What are Misleading Deals
Affiliate publishers have strong incentives to get users to click their marketing links: Only if a user clicks are cookies dropped and the affiliate put on a path to be paid.
Some affiliate publishers succumb to temptation and promote offers that, to put it generously, mischaracterize the offer. For example, a site selling shoes might have a clearance section where select shoes are 40% off. The marketing claim “shoes – 40% off” is sort of true, but suggests that all shoes are discounted, when that offer actually applies to only a fraction of inventory. An even more explicit claim like “40% off all shoes” – that’s even more explicitly false, but also more likely to get users to click.
Beyond overstated benefits, misleading deals come in countless other forms. Some affiliates retain marketing copy months after a business has moved on. Other affiliates omit required disclosures necessary for an offer to make sense or comply with applicable law.
Merchants have strong reasons to be wary of misleading deals. One, some regulators have instructed that merchants can be legally liable for their affiliates’ misstatements. Two, if one affiliate plays fast and loose with marketing claims, others may follow. Three, misleading deals may help drive users to a merchant’s site, but they are also likely to reduce conversion rates – especially when users don’t find what they were led to expect, or when a misleading claim brings a user to a nonexistent web page or a sold-out item. Finally, misleading deals tarnish a merchant’s reputation by making the merchant seem less than honest – reducing conversion rates, return propensity, and overall standing in the market.
Specific forms of misleading deals
While there are countless variations on misleading deals, the following four standard methods are particularly prevalent:
- False promise: Publisher describes a product the merchant simply doesn’t sell. Users who click through this offer will be puzzled not to find what they were told they could buy.
Misrepresentation of price: Publisher describes an incorrect price, or a discount or promotion not available. Users who click through are surprised to be asked to pay more.
- Misleading graphics: A publisher creates images promoting the product, but the images inconsistent with the product’s true characteristics.
- Stale material: A publisher keeps coupons on its site after they expire, or promotes items or discounts that are discontinued or no longer available. Anyone trying to buy these products or redeem these deals will be disappointed.
VPT can help with misleading deals
Many merchants try to watch their affiliates manually, such as by browsing publisher web sites. This is a natural start, but it’s time-consuming and misses many problems.
VPT has built automation to uncover misleading deals. Our systems see offers the same way users do, so we can check for text and links that are contrary to merchants’ rules, including both keyword lists (what must and must not be said) as well as AI to examine new text. We check every link to make sure landing pages are both working and authorized. We report our findings in an organized dashboard, helping merchant staff make the best possible use of limited time.
