to do is
ask. If you don't see the size banner you need, or if you want one
specific message that isn't available already, or if you just have a better
idea for a banner that would work well on your site, just let
us know. We are happy to help any affiliate who is driven to promote
sales and make money.
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What is shopping cart masking?
"Masking" a shopping cart means taking the skin (or graphics) from your site
and placing them around the actual shopping cart of one of our merchants so it
looks like your site. Cart masking makes your visitors feel like they are
purchasing from you rather than navigating your site, then clicking the link
and having to navigate another site before they make their purchase.
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Cart masking helps streamline and speed up the buying process for customers.
People can get quickly discouraged during the buying process, so this helps
eliminate steps in the process. We wouldn't want to make it difficult for
people to give us money now would we?
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How can I mask a shopping cart?
Masking a shopping cart requires the assistance of one of our affiliate
managers. If you are interested in masking a cart, contact
us and we will be glad to help set that up for your website.
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Can I mask a leads form
with my website's skin?
Yes. MerchantZoo allows you to mask certain leads forms for our merchants.
Masking the form simply means placing the skin of your site around the actual
form to make it look like it is part of your site. Just contact
us and we will be glad to help set that up for your website.
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Can
you provide custom landing pages for my pay-per-click or other ad campaigns?
Yes, we can provide you with a custom landing page for your pay-per-click
campaign. Just contact us and let us know what you
need so we can tailor the page to your particular needs. Again, we are happy to
work with affiliates in any way we can.
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Do you provide templates for
your programs?
We do provide templates for different programs. We will soon be posting
templates for the various programs in MerchantZoo. In the meantime, please
if you would like to get a template to use.
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What commission will I receive
for sales?
Many MerchantZoo programs offer 35% or more for first-tier commissions. You can
earn even more by signing others up as your second-tier affiliates. Commissions
and other payout amounts vary from product to product. Learn
more about our programs or log into your affiliate account to see what
each program offers, as well as the average sale for each product, and much
more.
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Do
I need to sign up separately for each MerchantZoo program I want to promote?
No. Once you sign up as an affiliate, you
are able to promote anything MerchantZoo has to offer now and in the future. We
prefer that you spend your time promoting, not doing administrative stuff, so
once is good. You can always add additional referring URLs to your account if
you have multiple sites and you want to promote different products.
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I am from a foreign country. Can I still be a
MerchantZoo affiliate?
Yes.
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Can I take my own orders?
MerchantZoo is currently developing an automated system that gives affiliates
the ability to take their own orders and submit them to our merchants for
fulfillment. It is possible for affiliates to collect their own orders from
their own carts, then place the orders with one of our merchants to fill (you
can simply click from your site and place the order). You will get the same
commission credit.
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Can I submit orders I take to
MerchantZoo?
Our affiliate managers can work with you to facilitate this process.
Contact us to discuss it further.
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Can I purchase MerchantZoo products?
Yes. We can arrange for you to purchase products from MerchantZoo merchants for
the purpose of filling your own orders. The discount rate is equal to the
commission offered for each product (which is just subtracted from the total).
Essentially, you purchase the product for regular price minus the commission.
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How long does it
take for my referring URL to be approved?
We purposely implement the human element in the URL approval stage. The
approval process can take up to 24 hours (although it is usually much faster).
The reason we have our affiliate managers approve URLs is to protect us, the
merchants, and you, the affiliates, from potentially fraudulent activity.
Approval also lets us take a look at your site(s) and start to get to know you.
Our affiliate managers will usually send you a personal welcome with directions
on how to proceed, as well as their contact info so that you have a personal
contact for all your affiliate needs.
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Why aren't my
referring URLs automatically approved?
We have our team of affiliate managers approve every referring URL to protect
against fraud. The URL approval process usually happens pretty fast, normally
within 24 hours.
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How
do I check pending sales that happen on weekends, after hours, or during public
holidays?
MerchantZoo no longer displays "pending" orders, or those orders that have been
placed but not yet approved/filled by the merchant. The system displays all
orders as soon as they are placed. You will receive an email order notification
immediately after an order is placed. Your order stats will automatically
reflect the sale, however, the orders are subject to merchants’ disapproval.
