Ever the Twain Shall Meet?

Building affiliate marketing with offer walls

Written by Brook Schaaf

Earlier this week I had a call with an affiliate veteran who had a novel use case for FMTC’s Deal Feed. It got me wondering if the two main parts of affiliate marketing — namely, leads and retail — might not have more overlap.

During our discussion, she expressed interest in posting coupons and the like on her company’s offer walls. As defined by ChatGPT, an offer wall is “a virtual wall or page that presents a collection of various offers, deals, promotions, or advertisements from different advertisers or affiliate programs.”

Offer walls are typically associated with offers from CPA networks like MaxBounty, Perform[cb], or ClickBank, as opposed to retail offers from traditional networks like Awin, CJ, or impact.com. The latter grouping tends to have more technically sophisticated platforms with retail affiliate programs, though they also have mainstream lead offers, such as auto insurance and credit cards.

CPA network offers are often unbranded lead forms, though if you scroll past the adult dating offers on OfferVault you’ll see a retail program or two.

ChatGPT’s explanation continues: “Offer walls are commonly used in various online environments, including websites, mobile apps, or gaming platforms. They provide a convenient way for affiliates to promote multiple offers within a single location, increasing the chances of generating conversions and earning commissions.”

As affiliate marketing continues to expand with more link inventory being made available, might we also see more overlap between these two worlds? For example, recent entrant BrandSwap shared on Awin Talks their vision for helping retailers monetize through what are basically offer walls.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Drop me a line and let me know what you think.