Europe’s Biggest Software Affiliate Network Comes To America
Avangate is a network that ranked well in our 2012 BLUE BOOK survey and so deserves a closer look. Judging by what we have seen this year and the early survey results for 2013, that position seems likely to improve. We will see for sure when the new BLUE BOOK rankings are released in January, but in the meantime we thought it was time to take a look at one of the hottest, up-and-coming networks around.
Software is an ideal product for affiliate marketing. The fact that there is zero marginal cost for each additional unit sold means that there is a lot of margin remaining from which commissions can be paid. It is no surprise then that software sales is a one of the best-performing verticals in affiliate marketing right now. It offers publishers the benefits of high commission rates, instant customer gratification and a potential audience that includes pretty much every person using a computer to go online. If someone is visiting your website, you can sell them software.
Avangate is the leading affiliate network dedicated to software and SaaS products in Europe. They are growing fast and have already achieved significant scale with over 1,500 merchants advertising more than 22,000 products. Any affiliate seeking to promote software products on a pay-per-sale model is going to fi nd plenty of options. With 33,000 affiliates worldwide, it is clear that they are no longer just a niche network.
Avangate’s North American HQ is in Redwood Shores, CA, with a European HQ in the Netherlands, and global offices in EMEA, CIS and China. They were founded in 2006, after their now-Chairman, Radu Georgescu sold RAV Antivirus to Microsoft. This technology later became the basis for the current Windows
Defender security package. So Avangate has a pedigree in creating secure platforms based on advanced technologies and experience in global distribution – a good foundation for an online sales tracking platform.
The big picture for Avangate, and the reason why they should catch the attention of many affiliates in the US and worldwide, is that they are positioning themselves to go head to head with established networks such as Digital River’s oneNetwork-Direct. As a key challenger, they are well-financed and are on
an aggressive affiliate recruitment drive. Plus, they offer a very flexible platform with one-to-one support capabilities. Avangate has set itself up to be competitive in just about every area you can think of. Commission rates range from 5% all the way up to 85%, and average over 30% across all products. Payment can be made bi-weekly via wire transfer, check, PayPal and prepaid Mastercard.
Similarly when it comes to helping affi liates to sell products and optimize, Avangate has stepped up to the mark. Deep-linking, regular discounts and special offers, and shopping carts than can be customized for a white label appearance (see Fig. 2) are all part of the offering for publishers.
The interface is a joy to use (see Fig. 1), with clearly labeled tabs making it simple to navigate; fast, comprehensive reporting; and easy access to marketing tools and affiliate support. At the same time, the platform provides for the tracking of a wide variety of conversion data. Avangate prides themselves on losing fewer affiliate commissions due to “missed” conversions than almost any other network. This is important in a world in which networks too often use the excuse of faulty tracking to cover up for scrubbing and shaving of affiliate conversions.
Avangate has taken a long look at the best digital download performance marketing networks and have created a tracking platform to match, and in some ways, outperform them. They have also signed a broad range of merchants and products, with a commission structure designed to incentivize. With a good presence in the US already, Avangate is now becoming more aggressive here when it comes to new offers and affiliates.
In Europe Avangate has already built a great reputation among their own affiliates who, in the comments that we see in the BLUE BOOK survey, confirm that service levels are high and the tracking is accurate. What more could an affiliate want? If you are a publisher that doesn’t yet promote software, you should ask yourself why not? Your website visitors already trust you – if anyone should be selling them software, it is you. Avangate makes it easy to get started with a broad range of products and marketing tools.
On the other hand, if you are a publisher or affiliate that already promotes software sales or SaaS subscriptions then you really should be working with Avangate right now. If you aren’t, then you should give them a try.
For more information, please visit: www.avangate.com.