Amazon Associates Cuts Commissions: Alternative Affiliate Programs to Boost Your Earnings
Updated on August 16, 2023
Australian affiliates are feeling the brunt of another Amazon Associates commission cut. Is this the start of the Amazon apocalypse?
On June 15, 2023, Amazon cut the commission on a number of niches. Beauty, Health & Personal Care, Personal Care Appliances, and Luxury Beauty took the biggest knocks, with their commissions dropping down to a disheartening 0%.
This change could see revenues disappear overnight for affiliates who rely solely on Amazon Associates.
This not only dries up your profits but will also make a huge dent in the value of your business.
While only the Australian branch of Amazon Associates has been affected so far, this latest round of commission cuts may leave many affiliates around the world feeling vulnerable.
The good news is, there are proactive measures you can take to safeguard your affiliate site from further commission changes. By taking the right steps, you can mitigate the impact of future changes and protect your income streams.
In this article, we’ll explore some alternative affiliate programs that affiliates operating in the affected niches can turn to.
What to Do Next
While the beauty and personal care niches were hit the hardest, there were many other niches affected by the Amazon Associates commission reductions.
Here’s a closer look at some of the worst affected niches.
This serves as a stark reminder of the importance of diversifying your affiliate partners and revenue streams.
By joining other affiliate programs and decreasing your reliance on a single affiliate partner, you can reduce the impact that commission cuts have on your business.
You can also expand your business beyond affiliate revenues by adding another income stream, like display ads or digital products to your business to add an extra layer of protection to your bottom line.
The good news is, there is no shortage of affiliate partners and it’s not too late to sign-up for their programs.
If you operate in one of the affected niches, here are some alternative affiliate programs you can use to replace your lost income.
Beauty
Dermstore
Founded by a dermatologist in 1999, Dermstore provides access to professional strength skincare products from top skin care brands from around the world.
- Commission: 2% per sale
- Cookie Duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
Fenty Beauty
Founded by Rihanna, Fenty Beauty aims to fill a void in the beauty industry for products that perform on all skin types and tones.
- Commission rate: 10% per sale
- Cookie duration: 7 days
- Sign up here.
Elizabeth Arden
Founded more than a century ago in 1910, Elizabeth Arden is an established name in the beauty industry. The company offers a wide range of beauty products, with its core value being to create products that benefit, not mask, the skin.
- Commission: 8% per sale
- Cookie duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
Sephora
Sephora aims to disrupt the norms of the beauty industry through its catalog of over 13,000 beauty, health, and skin care products across 200+ brands.
- Commission: 14% per sale
- Cookie duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
Nars Cosmetics
Nars Cosmetics was founded in 1994 by French celebrity makeup artist and photographer François Nars. The innovative company even made an appearance in the Metaverse through a collaboration with the popular game Animal Crossing.
- Commission: 8% per sale
- Cookie duration: 7 days
- Sign up here.
Health
Market Health
Market Health is an affiliate network that gives you access to more than 118 health and beauty offers. They also offer some of the most lucrative commission rates.
- Commission rate: Up to 60%
- Cookie duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
MoreNiche
MoreNiche is another affiliate network that works with a variety of health and wellness brands. They have paid out Over $57 Million in commissions since 2002.
- Commission rate: Up to 40%
- Cookie duration: Lifetime
- Sign up here.
Fitbit
Fitbit is one of the most recognizable names in the health & fitness space. They aim to encourage consumers to live a more active and healthy life by creating wearable technology that can help you track your health and fitness goals.
- Commission rate: 3%
- EPC: $21.37
- Cookie duration: 15 days
- Sign up here.
Tyent Water Ionizers
Tyent creates custom-built water ionizers that are modified specifically for the unique source waters throughout America.
- Commission rate: Up to 35%
- EPC: $273.61
- Cookie duration: 60 days
- Sign up here.
Diamond CBD
Diamond CBD creates scientifically-backed, sustainable products and is one of the leading suppliers of CBD edibles and ointments in North America. They produce the top 10 leading CBD and Delta 8 products on the market, including an award-winning CBD oil used by thousands every day.
- Commission rate: Up to 40%
- Cookie duration: Lifetime
- Sign up here.
Skin Care
SkinStore
Founded more than 20 years ago, SkinStore offers access to over 8,000 products from 300+ brands including hair, cosmetics, electrical, fragrance, and skincare.
- Commission: 8%
- Cookie duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
Circcell Skincare
Circcell offers performance-based, environmentally-sensitive skincare products designed to work in a variety of climates and weather conditions. The products contain natural ingredients and are cruelty-free and fragrance-free.
- Commission: 15% per sale
- Cookie duration: 45 days
- Sign up here.
Apoterra Skincare
Founded in 2012, Apoterra creates handcrafted, small-batch skincare products that are nutrient-rich and sustainably sourced. The company has also pledged to plant one tree for each sale made.
- Commission: 10% per sale
- EPC: $35.73
- Cookie duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
ESPA Skincare
Starting from humble beginnings in the founder’s kitchen in 1992, ESPA has grown into a recognized name in the beauty industry. They use natural ingredients to imitate the luxury skincare treatments of a spa.
- Commission: Up to 10%
- Cookie duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
Jenette Skincare
Jenette Skincare is an all-natural, luxury skincare brand that offers a range of skincare products for a variety of conditions, that include organic ingredients whenever possible.
- Commission: 10% per sale
- EPC: $215.31
- Cookie duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
Hair Care
Grow Gorgeous
Grow Gorgeous uses skincare-inspired ingredients to create nutrient-rich hair care products. The brand has a growing email list, social media channels, and bloggers promoting its products and increasing the company’s brand recognition.
- Commission: 7%
- EPC: TBC
- Cookie duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
Navy Hair Care
Navy Hair Care offers a variety of high-quality products, from shampoo to hair kits. The products are environmentally friendly and cruelty-free.
- Commission: 10%
- EPC: $27.48
- Cookie duration: 45 days
- Sign up here.
Hair.com
Founded in 2017, Hair.com by L’Oreal is a go-to resource for all things hair, with a variety of salon-tested products on offer.
- Commission: 5%
- EPC: TBC
- Cookie duration: 10 days
- Sign up here.
It’s A 10 Haircare
It’s a10 Haircare is a US luxury hair care brand that offers salon-quality hair care products, as well as hair extensions and professional hair care accessories, to consumers and salon professionals.
- Commission: 10%
- EPC: TBC
- Cookie duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
eSalon Custom Hair Colors
eSalon uses custom technology, that has created over 260,000 unique color combinations to date, to craft home hair color products. With more than 10 million orders shipped thus far, there certainly seems to be plenty of demand for these products.
- Commission: 15% per sale
- EPC: $44.66
- Cookie duration: 30 days
- Sign up here.
Protect Your Site by Expanding Beyond Amazon Associates
Amazon Associates is a giant in the affiliate space and has paved the way to success for many affiliate site owners.
But relying on just one affiliate network is a risky move, particularly when that network has a history of cutting commissions.
Diversifying your affiliate partners not only reduces the impact of commission reductions, but also opens you up to new opportunities, potentially higher commissions on certain products, and new growth opportunities.
Another way to avoid fluctuating commissions altogether is to sell your affiliate site. Exiting your business now will allow you to reap the rewards of the growth you’ve achieved so far, and side-step any future risks and roadblocks in your business.
To begin the sales process, simply register an account on our site, or schedule a call with one of our business advisors to discuss your options as a seller.
