Affiliate marketing is often presented as a fair way to reward bloggers and content creators for generating sales. But how reliable is the system in practice? A personal Christmas shopping test I recently conducted sheds a shocking light on the shortcomings of the current model. And I am not the only one: several travel bloggers have confirmed that they’ve had similar experiences.
The test: 27 gifts, 6 webshops
During the holiday season, a small group of people purchased 27 gifts using affiliate links. We used six different webshops and ensured the links were “clean”—no cloaked or modified URLs. The goal was to gain insight into the reliability of affiliate tracking and the actual registration of sales. The majority of the sales went via TradeTracker links.
The results
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 27 purchases made via affiliate links.
- Only 8 transactions (29,63%) were correctly registered.
- 19 transactions (70,37%) were not registered, despite using clean links and following the correct process.
This means that a large portion of the transactions simply went untracked. Despite doing everything correctly, the rewards were missing.
A broader issue: experiences of other travel bloggers
After sharing my test results, I reached out to other travel bloggers to ask about their experiences with affiliate marketing. About 15 bloggers contacted me independently to say they’ve conducted similar tests. Their findings confirm my experience: affiliate links often don’t work as promised. Many transactions are not registered, and bloggers don’t receive the proper compensation for their efforts.
These shared experiences point to a structural problem within the affiliate system. It’s clear this is not a matter of chance or occasional technical issues.
What’s going wrong?
These results raise a fundamental question: how can we trust a system where so many transactions go untracked? There are several possible causes:
- Technical errors: Tracking pixels or cookies that don’t function properly.
- Deliberate manipulation: Webshops or intermediaries failing to pass on sales data.
- Cookie policies: Restrictions due to new privacy regulations, such as shorter cookie durations.
Whatever the exact cause, the outcome is clear: the current affiliate model is unreliable and disadvantages bloggers who rely on this income.
The impact on travel bloggers
For travel bloggers, this poses a serious threat. Affiliate marketing is a commonly used income source in our industry. If a significant portion of sales goes unregistered, our efforts are consistently undervalued. This not only undermines our earnings but also the trust in the system.
Time for change
It’s essential for us as travel bloggers to consider alternatives to the current model. Here are some options:
- Pay per click (PPC): A fixed fee per click on a link, regardless of whether a sale is generated.
- Flat fees: Instead of relying on sales commissions, working with a pre-agreed fee for promotion.
- Direct partnerships: Collaborating with companies without the involvement of affiliate networks, ensuring transparent agreements.
A call to action
As a group of travel bloggers, we have a collective responsibility to advocate for fair compensation models. This is not only in our own interest but also essential for maintaining the integrity of our profession. The shared experiences of multiple bloggers demonstrate that change is necessary.
We invite all travel bloggers to join the discussion on this topic. Together, we can send a strong signal and push for changes that strengthen our position.
Have you experienced missed affiliate earnings? Or do you have ideas on how we can stand stronger as a group? Let us know through the community or contact us directly. Together, we can work towards a fairer system.
About the author
Chris is the founder of the Dutch Travel Bloggers Community and has years of experience as a travel blogger and marketer. Through his platform https://dutchtravelbloggers.com, he advocates for transparency and fair collaborations within the travel industry.
