The Target affiliate program lets you represent one of the largest US retailers (# 2 after Walmart) to your online audience.
In fact Target’s affiliate program is very similar to the Walmart affiliate program. Both pay a bit more than you would get with Amazon Associates and both will likely not convert as well.
We have an in-depth Walmart affiliate program review that you can aslo take a look at.
One of the key benefits of the Target affiliate program is the trust that people have with Target. Everyone knows them and has shopped there.
Target has products for almost any niche so most affiliates will have items to promote to their audience. With the recent Amazon commission rate cuts the Target program pays better on most items than Amazon does.
Let’s take a look …
Target Affiliate Program
Types of products: Broad range of physical products.
Where to join: http://affiliate.target.com/
Commission structure: Categories with volume gates
Cookie length: 7 days
Payment Methods: Paypal
How does the Target Affiliate Program Work?
So, let’s start with a basic overview of the Target affiliate program and see how it compares to Amazon’s.
- Products — Target has many, many products but it is still a subset of Amazon’s inventory. So if you are in an obscure niche, Amazon will be a better fit. On the other hand, everyday items in many departments are available at Target. From baby apparel, kitchen appliances, and electronics, you can find them at Target.
- Commissions — The commission rates at Target are based on a performance sliding scale. Amazon used to do this. The more you sell the better your commission. For high-volume affiliates, you may earn more per transaction at Target.
- Tools and Support — Deep linking is the main tool I must have and both programs allow for this. I find links in-context in a review or other articles are the best performers. I rarely use a widget, banner, etc. Amazon, however, does have a huge third-party vendor community for affiliates who can get API access.
- Rigidness — Target isn’t as rigid as Amazon you rarely hear of people being deauthorized. You can use your website, funnel software to direct users to your recommended products. For email marketing, it is best to refer your customers back to a page on your website.
Applying for the Target Affiliate Program
Target is very inclusive with their affiliate program. Most people are accepted to the program. You should have a niche website and some quality content.
As long as you are not in forbidden industries like gambling or have offensive material of some kind, a family friendly website, you should be fine.
Target has an affiliate information page or you can go directly to the Target affiliate program registration page.
Target Products
Target sells a broad line of food, pet supplies, clothing, electronics, home decor, and more. They sell both national brands and exclusive products.
Most of these products have a target affiliate payout. In total there are over a million products. Certainly any niche marketer will find products for their audience at Target. Just be sure to focus on the better paying products.
Target affiliate products are broken down into categories. Some of the better-selling products include the following categories …
- School supplies
- Beauty category
- Baby gear furniture
- Small appliances
- Toys
- Outdoor living
- Pet Supplies
- Electronics
- Sports
- Luggage
There are excluded product categories that generally include the grocery and other similar products. These include …
- Household sundries
- Cafe at Target
- Baby Care items
- Digital products including music
- Books and magazines.
- Snacks and candy
Target Bull’s Eye View
Target now has their Bull’s Eye view. A place where you can find all behind the scenes stories and Target’s business affairs.
They also will integrate all of their social media channel communications here. As well as having special product announcements.
It is an integration of the former corporate.target.com and abullseyeview.com.
Go to our affiliate programs page for more program reviews.
Target Affiliate Program Commission Rates and Rules
Target’s Affiliate Program pays affiliate marketers much better than Amazon’s.
First, they reward successful affiliates with a commission schedule that increases as your sales do. The more you sell the higher the commission rate This type of volume bonus was discontinued by Amazon.
Also, the cookie length is 7 days vs. Amazons 24-hour cookie. And finally, you earn commission on any product purchased during the days period.
If a customer comes to target via your link you get paid on the initial purchase AND if they return within the 7 days cookie window, even if not again via your link, you will get paid. Nice.
Currently, 4 categories that allow you to promote products are:
- 1) Accessories and Apparels,
- 2) Home and Kitchen Appliances,
- 3) Health and Beauty.
- 4) Baby Gear and Furniture.
Target Affiliate Program Commission Rates
You can earn a commission of 1% to 8% depending upon the kind of product you are promoting and how many times have you generated sales in a specific month.
The Target commission structure is category based. Apparel and accessories plus Home and Outdoor Living are the categories with the highest commission rates of 5% to 8% once your sales exceed $10,001. in sales.
Baby gear and Furniture rates can go as high as 5%. Last but not least, the beauty and health category will land you a commission rate of only 1%.
- Apparel — 5% – 8%
- Home & Outdoor — 5% – 8%
- Baby and Furntiture — 5%
- Health Beauty — 1%
The Target affiliate program also provides accelerators and bonus payments for its high-volume affiliates. Like other affiliate programs, you are paid on monthly net orders. Here is the complete commission rate chart …
CPA
CPAs are payments when a visitor of your performs an action (vs. making a purchase). These include …
- REDcard Signup
- Wedding Registry
- Baby Registry
- College Registry
Excluded Products
It is important to note that the Target affiliate program has some excluded products.
. That means these sales will pay no commission. These include …
Affiliate Tools and Support
Target’s program is managed by Impact (Previously Impact Radius). There you will find lots of banners and swipes that you can use.
The Target affiliate program also weekly affiliate newsletters with special promotions, coupon codes and other timely information for your audience.
Creating Target Affiliate Links
Impact also lets you create deep links. This means you can create a custom link to any page at