PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT | NOVEMBER 2007

In the last edition of The Link, we asked which LinkShare tool you were most interested in learning more about from the following choices: Merchandiser (Product Feed), RSS Feeds, and Dynamic Rich Media. We compiled the results, and the winner was Merchandiser (Product Feed). We hope you will take a few minutes to learn more about this exciting and versatile tool. For more information on Merchandiser, please visit the Resource Center.

Using LinkShare Merchandiser

Do you have a product feed? If so, you should utilize LinkShare Merchandiser.

Merchandiser is a product data feed that LinkShare converts into publisher tracking links. Most publishers access the file via FTP, and then develop websites and applications using the product links in the file. Merchandiser allows publishers to integrate links to your products directly on their website without having to manually create links to each product that you offer. Shopping Comparison sites, product search engines, deal sites, and loyalty sites all use the Merchandiser feed to place product links on their website. We’ve also seen publishers create LinkShare links in Facebook application using Merchandiser.

LinkShare recently released a new Web Service API called the Merchandiser Query Tool. Using this API, Publishers can access your Merchandiser data using a Web Service call. This makes it even easier for advanced Publishers to pick up your product links on the fly.

Coming Soon: Scored Merchandiser

Scored Merchandiser is a solution that will give your Publishers greater insight into top-performing products.

LinkShare will be introducing a metric for predicting conversion rates. This metric will be an additional column of information in the Merchandiser file that can show a score for each product you upload. This score gives Publishers valuable conversion info on your products, letting them find and promote your top-performing products more effectively. The scores will range from 0 to 1, with 1 being the best converting. Scoring can work in four different ways:

• A score you add to the Merchandiser file
• A score that LinkShare computes based on publisher conversion rates
• A weighted blend of these two scores, calculated by LinkShare
• No scoring at all

With the initial release of this metric, your product feed will display a 1 in the scored field until we include conversion scores. We are excited to offer you this opportunity to help optimize your relationships with LinkShare Publishers.

There is a cost associated with Merchandiser. If you are interested in signing up, please reach out to your primary LinkShare contact.