The merchant has the ability to disapprove any sale (for example, the order
could be fraudulent, declined credit card, or other reasons). Even if a
merchant disapproves a sale, MerchantZoo administrators make the final decision
on crediting the commission to the affiliate(s). If we agree with the merchant
and the order is indeed fraudulent, then you will not receive credit for the
order. If we disagree with the merchant, the credit will be given. The
merchant, affiliate, and MerchantZoo will not receive any money for the order
if the order ultimately results in a disapproval. Ulitmately, affiliates get
credit for all orders until the merchant and MerchantZoo agree that the order
is fraudulent. This system of checks and balances is in place to ensure proper
credit is given at all times.
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How does MerchantZoo help me?
If you have a product or other service to promote online, then MerchantZoo
gives you a pay-for-performance option to market your business. You pay when
the affiliates deliver results. There is not a more cost effective way to
market your business.
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Can I see how the
MerchantZoo reporting works?
MerchantZoo gives you 24/7 web access to your reporting. You can select any
date range to view your reports. This enables you to see historical data,
identify trends, and see which product is selling best. Below are the types of
reports you can view when you log into your MerchantZoo account:
View Sales Report
This page gives you an overview of sales, referral, and leads data sortable by
date range. It also includes the detailed data for your sales-based program.
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Commission Payout Report
This is an overview of the commissions/fees you owe to first-tier affiliates,
second-tier affilites, and MerchantZoo for sales, referrals, and/or leads
programs. The stats show for the type(s) of program(s) you have active (you may
not have all three types of programs active). Please note that the bottom row
is the total amounts for each column.
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Affiliate ID
This is the first-tier affiliate (listed by MerchantZoo affiliate number)
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2nd Tier
This is the second-tier affiliate (listed by MerchantZoo affiliate number)
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Sales Tier 1
This is the commission amount you owe (in USD) based on the sales from each
first-tier affiliate in the date range you selected.
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Sales Tier 2
This is the commission amount you owe (in USD) based on the sales from each
second-tier affiliate in the date range you selected.
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Sales MZ
This is the fee you own MerchantZoo for each transaction (in USD) based on the
sale for the date range you selected.
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Referral Tier 1
This is the amount you owe the first-tier affiliate for referrals in the date
range you selected.
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Referral Tier 2
This is the amount you owe the second-tier affiliate for referrals in the date
range you selected.
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Referral MZ
This is the fee you own MerchantZoo for each referral for the date range you
selected.
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Lead Tier 1
This is the amount you owe the first-tier affiliate for leads in the date range
you selected.
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Lead Tier 2
This is the amount you owe the second-tier affiliate for leads in the date
range you selected.
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Lead MZ
This is the fee you owe MerchantZoo for each lead for the date range you
selected.
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Affiliate Sales Breakdown
Broken down by affiliate, this report shows the affiliate's average sale
amount, thier total sales, as well as the commissions you owe.
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Affiliate ID
This is the first-tier affiliate (listed by MerchantZoo affiliate number)
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2nd Tier
This is the second-tier affiliate (listed by MerchantZoo affiliate number)
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Subtotal
This is the total amount sold (in USD) by each affiliate, minus discounts,
taxes, or shipping costs.
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Discount
The total amount of applied discounts (if applicable) from coupons or other
special offers.
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Tax
The total amount of taxes (if applicable).
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Shipping
The total amount of shipping costs (if applicable).
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Total Sales
Total sales amount includes all discounts, taxes, and shipping amounts.
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Average Sale
Average sales are calculated (for each affiliate) by dividing the Total Sales
amount by the number of sale transactions for each affiliate.
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Inventory Report
Each of your products shows along with the product code and the total quantity
of each product sold over the selected date range.
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Order Report
This report is broken down by order and transaction to show what people are
buying, what they are paying, and what you are paying for commissions for each
sale.
View Referral Report
This report shows the activity of your referral-based program.
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Commission Totals (First and Second Tier)
This shows the first and second-tier affiliates, the banners they are using,
the number of clicks from that banner, as well as the commissions owed.
