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Amazon is not the only affiliate program
The affiliate world is so Amazon-centric that it's easy to forget other programs exist — and for some markets, they convert better. Amazon's global footprint is huge, but it isn't equally strong in every country, and sending every visitor to Amazon regardless of where they are leaves money on the table.
The country-by-country reality
Amazon is rarely the only option, and sometimes not the best one for a given market:
| Market | Amazon | Also worth considering |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | amazon.de (strong) | Otto, MediaMarkt (electronics) via Awin |
| UK | amazon.co.uk (dominant) | Awin / Webgains retailers for niche goods |
| Australia | amazon.com.au (growing) | Commission Factory's local retailers |
| Japan | amazon.co.jp (tech) | Rakuten (large across categories) |
| Brazil | amazon.com.br (newer) | Local marketplaces with deeper reach |
The pattern holds across most regions: a local retailer people already recognise and trust often converts better than a foreign store — before you even compare commission rates.
Why it matters for your strategy
If you send everyone to Amazon regardless of country, you are likely:
- Losing conversions where Amazon isn't available or isn't the preferred store.
- Earning less than a local program might pay for the same product.
- Ignoring markets where Amazon has a weak presence.
One link, a program per country
This is where a geo-targeting link does the heavy lifting. Instead of pasting several links into your content, you create one Smart Link and map each country to its own destination — an Amazon marketplace in some places, a local network's merchant in others:
- US → Amazon.com
- UK → Amazon UK, or a local retailer via Awin
- Germany → Amazon.de, or a local alternative
- Australia → a Commission Factory partner
- Japan → Amazon.co.jp or Rakuten
Route your affiliate links in under a minute
Free — no credit card, no code.
The link detects each visitor's country and routes accordingly. You manage every destination from one place, and your analytics show which countries and destinations actually perform.
Tip
The research worth doing
For each significant market in your traffic, look at:
- Available networks — Awin, CJ Affiliate, ShareASale and Impact operate in multiple countries. Which merchants do they carry in your niche?
- Local alternatives — what do people in that country actually use to shop? It's often not Amazon.
- Commission structures — local programs sometimes pay more than Amazon for an equivalent product.
- Trust — a store a visitor recognises tends to convert better than one that feels foreign.
The trade-off
Multi-program geo-targeting is more work than Amazon-only — you join and maintain more programs. A geo-targeting link makes it manageable: update a destination once and it changes everywhere the link is shared, and the analytics tell you where to expand next.
Key takeaway
Route each country to the right program — free to start, no credit card.
Stop losing overseas commissions
Route every shopper to their local store so the sale sticks with your tag — free to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What affiliate programmes work in multiple countries besides Amazon?
Many programmes operate globally including Booking.com, eBay Partner Network, CJ Affiliate, ShareASale, Awin, and Impact. Each has different regional availability and commission structures. geo-smart-links.com helps you route visitors to the correct regional programme.
How do I manage affiliate links across multiple countries and programmes?
With geo-smart-links.com, you create one smart link per product or campaign and configure country-specific destinations. The dashboard lets you manage all your regional URLs from a single interface with analytics showing performance by country.
Do I have to drop Amazon to do this?
No. Most people keep Amazon for markets where it is strong and add local programs only where a local retailer converts better or Amazon is weak. One geo-targeting link can mix Amazon and non-Amazon destinations by country.
Can one link point to different affiliate networks in different countries?
Yes. Each country rule is just a destination URL, so you can send US visitors to an Amazon link, UK visitors to an Awin merchant, and Japan to Rakuten — all from the same short link.
How do I know which markets are worth adding a program for?
Your click analytics break traffic down by country. The countries sending real traffic that currently fall through to your default are the ones where researching a local program pays off first.
The Geo-Smart-Links team
We build the geo-routing, QR and link-analytics platform behind every example in this guide. See how it works →