It’s the secret marketing tool your small business needs to compete with big brands

In today’s digital-first retail environment, smaller brands often face an uphill battle competing with the massive marketing budgets of industry giants. Advertising costs proceed to rise on most platforms, making it difficult for owners of smaller e-commerce businesses to effectively increase sales and scale.

One effective and cost-effective strategy that permits startup brands to increase sales without the high up-front costs associated with traditional promoting is affiliate marketing. In this model, online retailers work with website publishers who have content and audiences that are also relevant to the online retailer. The seller only pays publishers when a sale is actually accomplished, often in the type of a commission expressed as a percentage of those sales, which makes affiliate marketing a low-risk, high-reward marketing strategy.

Cashback rewards programs similar to Rakuten, PayPal Honey and Capital One Shopping, which operate as publishers in an affiliate marketing model, incentivize customers by giving back a small percentage of the commissions they earn as money back on consumer purchases. These and similar programs are used by hundreds of thousands of online customers. By partnering with cashback browser extension publishers through an associates program, smaller retailers can leverage the potential of this performance-based marketing channel and reach value-conscious consumers without overstretching their budgets.

However, smaller online retailers may have concerns about browser extensions and their impact on branding. They may have concerns about margins or losing control over the prices and discounts they provide, or whether their customers will value their products less because of the refund. However, if a brand offers an associates program, it already pays a commission on sales, which ought to be reflected in the margin calculation. Cashback rewards are paid to the customer from the commissions publishers earn on sales. Retailers concerned about whether customers will value their brand less for offering cashback rewards via a browser extension can take heart in knowing that even some luxury brands are starting to do so offer cashback rewards.

The truth is that cashback browser extensions have evolved into a powerful marketing tool that advantages each consumers and merchants. They can increase sales, increase average order value, and help independent e-commerce businesses reach latest customers.

Why consumers love browser extensions

Consumers’ appetite for savings is greater than ever. In a consumer survey commissioned by Wildfire and conducted by research firm Big Village in May 2024, we examined consumer attitudes toward various savings tools, including cashback browser extensions and coupons, used by internet buyers. One finding found that 77% of consumers said they are more interested than ever in receiving money back on purchases, and 72% said they are more interested in using coupons and discounts online when shopping.

These tactics were second only to shopping during sales and promotional events. In fact, these tactics were rated higher than shopping at discount stores or buying generic products.

The Wildfire report also shows that nearly one in three consumers (27%) use browser extensions to get a refund more this 12 months than last and that 70% of consumers who have ever installed a browser extension often use it to get money back.

These findings highlight that shopping tools focused on savings are becoming an integral a part of online shopping. But browser extensions don’t just provide discounts – they increase consumer confidence. Wildfire survey respondents derive many advantages from cashback browser extensions, including:

• 86% find the offers in their extension invaluable
• 84% trust the offers they receive thanks to their extension
• 83% say they save time by getting coupons in their extension

For small and medium-sized retailers, offering offers through extensions can assist make sure that consumers feel they’re making the right purchases, which might translate into higher conversion rates.

Understand the impact of browser extensions on merchants

One of the most typical concerns for smaller, area of interest brands is that offering deals through cashback browser extensions will reduce the perceived value of their products. However, the data says otherwise. Cashback browser extensions don’t just provide customers with discounts – they assist merchants expand their reach and increase sales in several essential ways. Wildfire 2024 study and landmark 2023 study conducted by CJ and Namogoo based on 67 million shopping trips about the business value of browser extensions, illustrating some of the implications for sellers.

1. Improved seller preferences: The use of Cashback browser extensions influences internet buyers’ selection of retailer: 88% of Wildfire survey respondents who use the Cashback browser extension select to shop from sellers offering deals.
2. Increased conversion rates: Conversion rates are crucial for any e-commerce business. A Wildfire survey found that using cashback browser extensions can positively impact merchant conversion rates. In fact, 93% of respondents who use extensions are more likely to complete a purchase. The CJ/Namogoo report found that extensions increased conversions by 25% even for shoppers whose carts didn’t contain discounted items, and that shoppers who received a pre-checkout notification in the Cashback browser extension were 64% more likely to complete purchase compared to extension users who didn’t see the alert.
3. Higher average order values: Perhaps one of the most vital advantages of cashback browser extensions for merchants is an increase in average order value (AOV). A complete of 60% of consumers in the Wildfire survey said they spent more knowing they’d get a deal with an extension because they believed they were maximizing value through money back or coupon offers. Additionally, a CJ/Namogoo report found that shopping browser extensions resulted in a 38% increase in customer add-to-cart rates and 65% more revenue per shopping session when an extension alert appeared.

The advantage of understanding browser extensions

Understandably, independent retailers could also be cautious about allowing their affiliate offers to appear in browser extensions. Concerns about price controls and margin compression often arise. However, cashback browser extensions are not intended to lower prices or devalue a brand – they are intended to create a win-win situation for each brands and the consumer.

The three fundamental the reason why browser extensions make sense are:

• Increased visibility: Being featured in a money back extension can introduce your brand to latest customers who might otherwise shop elsewhere. Many extensions can trigger notifications on the Google search results page, helping retailers stand out in the results with a cashback offer alert.
• Low risk: Unlike traditional promoting, retailers only pay when a sale is made, ensuring you get tangible results from your marketing efforts.
• Ability to compete with larger brands: Cashback browser extensions help level the playing field. Larger brands often have more resources for large-scale marketing campaigns, but smaller retailers can leverage extensions to display their very own cashback offers. This can assist smaller retailers tap into value-conscious customers.

Application

The e-commerce landscape is increasingly competitive, and retailers that do not have the global customer footprint of Walmart, Target, Amazon or Temu need every advantage they’ll get. Including cashback browser extensions as a part of your affiliate marketing strategy might be a smart move that not only increases profits but also builds long-term customer loyalty. In a world where shoppers are always looking for the best price and value, your brand could possibly be the one they turn to when a browser extension tells them about the next great deal.