Target Affiliate Program Review

Affiliate programs can be a great way to monetize your blog. They give you the best of both worlds, earning you money without the need to manage inventory.

Hundreds of stores and brands offer affiliate programs in 2019. Along with Amazon, Target’s affiliate program is among the most popular. As bloggers start to venture away from the Amazon Associates affiliate program, Target is a popular alternative.

But how does Target’s affiliate program compare? What sets it apart from Amazon Associates and other widely-represented affiliate offers?

Let’s take a look at how Target’s affiliate program stacks up against the competition, including the pros and cons of using their options instead of Amazon Associates (and other affiliate programs).

What is the Target Affiliate Program?

Let’s start by discussing the term “affiliate.”

An affiliate is an organization or individual who works with another entity to represent their brand. The affiliate uses their influence to sell the entity’s products or services, earning a commission from each sale.

Target’s Affiliate Program creates this opportunity for bloggers and business owners. It gives them an opportunity to list any of Target’s expansive inventory on their website with a customized affiliate link and earn a portion of each sale they make.

If you have any experience with other affiliate programs, Target’s won’t offer many surprises. Their commissions and application process are standard and their selection of products to sell is one of the largest – it isn’t quite as large as Amazon’s, but you’ll have no trouble finding what you need.

Target’s Affiliate Program doesn’t require any fees to join but applicants must be approved before they can receive an affiliate link. Any website administrator with a family-friendly website targeting a (mainly) US-based audience may be approved for Target’s Affiliate Program.

How Does Target’s Affiliate Program Work?

Using Target’s Affiliate Program starts with filing an application for your online store to be an affiliate. As stated above, most family-friendly websites are eligible for approval but Target reserves the right to deny any application according to their terms and conditions.

When you’re ready to apply to Target’s Affiliate Program, you’ll need to do so via Impact Radius. They will review your application and send you your affiliate link within a few days of approval.

Once you have your affiliate link, you can feature it on your website in many ways, including:

• Widgets
• Text links
• Banners
• Carousels
• Image links

By enrolling in Target’s Affiliate Program, you’re establishing yourself as an independent sales representative for their products.

Once you enroll, it’s up to you to convince readers to use your links from purchases. You won’t receive credit for sales if your readers use the general Target website instead of your affiliate link.

You need to market your affiliate links with the same enthusiasm you’d advertise private label listings. Target isn’t going to do the work for you – if you want your readers to make purchases with your affiliate links, you’ll need to convince them to do so.

After a reader clicks your Target affiliate link, any Target purchases the person during the next 7 days will credit to your account. The 7-day cookie window gives you a broader range of time to make sales, instead of expiring the first time someone opens your affiliate link like many programs.

Best Features of Target Affiliate Program

After Amazon changed their affiliate commission structure in 2017, thousands of partners turned to their competitors hoping to earn higher wages. Many of these individuals chose Target’s affiliate program because of its many features, including:

• A vast selection of products to choose from. Target is a multi-national chain and as such, the sheer volume of products they sell is hard to fathom. Regardless of your niche, you’re likely to find what you need in Target’s incredible selection.
• A 7-day cookie window, tracking all affiliate links for the entire week following a reader’s first visit. Ex-Amazon affiliates are usually the most appreciative of Target’s 7-day window, which overshadows Amazon’s poor 24-hour grace period.
• During the 7-day cookie window, anything a person purchases through Target will count as an affiliate sale. Affiliates are not limited to commissions on the first product they sell with their links.
• Creative advertising options open new marketing opportunities. Target’s Affiliate Program offers banners, widgets, and other exciting options marketers can use to make their affiliate links stand out.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Like any affiliate program, there are pros and cons to Target’s options compared to their competitors. It’s important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of Target’s affiliate program before signing up so you can decide if it’s the right option for you.

Pros

• 7-Day cookie window gives affiliates a higher chance of earning commissions
• Creative advertising options give brands an opportunity to customize their affiliate marketing strategy and tailor it to their vision, with more than 150 banners and widgets to choose from.
• Commissions vary but can be relatively high for some categories.
• Target is a trusted, multi-national brand – especially in the United States. Their reputation will boost your conversions, as your audience puts their faith in the Target brand.
• Target’s selection of products eligible for affiliate-marketing is vast, giving participants thousands of options to choose from.

Cons

• Commissions are not the same for each category and can be dismal for some. In fact, some products categories don’t pay any commissions and others only pay 1%.
• In general, Target affiliates have lower conversion rates than Amazon affiliates.
• Target doesn’t operate their affiliate program directly. Impact Radius runs the program, which may impact your application experience.
• Only US-focused websites are eligible for the program

Is Target’s Affiliate Program Legitimate?

As one of the nation’s leading retailers, Target offers one of the most widely-used affiliate programs on the web. Their program is 100% legitimate, paying real commissions to brands who make sales with their affiliate links.

How to Sign Up

If you want to be a Target affiliate, you need to apply first. Upon approval, you’ll receive your personalized link.

Applying is easy – simply navigate to the affiliate sign-up sheet and fill out the information the form requests. Realize you’re applying with Impact Radius (not Target directly), which could impact your experience.

For more information about how to sign up for Target’s Affiliate Program, please visit Target’s F.A.Q. page.

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