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Q: Why do you have an affiliate program?
A: We would like to affiliate with resellers that actively promote and sell our products. Examples are traditional retail stores, Internet-based retailers, gift basket wholesalers/retailers, and people who sell our products via home parties or craft shows. However, we realize that our wholesale customers cannot carry all our products in all our scents, so they may have to refer their customers to our own Internet store to complete the sale. The object of our affiliate program is to reward our resellers for the purchases their customers place thorough our website.
Q: How do we qualify for the affiliate program?
A: Any wholesale customer can ask to be enrolled in our affiliate program. You remain eligible for the affiliate program for four months following your last wholesale order. This requirement is our way to ensure our affiliates are actively promoting our products. If you do the math, we are asking our affiliates to commit to sell $550/year at retail through their own business.
Q: What happens four months after my last wholesale order?
A: In the event you no longer qualify for our affiliate program because you have stopped retailing our products, you can choose to put your affiliate membership on hold until sales pick up again, or ask to be paid out (a service fee may apply).
Q: How much commission do you pay?
A: We pay a 5% commission for all affiliate sales.
Q: Other affiliate programs offer 10% or even 15% of sales, how come you pay only 5%?
A: The commission we offer is in line with the margins on our products. You will find that the companies offering the higher commission rates are also selling products at two to five times our prices. They have built in a large margin so they can pay a big commission. Our marketing strategy is to keep our costs low and our prices competitive, so they're easier to sell. Remember that our affiliate program is intended to supplement our wholesale program, not replace it. Our affiliate commission is also intended to encourage our wholesale customers to sell via their own storefront, where they can earn 45% or more.
Q: What sales are eligible for commissions? Do you pay commissions on 100% of all sales?
A: Commissions are based on the basket total of retail orders, i.e. the value of the goods in the basket after any coupons are deducted and before the shipping charge or taxes are added. Items returned (other than returns due to defects) or not paid for are deducted from commissionable sales. In the event that a return or non-payment occurs after the commission has been paid to the affiliate, and the affiliate is no longer eligible for or has withdrawn from the affiliate program, then the commission on returned goods must be paid back by the former affiliate. We will waive said requirement to pay back if it is less than $10.00.
Q: Do you pay commissions on wholesale orders?
A: Wholesale orders are not commissionable. However, if you introduce us to a new wholesale customer we will pay a $25 finder's fee after that customer buys $500 at wholesale.
Q: When do you pay commissions?
A: We review accumulated commissions at the end of each month. When your commissions exceed $100 we will mail you a check.
Q: What happens if I want to get paid before I accumulate $100?
A: If your accumulated commissions are over $10.00 you can request a commission check, which we will process at the end of the month. We will deduct a $10.00 service fee for commissions paid under $50, and a $5.00 service fee for commissions between $50 and $100. For greater clarity, this service fee will apply if you are asking to be paid out because you are no longer eligible for the affiliate program. If you apply your commission towards a purchase we will waive the service fee. For the sake of efficiency, please ask to apply your commission to an order only once a month.
Q: Can I get a commission for orders I pay for and have delivered to my customers, as a way of getting drop shipments?
A: Yes. While we do not usually drop ship items ordered at wholesale prices, one of the reasons we developed our affiliate program for our wholesale customers was to accommodate this situation. Also, if you process the order this way, it is up to you to decide what price you want to charge your customer. Please e-mail us if you would like to learn more about this option.
Q: Can I use my affiliate link to get a commission on my own wholesale orders?
A: No. Since we don't pay commission on wholesale sales, wholesale sales to yourself do not qualify for commissions.
Q: How do you track affiliate commissions?
A: Every affiliate is given a unique link to our store that contains their
affiliate ID as part of the link. (e.g.
www.lblossom.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Affiliate=giftsdotcom
When a customer enters the store via the affiliate link any purchase made during that
session is attributed to the affiliate. Be aware that if the customer goes to another
affiliate's site and re-enters our store using that affiliate's link, or if the customer
bookmarks our site and re-enters our store using the bookmark, the sale will not be
attributed to you.
Q: Do I get a commission on all the sales to a customer, or only for the first sale?
A: Every time the customer places an order, if they enter our store via your affiliate link then you will be credited with the sale. However, our affiliate system does not remember which affiliate was credited with the last sale to a particular customer, so subsequent sales to a customer will not be attributed to you unless the customer enters our store again using your affiliate link. This is why it is important to ask your customers to bookmark your web site before they enter our store. This way they are more likely to re-enter our store via your website for every purchase. You can also include a link to our store containing your affiliate ID in your e-mails to your customers. This way they are more likely to enter our store via your affiliate link.
Q: Do I have to have a website in order to be an affiliate?
