How often do you look up a web site and then end up on another web site as a result of the first one? Without really thinking about it we have been directed there by the first web site and it is something that they did on purpose. It is quite possible the first web site was an affiliate. The affiliate has deliberately sent you onto the other web site (seller), this is the first web sites purpose. The affiliate would be rewarded for every person who visits or purchases (depending on the agreement) from the sellers web site. The affiliate has the potential to be very successful. The success would depend them on them keeping themselves up to date on the newest gadgets (or similar) and making sure they were the affiliate for that seller.
I have started out describing affiliate marketing as something that happens between web sites but in fact affiliate marketing goes back to before the days of the internet. If you imagine visiting a shoe shop and buying a pair of suede shoes, when you get to the till to pay you pick up a leaflet for a dry cleaning shop just two blocks away. This dry cleaners specialize in suede cleaning. So now you know about this service and if you require it you may well use it. So can you see why this was effective? The dry cleaning business has located a good place to put their leaflets. You have just purchased a product they could may well help you with a couple of months down the line. It is effective because clear steps have been take to target the correct market. We would expect that the dry cleaners has an arrangement with the shoe shop over their reward.
Affiliate marketing is even more effective online as it cuts out the logistics involved in the above example. If you go into a taxi office and see a pizza menu that looks like something you would like to try you would visit the shop, or would you? This pizza shop happens to be three blocks in the wrong direction – you may well not go. Now imagine booking a taxi online, when you do so an advert pops up at the bottom of the screen for the lovely pizza shop. You click straight into it in one second. People are very busy making things easy always appeals. So you can see how online affiliate marketing is so effective.
Affiliate marketing on the whole can be very effective. If the public trust the affiliate you are onto a winner. If the affiliate has a habit of engaging really well with people and these people mention this to their friend it could be a real recipe for success.