Zappos.com, Inc. is a major US fashion and clothing retailer. The company was founded in 1999 after founder Nick Swinmurn noticed that there was no major online retailer with a focus on shoes. He decided to start one himself, and founded Zappos.com, Inc. The company grew with revenues topping $1 billion in 2009, and eventually was acquired by Amazon for over $1 billion in the same year. Today, the Zappos Family has given birth to 10 separate companies, stating that the move to restructure was necessary to enable the company to continue offering customers the very best service possible.
Zappos.com offers everything from shoes to clothing to accessories for men, women and kids, but shoes are still the major product offering, and account for over 80% of sales. The company offers approximately 50,000 different varieties of shoes, covering a wide range of styles and brands—you can find everything from Steve Madden heels to Ugg boots and Nike soccer cleats at Zappos.
Zappos also runs an associate program that allows affiliate marketers to leverage the Zappos brand and amazing range of products. If you have a website that you would like to monetize, this might be a smart way of achieving that goal. Affiliates stand to earn up to 5.9% in commission, and joining the program is entirely free of cost.
The associate program is run by Commission Junction (Conversant), so to get started, your first step should be to head over to the Commission Junction sign-up page for Zappos. You will be required to fill out a form and provide some details; then, if your application is approved, you can start earning by promoting Zappos merchandise on your website.
Becoming a Zappos associate comes with a number of benefits, including:
Leverage an established brand – Zappos is one of the largest retail operators in the US apparel market. There is already a very high level of brand awareness, and the target audience is already online. You won’t need to work very hard to find and convert customers.
Wide range of products – Zappos carries hundreds of thousands of products from over 1,500 brands which means you will always have a product to promote, that someone would like to purchase. Consequently, this means your earning potential with Zappos will be very high.
Generous commission – Although Zappos does not publish the commission rates it pays to associates, Viglinks indicates that the commission is 5.9%. This is relatively high for the clothing and fashion industry.
Cost – Despite the benefits that come with being a Zappos associate, there is absolutely no cost involved. From beginning to end, everything is entirely free, and all you have to do is meet the quality requirements.
Zappos is exclusively focused on the US market so the customers will be people who reside in the US. Within this market though, there are several viable target segments such as women, men, children, young professionals, sportswear, high end brands, etc.