This may come as a surprise to you but there's a killer feature available for most ecommerce platforms but for Opencart it's a core feature. It's called an affiliate program and it incentives other people to market your website. Sound good so far ?
What is an affiliate program ?
Simply put, affiliate programs are arrangements in which an online merchant web site pays affiliate web sites a commission to send them traffic. These affiliate web sites post links to the merchant site and are paid according to a particular agreement. This agreement is usually based on the number of people the affiliate sends to the merchant's site, or the number of people they send who buy something or perform some other action. Some arrangements pay according to the number of people who visit the page containing their merchant site's banner advertisement. Basically, if a link on an affiliate site brings the merchant site traffic or money, the merchant site pays the affiliate according to their agreement. Recruiting affiliates is an excellent way to sell products online, but it can also be a cheap and effective marketing strategy; it's a good way to get the word out about your site.
In the case of Opencart, anyone can sign up to be an affiliate but it is up to you (as the site owner) to determine the level of commission you wish to pay for any qualifying sale. Opencart will generate a URL with a tracking link. If anyone clicks on the link and purchases the item that is linked, they'll get the commission.
How can I make the most of this ?
Most online retailers are specialists in their own niche fields. As a result many of your customers will fall into groups whereby they associate with others with the same need. Let's take as an example a nursery school. They might buy toys and craft supplies for themselves. But the parents may wish to purchase the same items for their children to enjoy at home. If the nursery therefore supplies a link to buy those items then they will get the affiliate fee for the sale.
This can work for craft groups, book clubs, sports clubs, dance groups and so on.
5 Killer extensions to supercharge the Opencart affiliate program
Out of the box, Opencart's affiliate program is pretty nifty, but these 5 Extensions Available Directly Through The Opencart Market Place will take you to dizzy new heights.
Advanced Multi Level Affiliate System. Allows you to create a tiered hierarchy or commissions that can be applied to affiliates and specific products, categories and brands.
Combined Customer and Affiliate Accounts. By default, you have to sign up as a customer and then login to your account page to then sign up as an affiliate. This extensions combines the two into a single process.
Affiliate Tracking with Coupons. Simply put, attach affiliate tracking to a coupon. If you generate QR code, you could even give out physical coupons and still get the affiliate fee.
Discount for Referred Customers. This extension will automatically apply a discount to a qualifying inbound link, thus incentivising shoppers to buy from the affiliate.
Affiliate Transactions. Convert your affiliate fees into store credits for the affiliate to spend.
