Table of Contents
- Introduction
- How Does Snowball: Affiliate Marketing Work?
- How Does Affilo: Affiliate Marketing Work?
- How Much Does Snowball: Affiliate Marketing Cost
- How much does Affilo: Affiliate Marketing cost?
- Cost Analysis: Snowball: Affiliate Marketing vs. Affilo: Affiliate Marketing
- User Reviews & Customer Support Insights
- Integration and Compatibility Comparison
- Conclusion
Introduction
With ecommerce sales expected to reach about $4.5 trillion by the year 2021, as reported by DataPortal, the potential to capture market share via affiliate marketing is impressive. Affiliate programs are gaining popularity since they provide a cost-effective way for brands to drive traffic and increase sales. Two apps on the Shopify platform, Snowball: Affiliate Marketing developed by Social Snowball and Affilo: Affiliate Marketing developed by Affilo, have been both engineered to leverage this significant market opportunity. Both support application owners in managing and optimizing their affiliate marketing, forming an integral part of their overall marketing strategy.
How Does Snowball: Affiliate Marketing Work?
Snowball: Affiliate Marketing is geared towards harnessing the power of word-of-mouth marketing. By using features, such as sign-up forms, product gifting, Safelinks to eliminate affiliate code leaks and coupon abuse, and payout options for affiliate commissions, businesses can encourage and incentivize their customers and influencers to bring in more sales. These features are especially beneficial for businesses venturing into affiliate marketing or those looking to expand their current affiliate programs. Startups, for instance, will benefit from the easy setup and management of up to two programs under the Snow Day plan. At the same time, larger enterprises, with the Blizzard plan, can create and manage up to 10 programs without any commission fees, giving them more control over their marketing budget. Let's take an example of a fashion startup launching its online store. With Snowball's easy-to-use features, it can turn its first customers into brand ambassadors. Similarly, an established brand planning to collate its influencer marketing initiatives from various platforms can utilize Snowball as a central hub for managing and tracking referral sales.
How Does Affilo: Affiliate Marketing Work?
Like Snowball, Affilo: Affiliate Marketing facilitates the management of affiliate programs, but with the added advantage of more comprehensive analytics and commission setup options. The app's features allow businesses to create unlimited affiliate programs and pay commissions as they deem fit. Along with these, the app boasts advanced analytics and an easy-to-use interface. For instance, a startup would find its affiliate discount codes and advanced analytics useful for understanding how its programs fare, while a large enterprise might benefit from the app’s tiered commission structure and unlimited affiliates/orders. Consider a business with several products at different price points. Such a business could set up different commissions for various products in the Affilo platform, either viewing them separately or studying the combined effect of these programs.
How Much Does Snowball: Affiliate Marketing Cost
Looking at CHI Software's research suggesting about 40% of total marketing budgets are spent on channel programs, efficient cost management in affiliate marketing becomes vital. Snowball offers two pricing tiers; the $99/month Snow Day plan ideal for small businesses or startups and the $499/month Blizzard plan designed for larger enterprises. Note, however, the Blizzard plan excludes any commission fees, which may significantly reduce the costs for businesses with substantial affiliate payouts.
How much does Affilo: Affiliate Marketing cost?
Affilo presents its Standard program at $24/month and Pro program at $49/month. The Pro Plan stands out when compared with its counterpart in SnowBall due to its affordability and additional features - Bulk messaging/emailing, pay via Store credit and more.
Cost Analysis: Snowball: Affiliate Marketing vs. Affilo: Affiliate Marketing
Looking at the costs, Affilo: Affiliate Marketing comes across as the more cost-effective option, especially when considering the wide array of features it offers at its price points. However, Snowball: Affiliate Marketing's premium tier may prove more economical for businesses that have high commission payouts due to its lack of commission fees.
User Reviews & Customer Support Insights
Is Snowball: Affiliate Marketing good?
From a hefty number of 164 reviews, Snowball: Affiliate Marketing enjoys an impressive rating of 4.9 stars. Given features like multiple payout options and up to 10 programs, it's reasonable to presume users appreciate the flexibility and range of features it offers. The app's innovative approach and practical solutions could very well account for the commendable rating.Is Affilo: Affiliate Marketing good?
Affilo: Affiliate Marketing holds a respectable rating of 4.4 stars from 72 reviews. Affilo's comprehensive analytics and flexible commission setup options are likely contributing factors to its high rating.User Preference: Snowball: Affiliate Marketing or Affilo: Affiliate Marketing?
While Snowball: Affiliate Marketing has a higher average rating and twice the number of reviews, Affilo: Affiliate Marketing holds a substantial share of user preference thanks to its comprehensive features and lower costs. The difference in ratings could be associated with factors like the industrial focus of both apps, their ease of use, and even the size of business they cater to.Integration and Compatibility Comparison
Snowball: Affiliate Marketing Integrations:
With integrations with multiple top-notch platforms including Klaviyo, Tremendous, Zapier, Postscript, PageFly, Knocommerce, Snowball: Affiliate Marketing can seamlessly blend with most business's existing tech stack, thereby complementing several marketing and customer lifecycle strategies.Affilo: Affiliate Marketing Integrations:
While Affilo: Affiliate Marketing is compatible with PayPal & MailChimp, its integrations are slightly less extensive when compared to Snowball. However, both apps are compatible with Klaviyo, implying that both apps equally cater to businesses with advanced email marketing needs.Conclusion
Both Snowball: Affiliate Marketing and Affilo: Affiliate Marketing offer comprehensive affiliate marketing solutions with unique capabilities. However, user feedback suggests that Snowball's integrative capabilities and lack of commission fees give it an edge, while Affilo’s low-cost plans and extensive analytics make it a strong contender in the market. And while the weakness of each of the apps is subjective to user preference, Affilo could improve its integration capabilities and Snowball could offer lower cost plans. As for recommendations, businesses should consider their specific needs when choosing between the two. Affilo's cost-effectiveness and analytics could be advantageous for startups and SMEs, while Snowball's extensive reporting and lack of commission fees may better suit larger enterprises. At the end of the day, both apps provide robust platforms to run efficient and profitable affiliate programs.
Still Searching For The Right Fit?
Affiliate marketing is a powerful tool in the e-commerce landscape, and choosing the right app can make all the difference. Let us introduce you to an app that stands out in this category.
SC Conjured Referrals by Shop Circle
Elevate your marketing strategy with SC Conjured Referrals, a top-rated app designed to transform your loyal customers into brand ambassadors. Launched in 2016 and available in multiple languages, this app is built to fit any business. It offers a seamless experience with the latest Shopify themes and can be managed directly from the Shopify admin. SC Conjured Referrals excels in creating a bridge between your brand and potential customers, leveraging the trust of your existing clientele. Key features include generating unlimited referral links, automatic coupon creation, post-purchase popups for immediate sharing, and newsletter incentives to boost subscriber engagement. The app also ensures genuine referrals with its advanced fraud detection system. Reward your successful referrals with free gifts and gift cards, making it a comprehensive solution for any Shopify store. Merchants have praised SC Conjured Referrals for its user-friendly interface, customization options, and seamless integration with platforms like Klaviyo. The app's responsive and helpful customer support team adds to its appeal. Discover SC Conjured Referrals and start leveraging the power of trusted referrals today.
