{"id":54527,"date":"2022-04-06T16:03:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T16:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/?p=54527"},"modified":"2024-02-29T17:54:24","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T17:54:24","slug":"costco-affiliate-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/costco-affiliate-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Costco Affiliate Program Review 2024: Is It Worth It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let\u2019s conduct a brief thought experiment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon goes out of business tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would that be no big deal because you\u2019ve already diversified your affiliate revenue streams?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or would it be a disaster of a magnitude that causes you to melt into a puddle of primordial soup?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You already know the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly enough, probably 70%+ of affiliate marketers<\/a> fall into the latter category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though believing that Amazon won\u2019t change their affiliate rates ever again is like believing George R.R. Martin will ever finish \u201cThe Winds of Winter\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s a good idea to check out what other affiliate programs are available to you besides Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the Costco affiliate program is the next one on our list.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"costco<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Costco<\/a> is a company with a pretty unique claim to fame \u2013 they changed the face of retail forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company is actually the result of a 1993 merger between the biggest membership warehouses\/clubs in the United States at the time \u2013 Price Club and Costco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their business model was the same \u2013 sell quality items from big brands to their members at wholesale prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But at first, they only offered their lower priced stock to other businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was opening their doors to Joe and Josephine Public that revolutionized retail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, anyone could become a Costco \u201cwholesale\u201d member – buying their groceries at wholesale prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costco actually stocks fewer items than your average supermarket or grocery store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trick is they purchase their goods in huge numbers so they can stack \u2018em high and sell \u2018em cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of right now, Costco generates global sales (across 8 countries) of US$157 billion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re a big name with 100 million loyal, card-carrying Costco members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What products can you promote?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s very little point in signing up for an affiliate program unless they offer something (or several things) that your audience wants to buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s one of the potential bonuses of promoting Costco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They only keep stock of items they know their members are very likely to be interested in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or as they put it, \u201cNot everything…just everything you want\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So let\u2019s take a look at their primary product categories so you can give the Costco affiliate program a quick, \u201cGo. No go\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appliances<\/td>Clothing & Luggage<\/td>Beauty<\/td><\/tr>
Furniture<\/td>Home improvement<\/td>Gourmet foods<\/td><\/tr>
Floral items<\/td>Home & kitchen<\/td>Sports &  fitness<\/td><\/tr>
Computer<\/td>Groceries & pets<\/td>Toys & books<\/td><\/tr>
Electronics<\/td>Jewellery & watches<\/td>Patio &  lawn<\/td><\/tr>
Baby<\/td>Home services (installations)<\/td>Gift cards<\/td><\/tr>
Mattresses<\/td>Health & personal care<\/td>Tires & Auto<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So that\u2019s as diverse a range of products as you\u2019ll find in most online stores or affiliate marketing programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It covers all the bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From industrial-sized boxes of toilet paper for $50 all the way to an entire wheel of Parmesan cheese for almost $1,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costco literally has it all, and so does their affiliate program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, Costco has another pretty big advantage over the likes of Amazon \u2013 the majority of their stock is made up of quality brand-name products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From names your audience knows and trusts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Including their own Kirkland brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it\u2019s not just cheap knockoffs from a business with a brand name that was obviously created during a toilet break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a business, Costco seems to have things nailed down when it comes to not only the range of products they carry but offering them at a discount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting here writing this I found myself wondering what would have happened if Costco and others had taken the \u201cinternet fad\u201d more seriously?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would Amazon have survived?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now it\u2019s time to take a dive into the inner workings of their affiliate program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the Costco affiliate program work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Costco affiliate program is actually managed by CJ Affiliate<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still call them Commission Junction though, so whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is you\u2019ll need a CJ Affiliate account to join the Costco affiliate program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This particular network is one of the easier ones to apply to, so the barrier to entry is pretty low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It does, however, help if you have an existing website with some traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally speaking, CJ Affiliate is easy to deal with and the application process is a breeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically because you can make direct contact with their affiliate team if you have any questions and\/or if your application is declined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus you\u2019ll also find dozens of other affiliate programs<\/a> there that might get your creative juices flowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now let\u2019s take a look at what happens after you\u2019ve been approved for the Costco affiliate program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The banner ads, widgets, and links you can add to your content to promote this affiliate program are all provided via CJ Affiliate, so you\u2019ll need to search for them there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are, however, pretty typical of what you\u2019ve come to expect from affiliate advertisers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, creating your links takes seconds thanks to the CJ Affiliate platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trick is finding what Costco creatives work best for your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affiliate payments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the things I\u2019ve always loved about CJ Affiliate is that they pay out on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never once had to contact their affiliate team about missing or delayed payments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not something you can say about most affiliate networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an affiliate marketer<\/a>, anything you earn by promoting Costco will be deposited into your account, or sent to you by check, every 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means anything you sell today won\u2019t actually be deposited into your account until 30 days from now.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Costco<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

There\u2019s obviously a payout threshold you have to reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So that means earning at least $50 in total before you can receive a payment direct to your bank account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or $100 if you want to get paid by check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cookies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And in other not-so-great news, this program has a session-based cookie duration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In plain English, this means your cookie is erased the split second the visitor closes their browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you won\u2019t get credited for the sale if they get interrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sure Costco has their reasons for doing this but it always feels like a cheapskate move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPunishing\u201d affiliates for cart abandonment is silly considering it\u2019s out of their control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commission structure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As regards their affiliate program, Costco probably sounds like a good deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only real detail left to cover is their commission rate and how much you get paid for promoting items in your niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and what the 0% commission categories are, so you don\u2019t shoot yourself in the foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this is where we face-plant into the bad news section of this affiliate program review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Costco affiliate program has a flat payout structure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n