The Discount and Affiliate Merry-Go-Round

I'm frequently asked why we don't have permanent discount codes or an affiliate programme, so I thought it was a good idea to explain my position fully and the thinking behind my decision not to join the discount/affiliate merry-go-round.

It seems that everywhere you look on the internet these days, people are offering discount codes if you just click on a link or use a special code and you’re constantly encouraged to sign up to affiliate schemes so you can "earn” money from recommending products and sites to your friends or by placing links on your own website or in your forum signature. It’s become particularly widespread within the e-cig industry and there's even whole informational and "review" websites popping up all over the place recommending various products and companies with special links and discount codes galore.

There’s no doubt that affiliate schemes can increase revenue for the companies offering them, but it’s always at the expense of loyal customers because prices have to be higher or corners have to be cut in other areas to subsidise the cost of affiliate payments and discount codes.

I believe in offering the best prices and service to ALL our customers, not just those who happen to have special codes or links. It’s simply unfair to force any customer to pay inflated prices to fund the existence of affiliate programmes and discount schemes.

The other huge problem with affiliate programs is fake endorsement. It’s pretty much impossible to give an unbiased and real review of something if you’re getting a kickback on sales of that product or a competing product. Some affiliates use “full disclosure” on every post/page where they have affiliate links, so it’s transparent to the reader, but the majority don’t, which is just misleading those who are seeking honest and unbiased advice and recommendations and no matter how you look at it, there’s a conflict of interest involved.

When I’m shopping for myself, I want reviews from real people, and genuine recommendations from happy customers, not endorsements from affiliate programme members, hyping a company or product because they get a kickback from it or even saying negative things because they are getting a kickback from a competitor. It’s refreshing (and increasingly rare) to buy from a business that isn’t paying people to pitch their products or link to their site.

So why do so many companies offer these schemes then? There are many reasons, often it’s because of the perception that everyone else is doing it, or because their software offers it as an option so they think they should be doing it, or sadly, it can be because it’s the only way they can get recommendations to bring new customers into their store.

I believe in building a long-term relationship with my customers that is based on honesty and integrity and affiliate schemes just don’t go hand in hand with this business model.

So, when someone recommends us to you, or you see a tweet or a review mentioning us, you’ll know it’s a genuine recommendation, and not because you’re paying a higher price so someone else can “earn” from your purchases.

Lisa