Introduction
Amazon.Com's affiliate program provides a way for small web content providers to earn revenue from selling books and other goods on their web sites. This is a brief overview of how to put an Amazon store on your web site. Web advertising can be used to support not-for-profit web sites, such as the ACS Digital Library.
Signing up your web site
Amazon provide an online sign up for their service and issue a code to track referrals to Amazon. Links using that code are placed in your web site and Amazon pays a commission on sales made using that code.
E-Advertising
Amazon provides several sorts of links to its products:
- Product Links: These are links to one specific product. The links can have an image of the product and a description, or they can be simple text links.
- Omakase: Omakase automatically selects products to display. Images, or just text can be displayed. The service resembles Google's AdWords / AdSense service. You can suggest what sort of products to display (or not display), but Amazon's system makes the choice.
- aStore: provides a set of web pages with selected product categories listed.
Getting Paid
An important part of the Amazon's process is getting paid. When your earnings reach a specific amount, Amazon will send payment. Payment can be by paper check or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), with payment directly deposited in your bank account, in some countries.
Amazon provide the Affiliate Program on their US, UK, German, French and Japanese sites. The details of each program differ slightly, you need to separately sign up for each. The user interface for the German, French and Japanese systems are in those languages, but it is possible to all of them to build stores in languages you do not speak.
Examples
Amazon stores in: US, UK, France, Germany, and Japan.
Speciality stores:
- Accessible Web Design: Web site testing and General Accessibility for web pages.
- Books by Australians and about Australia in: English, French, German and Japanese.
- Australian Bush Hats: Hats, Oilskin Coats, Saddles, Boots and Books of Australian Outback.
- Canberra: History, Travel and Architecture of the city of Canberra.
- Car PCs: Books and parts with a step by step guide to building a computer into a car for entertainment, GPS navigation and car diagnostics.
- Doing Business in China: Help with doing business in China and with Chinese companies, government rules, culture, travel guides, DVDs, Chinese Electronic Translators.
- Computer and video games: Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, Sony Playstation, PC, Apple games and books.
- Electronic Learning: E-learning and computer-enhanced learning, Online Learning or Online Education, learning technology and educational technology books, products and tools.
- Energy and Water Saving: Energy Saving Books, Climate Change, Energy Saving Products, Water Saving Books, Water Saving Gardens, Water Saving Products, Low Water Plants, Xeriscape Plants.
- Film, TV and Video Games Industry: Books on Film Making, TV Production, Games Industry Electronics, Cameras and Photography.
- Fishing: Books, Equipment and Clothes for Fly, Salt Water, Freshwater, Trout, Salmon and Bass Fishing.
- Folding Bicycles: Folding Bikes (16 Inch, 18 Inch, 20 Inch, 26 Inch), Mountain Bikes, Bicycle Apparel, Bicycle Equipment, Bicycle Books.
- Gap Year: Books for your "Overseas Experience". Prepare for college or university. Enjoy yourself while travelling and working in other countries.
- Golf Equipment: Accessories, Electric Buggies and Carts, Clubs Bags and Sets, Left-Handed and Clothes.
- GPS Car Navigation Systems: Units, plus how-to Books and DVDs.
- Home Office Products: Computer and telecommunications equipment for your small or home office. With ADSL Modems, Routers, VOIP, Skype Phones.
- Computer Education Products: Books and other training materials for the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL/ECDL) computer literacy standard.
- Military Technology: Books on UAVs, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program, Network Centric Warfare, airborne early warning and control aircraft.
- International Sporting Events: Clothes, Books, DVDs and Related Products from the Olympic Games and other events.
- Robots: Robot kits, books and videos. Build and program your own robot. With: Lego Mindstorms and the iRobot Roomba Robotic Vacuum.
- RSS Feeds: Books about RSS and Atom Feeds, Podcasting and Blogging
- Smart Apartment: Home Automation, Fuzzy Logic Products, Home Theatre and Wide Screen TV.
- Trains: Train Books, Model Railways, Rail Travel Books and DVDs
- Universal Service
- USB: Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices and information.
- Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin: Architects of Canberra, town planners and landscape architecture.