Skimming the most recent posts at TechCrunch, I found this post about Clickriver, a beta website to enable advertisers to place sponsored links on Amazon webpages:
Amazon.com’s subsidiary A9.com has built a new pay-per-click (PPC) advertising network called Clickriver. Clickriver will allow advertisers to display text ads alongside Amazon.com’s product pages and search results. This service will compete with the likes of Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and many others — although Clickriver at launch will only serve ads to Amazon.com-owned websites.
Being listed as a “related item” on a popular page can be a huge boon for sales – and with this move Amazon is effectively turning that advantage into a commodity. There’s something cannibalistic about that, but it could generate a lot of revenue. I think it’s fascinating. The service is currently accepting applications for its closed beta. Update: Amazon contacted me to clarify that advertised products must be complementary, sold off-site and not in competition with what Amazon is selling. I apologize for getting it wrong.
From the viewpoint of an Amazon affiliate, my reaction is ambivalent. Is anything that pumps up Amazon’s bottom line also good for me? Indirectly. But my affiliation only earns money at Amazon — if a customer clicks through to another site, Amazon gets the pay-per-click fee and I get zilch, even if my affiliation link referred the customer to the Amazon webpage.
Half a huzzah, then, for Clickriver. And I’ll keep looking to broaden and diversify my revenue streams, thank you.
Now, off-topic but important:
You are invited to visit the CoHR, Christmas shopping edition. “CoHR” is the Carnival of Hurricane Relief, a grassroots online effort to maintain awareness of the Gulf Coast as its people work towards recovery from the 2005 hurricane season.
If you are an individual, small business or non-profit directly and adversely affected by the 2005 hurricane season, you may request a listing free.
If you are shopping for Christmas, you are encouraged to find one item from your Christmas list from among the items and services available from Gulf Coast individuals, small businesses and non-profits.