A: No, but it is better to have your own website. If you don't have your own website you need another way to expose your affiliate link so your customer can click on it to get to our store. You can send the link in an e-mail, or you can put the link on a site over which you have some control, such as the bookmarks area of a Yahoo group. However, it's best if you have your own website for a several reasons. The first reason is that you want attract new customers, and it helps to have a website to do that. The second reason is that you want your repeat customers to use your affiliate link for their repeat orders, and you need to make it easy for them to find the link. The third reason is you want to keep your customers coming back to your site to build customer loyalty, so they will also buy the other products you offer for sale.
Q: OK, you convinced me I should have my own website, but I don't have one. What should I do?
A: Even if you don't have a website now it is easy and inexpensive (even free) to create one. Most ISPs (the company you pay monthly to connect to the Internet) bundle a free website with their service, so that is one way to get a free website without someone else's advertising. If you outgrow the free website provided by your ISP, there are many companies that offer basic websites for about $10/month.
Q: Do I have to link to your storefront, or can I link to other pages on your site?
A: You can link to any page in our store (i.e. any page that starts with
www.lbossom.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc), as long as it has &Affiliate=youraffiliateid
in it. To generate a link to a specific page in our store, navigate to that page yourself,
copy the URL in the Address bar, and add &Affiliate=youraffiliateid to the end.
For example, here is a link to the Bath Soaps category on our site:
www.lblossom.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=SBA&Affiliate=youraffiliateid.
Q: Do you have a banner or pictures I can use on my site?
A: We have banners on our Sample Links page, and you can also use any of the pictures on our site as long as they are being used to market our products.
Q: Do I have to use your banners or graphics?
A: No. You are free to design your own graphics to use with the links to our site, as long as they are in good taste and do not misrepresent the relationship between our companies. (See the small print.)
Q: What else should I do besides creating a link to your site?
A: You should do whatever makes sense for any good website. It should be easy to use and the link to our site should be easy to find and enticing. You should maintain a compelling site that showcases your products and services to bring customers back to your site for repeat orders.
Q: Can I participate in other affiliate programs?
A: Yes, you can belong to other affiliate programs. However, keep in mind that part of the reason affiliate sales work is because you are endorsing our products on your site. This endorsement increases the trust of your customer for our products, which in turn encourages them to buy. If you put too many affiliate links on your site you dilute the value of your endorsement, which can actually lower your sales. Furthermore, if you link to directly competitive companies you can overwhelm your customer, so instead of deciding what to buy, they end up trying to decide where to buy, and they end up buying nothing.
Q: How do I know how much commission I have earned?
A: When you log in using the Affiliate Login in our store you can see your current commissions. Keep in mind that the amount you see on this page is before any manual adjustments. On an occasional basis we edit the detailed information in our store software and adjust for any returns, non-payments, sales at wholesale, or for any other reason stipulated on this page.
Q: Do I have to sign an affiliate agreement?
A: No. For the time being we have decided to keep it simple and not have any formal affiliate agreement. We reserve the right to change the way our affiliate program works or to revoke your participation in the program without prior notice. Likewise, you have the right to leave the program without prior notice. In the event we decide to stop the program or revoke your participation in the program for a reason other than you no longer meet the eligibility requirements, we will pay out any accumulated commission and waive any service fee if the amount is over $5.00. We will not pay commissions less than $5.00, but you can apply commissions less than $5.00 towards a purchase.
A: Our affiliate program is simply a means to recognize that when you refer
a customer to us you deserve a commission. It does not establish any other relationship
between our companies. You and we are independent contractors, and nothing in our Affiliate
Program or Wholesale Program will create any partnership, joint venture, agency, franchise,
sales representative, or employment relationship between us. You have no authority to make
or accept any offers or representations on our behalf, and vice versa. You will not make any
claims about our products that we do not also make, unless you clearly identify that these
claims are your own opinion. You will not make any statement, whether on your site or
otherwise, that reasonably would contradict anything in this section.
You will be solely responsible for the development, operation, and maintenance of your site
and for all materials that appear on your site. For example, you will be solely responsible
for: the technical operation of your site and all related equipment; creating and posting
product descriptions and photos on your site and linking those descriptions and photos to
our store; the accuracy and appropriateness of materials posted on your site (including,
among other things, all product-related materials); ensuring that materials posted on your
site do not violate or infringe upon the rights of any third party (including, for example,
copyrights, trademarks, privacy, or other personal or proprietary rights); ensuring that
materials posted on your site are not libelous or otherwise illegal; ensuring that your site
accurately and adequately discloses, either through a privacy policy or otherwise, how you
collect, use, store, and disclose data collected from visitors, including, where applicable,
that third parties (including advertisers) may serve content and/or advertisements and
collect information directly from visitors and may place or recognize cookies on visitors'
browsers. We disclaim all liability for these matters. Further, you will indemnify and hold
us harmless from all claims, damages, and expenses (including, without limitation,
attorneys' fees) relating to the development, operation, maintenance, and content of your
site.
Q: What if I have a question that isn't answered here?
A: Just send an e-mail to sales@lblossom.com.
Questions: sales@lblossom.com Technical problems: webmaster@lblossom.com