Review of ShoppingAds
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Updated - 11/03/2008
Go to www.shoppingads.com
ShoppingAds works quite easily. The publisher enters their advertisement keywords to suit the topic of the page on which the advertisements will appear. When this is done, the advertisements can then be edited to suit the layout and design of the page with a feature that adjusts size and color.
If the displayed ad is that of an eBay auction, then the publisher is paid on a CPA basis, much like AuctionAds. For those who are not familiar with eBay, it is an online auction marketplace that features a large variety of items. If the displayed ad is that of an online vendor, then the publisher is paid on a CPC basis, much like many other shopping-focused ad networks. Visitors are sent directly to a product page where they can purchase the advertised product. The ad creatives display both an image of the item and the current price for the item.
ShoppingAds works by providing advertisements based on the keywords the publisher has entered. The advertisement is generated instantly and the code is provided for the publisher to place on their webpage.
The advertisements ShoppingAds serves are image and text-based advertisements, typically with a stylized border. Most components of the ads can be selected by the publisher, including the ad size and the various colors used in the ad creative. There is also an option to choose whether a click opens in a new window or in the current one.
As mentioned above, the payout method for ShoppingAds depends on the ad being displayed to the visitor. eBay auction ads are paid on a CPA basis and the publisher earns a commission percentage based on the bid amount. Ads for partner merchants are paid on a CPC basis. Note that the CPC model is only available to premium publishers in the United States and Canada. The rest of the world and standard publishers are restricted to the CPA model.
ShoppingAds has extremely easy controls to navigate. Users log-in by entering their email address and the password with which they signed up. Legacy AuctionAds users can still log in using their old AuctionAds information.
The Account Home page shows total referral earnings, previous CPC balance, previous CPA balance, and total earnings. The timeframe for this snapshot is not clearly stated, but it appears to be a monthly statement. From the main Account Home tab, publishers can access information about payments, earnings, and referrals.
The next tab is Get Code. Publishers can select their ad campaign, enter ad keywords, and customize their ad creatives from this wizard. The remaining three tabs are Reports, Campaigns, and Settings. These are all pretty self-explanatory and easy to use.
ShoppingAds supports a wide range of common banner sizes, each of which displays a small image (or images) and text describing either the eBay auction details or the product on sale at a merchant site. The banner sizes include popular sizes like the 728 leaderboard, 468 banner, 250 square, 125 button, and 120 skyscraper. There are 11 sizes in all.
In addition to the ad size, publishers can also select what ShoppingAds calls an “attitude.” These options are: Classic, Basic, Cool Blue, Ad Fader and Etched. The “attitudes” can be thought of as different layout styles, including the customization of borders and the inclusion of extra buttons. The Ad Fader attitude, for example, has a “next” button for showing additional items.
The Reporting feature can break down the advertising information based on a date range or by campaign and date. When generating the report, publishers can choose to only view information from selected campaigns. They can also choose to only view CPA earnings, CPA earnings, referral earnings, signup bonuses, or all earnings.
The report will show the number of clicks generated, the number of impressions generated, the click-through rate (CTR), and the overall earnings as determined by the options described above.
Getting started with ShoppingAds is extremely easy. Pre-existing AuctionAds publishers are automatically signed up for a ShoppingAds account. For those who do not already have an AuctionAds account, signing up for a new account is done through the prominently featured “Sign Up Now” button on their homepage. There, prospective publishers provide basic information, and their account is activated almost immediately after email verification.
After a publisher is registered and the account is confirmed, they can log-in and start generating ads through the Get Code tab in the dashboard. The ad code can then be implemented on the website of choice and it is live immediately.
Currently, ShoppingAds sends payments on the first of every month via PayPal. The payment is for all revenue generated in the previous month, including CPC, CPA, and referral revenue. The minimum amount for payment is $50.
Publishers are automatically provided with a referral account when they sign up for the main ShoppingAds service. Embedded in each ad creative is a link that reads “Ads by ShoppingAds.” When a visitor clicks on that link and signs up for the service, the original publisher earns 5% of all revenue generated by the new user. This referral revenue is valid for the first six months of the new account. ShoppingAds features a 30-day cookie for all referrals.
Client support on ShoppingAds is done through a contact form on their website. Questions can be asked about everything from technical support to accounts payable. Most inquiries receive a reply within one or two business days. Before asking a question, it is perhaps advisable to read the How It Works, FAQ, and Blog sections of ShoppingAds.
Since ShoppingAds will be a CPA ad network for most publishers, it may not be suitable for websites with low levels of traffic. Premium publishers capitalizing on the CPC advertisements will likely find ShoppingAds to be more lucrative.
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