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First Tier Banner Statistics
Expanded first-tier affiliate banner stats let you see which banners are
working the best.
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First Tier Text Link Statistics
Expanded first-tier affiliate link stats let you see which text links are
converting for your program.
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Top 10 Most Popular Referrers
These are your top referring websites for your program.
View Lead Report
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Commission Totals (First and Second Tier)
This indicates the commissions you owe on the leads you have recieved from
affiliates.
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Your Leads
Here are all your leads referred by your affiliates.
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Does MerchantZoo work with my
shopping cart?
Well, kind of. MerchantZoo is a hosted and managed affiliate marketing system,
which means if you have a shopping cart set up and your site is hosted
elsewhere, we can simply create a secondary cart (or leads form) which matches
your site.
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Do I have to
switch my hosting in order to use MerchantZoo?
No. MerchantZoo is a hosted solution, but it is not necessary to switch your
website hosting. We can run a secondary shopping cart or lead form that is
matched to your look like your website.
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I
want to pay affiliates for qualified leads, can MerchantZoo do that?
Yes. MerchantZoo now offers the ability to track qualified leads from forms
that we host. You can customize the form to suit your needs.
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I
want to pay affiliates to refer traffic to my site, can MerchantZoo do that?
Yes. MerchantZoo now has referral tracking which enables you to pay affiliates
for generateing new traffic for your site.
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How many affiliates will I have?
We are constantly adding new affiliates to our system, however, not every
affiliate has a website that is relevant or that has the targeted traffic to
help promote your product. Instead, we recruit targeted affiliate webmasters
for your program - those who already have the kind of targeted traffic you need
to promote your site. While we are always working to add new affiliates to your
program, it is more important to have quality affiliates who generate the most
traffic, leads, or sales for your program.
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How many affiliates do you have?
That depends. We have lots of affiliates in the MerchantZoo system, and each
has a different website (some have several sites). Some might be interested in
promoting your program, but others might not have sites that are relevant to
what you offer. The point is, we aren't going to try to wow you with huge
numbers of affiliates like other larger programs. Our philosophy is completely
different. As affiliate marketers ourselves, we have participated in the
aforementioned "larger programs" and we see how merchants are represented to
affiliates. Sure they have tens of thousands of "affiliate sites" on their
list, and sure they send out an email to them, but the fact is most of those
sites have nothing to do with your product and most of them wouldn't be of any
benefit to you even if they did sign up to promote your program. Why? Simple.
They aren't targeted. You want affiliates who have sites that already have the
kind of traffic and visitors you need.
If you have 100 affiliates in your online sales team, odds are that you are only
getting sales from the top 10. There are probably three, maybe up to five of
those top ten who really drive the most for you. The rest are of little
benefit. That is just a tiny example of the difference MerchantZoo can make to
your program. We go after the websites that have the traffic. We make sure
those webmasters see and understand that you have a great product and that they
can make a great commission by promoting it.
Which leads us to the next question you probably have. . .
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Why would I want to
offer a large amount to affiliates?
As affiliate marketers ourselves, we understand that affiliates who have
websites that have lots of traffic are extremely valuable to merchants. In some
cases, they can make or break you. If your competition offers a higher
commission to sell a similar product, what is stopping that affiliate from
promoting your competition? This is why we stress offering the highest possible
commissions on your products.
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Do you recruit
affiliates specifically for my program?
Yes. We recruit affiliates through a variety of ways depending on your
particular business. We research and target specific sites that are relevant to
yours, then invite those webmasters to earn money by promoting your business.
We also invite our existing affiliates to promote your product.
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How much does it cost to use
MerchantZoo?
MerchantZoo is a performance-based affiliate marketing program, which means we
agree on the terms (such as the commission rates) prior to starting your
program. If an affiliate marketer delivers a referral, qualified lead, a sale,
or whatever your desired action is, then you pay the predetermined fee or
percentage.
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How do I pay affiliates?
You don't! MerchantZoo is a fully managed affiliate marketing service. That
means we track all affiliate activity and pay the affiliates on a monthly
basis.
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