From 1 february 2021, we are expanding on changes introduced in 2018 that reward associates for driving targeted traffic to selected categories of products. Please find below a set of Frequently Asked Questions that we created to help you understand the changes that we’ve made.

Am I able to earn more commissions with these changes?

Yes, you could. As you will see, we have expanded the number of product categories that include commission tiers. If the traffic that you send to Amazon results in sales that exceed the first tier, you can earn higher commission rates, not only on sales beyond the initial tier, but on all sales that you generate in a product category.

How can I earn more commissions ?

You may earn more, in most product categories, by creating high-quality, product-specific content that helps customers make purchase decisions, or discover new products, on Amazon. Exactly how much more depends on many factors, including the types of products that your content links to. For more details on commissions and commission tiers, please see our EU Commission Income Statement.

Is it possible that I could earn less commissions?

Yes, it is possible, if you aren’t linking directly to product detail pages on Amazon (for example, you link to pages other than product landing pages), or if a lot of your commissions come from customer purchases that aren’t related to the products that your content links to.

Why are these changes being made?

Our priority is to reward associates who focus on driving high-quality, targeted, product-specific content that supports customers in their purchase decisions, or helps customers discover new products. This is why we’ve expanded the use of commission tiers to most product categories for purchases resulting from links to those, or related, categories.

Can you give me examples of how this all works?

Below are a few scenarios that describe how the changes may, or may not, affect you.

• Scenario 1: Let’s say that you are a fashion-focused publisher who doesn’t generate a lot of sales on Amazon, but the vast majority of your earnings result from purchases in product categories related to fashion. If you do nothing, you will likely earn 10% commission (where your affiliate links to fashion products results in a purchase in the fashion category).
• Scenario 2: Let’s consider the same scenario as above, but you *do* generate lots of sales. In this case, if the total qualifying revenue that you generate in fashion (where your affiliate links to a fashion products result in a purchase in the fashion category) is equal to or greater than £15,000 in a calendar month, you could earn 12% commission on *all* of the fashion sales that result from your content (where your affiliate links to a fashion products result in a purchase in the fashion category).
• Scenario 3: Now let’s say that you send most of your clicks to pages other than product detail pages. For example, you send most of your traffic to Amazon’s homepage. In this scenario, if you don’t change your linking strategy (and potentially your content strategy too), you would likely see your earnings decrease as you would receive commission of 1.5%, in most product categories.

Below are a couple of illustrations to try to help you better understand how the new commission rate structure works.

Which Amazon stores are affected by these changes?

These changes apply to traffic referred to Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.it, and Amazon.es.

How can I understand what portion of sales are classified as Direct Qualifying Purchases?

You can check the Earnings report in the Reports section of Associates Central to understand the portion of your traffic that leads to targeted, “Direct Qualifying Purchases”. The numbers within the brackets, as shown below, indicate the volume of Direct Qualifying Revenues that you are generating.

How do I understand how close I am to reaching the revenue tiers in the product categories that offer increased rates for higher volumes of sales ?

In the "Tiered Performance Report" in the Reports section of Associates Central, you can see how much revenue you are driving in the product categories that offer rate increases for volume. The summarized view provides a snapshot, and expanding the view gives a tabular view of the individual product categories in that category group. Please see the example below.

I participate in the Amazon Influencer Programme. What are my commission rates?

Please refer to the EU Commission Income Statement here.]