Per click programs can also be particularly powerful during the launch phase of a new web site. First, the program generates velocity and awareness. Second, per click programs are probably the easiest to implement. Third, and most importantly, per click programs generate a meaningful base of early affiliates and visitors around which to start building metrics and benchmarks. As a merchant, challenge yourself to use a per click program not because of intellectual laziness, but because it matches your objectives.
Some merchants choose to recognize the entire lifetime value of a new customer right away.
While the margins on any given book are basically the same, Amazon can afford the higher payout because of other factors, including the number of other product categories it can cross-sell and its greater retention rate. The story is similar at Capital One. Other direct marketers and newsletter marketers operate similarly. AOL pays affiliates for each new subscriber. If you know your business well, compensating affiliates on the basis of a customer's lifetime value can be a powerful proposition.