The fact that affiliate marketing has become one of the most important advertising channels in e-commerce is also due to the role of affiliate networks . Only with their help can retailers, influencers, and content creators easily find each other for advertising partnerships.There are now many networks, some of which differ significantly. To help you choose the right one from the start, I’ll introduce you to the six most interesting affiliate networks in Germany .
How do affiliate networks work?
Affiliate networks connect companies (advertisers) with website operators or influencers (publishers) who promote their products or services. The process works as follows:
- Registration : Companies and publishers register with the affiliate network.
- Partner selection : Companies select publishers to promote their products.
- Advertising materials : The company provides advertising materials (e.g. banners or links) that the publisher integrates on its site.
- Commission : The publisher receives a commission for each successful sale or other specified action.
In this way, both sides benefit : the company gains customers and the publisher earns money through the referral.
Which affiliate networks are there?
The number of affiliate networks fluctuates because cdn testing is an important part of ensuring business success new niche projects often emerge while others go offline.
Below, I present what I consider to be the six most interesting networks for affiliate marketing in Germany. These include market leaders that cover all categories, specialized networks, and those that primarily cover niche topics.
The best affiliate networks in comparison
With around 30,000 advertisers and over one million publishers, Awin has been the largest international affiliate network since its merger with Zanox in 2017. With thousands of advertisers, it can also defend its claim to pole position in the DACH region.
Advantages of Awin
Major merchants like Booking.com, Nike, Samsung, and Etsy are available as affiliate partner programs, along with many smaller niche providers. Awin’s international reach makes it a favorite if you want to market products internationally. In my opinion, the advantages are:
- As an industry leader, very reliable and reputable
- After activation, many statistics available for optimization
- Reliable payout model for publishers
Disadvantages of Awin
- User-friendliness suffers from the number of features
- strict approval criteria that new affiliates must meet
- Depending on requirements, fees may be slightly higher
But once you get started, you’ll find a powerful platform with many strong features and excellent reporting.
Prices from Awin
As a company, you pay a minimum of €89 per month plus a tracking fee of 3.5 percent of the transaction value . Prices for additional packages (Awin Accelerate and Awin Advanced) are available upon request.
2. Digistore24
Source: Screenshot Digistore24
Compared to Awin or CJ Affiliate, Digistore24 is a newcomer among affiliate networks, yet it already deserves second place. The platform specializes exclusively in digital products, events, coaching, and training . It has ther efore benefited enormously from the growth in the coaching and e-learning industries.
Advantages of Digistore24
The number of affiliates and advertisers, well over 100,000 each, and the merchant-to-publisher ratio of approximately 1:1 are impressive. Other advantages that convince me:
- Very high commissions of up to 70 percent for advertisers
- Own affiliate business sale lead programs possible
- Dozens of integrations and tools
Disadvantages of Digistore24
- quite high prices
- strong focus on digital products and services
At the same time, however, the network records fewer sales per month than its competitors. Both factors are also due to its focus on intangible, high-priced products .
Prices from Digistore24
As a vendor, as Digistore24 calls its advertisers, a 7.9 percent margin plus one euro per transaction is due. Discounts are available for high-priced products and various payment methods.