[Bryan Rhodes]

Spring is a transition month for BackcountryStore.com. We're still selling backcountry ski gear but we also see sleeping bags, backpacks, and general camping supplies moving out. The following are my top picks for products that should be on every affiliate site.

Kelty Kid Carriers - If you aren't familiar with these then you don't have kids. Kelty makes the finest carriers around and we have a huge selection of them. Our text link, ID# 574809 / Kelty Child Carriers, has the highest 3-month EPC of any text link or banner.
Check out Kelty Kid Carriers. (http://www.backcountrystore.com/kelty_wheels.htm)

Oakley Sunglasses and Clothing - Oakley consistently has 5 of our top 10 products. Exactly which one varies, but the Oakley Minutes (http://www.backcountrystore.com/oakleyminutes.htm)are number one right now. Also popular are the Smoke and Big Smoke Sandals. (http://www.backcountrystore.com/oakleyshoes-7055.htm)

Polar Heart Rate Monitors - The A5 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (http://www.backcountrystore.com/polara5heartratemonitorwatch.htm)is currently our best selling watch.

Camelbak Hydration Packs - Every outdoor athlete needs water. Mountain bikers and trail runners prefer Camelbak Hydration Packs. (http://www.backcountrystore.com/camelbak_backpacks.htm) The Camelbak Mule is a top seller. (http://www.backcountrystore.com/camelbakmule100oz.htm)

Salomon XA Pro Running Shoe - This shoe just won awards from Outside Magazine and Trail Runner Magazine. Anyone see the Eco-Challenge Adventure Race on the USA network? The XA Pro (http://www.backcountrystore.com/salomonxapro-mens.htm) and the Salomon Raid Race (http://www.backcountrystore.com/salomonraidrace-mens.htm) received a lot of exposure.

Please post your feedback on how these products are selling for you.

Thanks,

Bryan

[jbresee]

Whoa, not to pat my own company on the back, but that's damn good post Bryan.

-John

[canfree]

What is your #1 kind of tent?
backpack? and what's your best seller as far as apparel? and hiking boots.

What time of the year do you do the most sales? When are the "extreme" slow times?

[Gordon]

Don't tell her John she is in competition with me /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[Bryan Rhodes]

Sorry Gordon, I'm going to share this info with everybody.

Our Spring/Summer bestsellers by category are:

Tents:The Road Runner Tent (http://www.backcountrystore.com/thenorthfaceroadrunner2tent2-person3-season.htm)from The North Face is about to receive an award from a major publication. We expect them to sell like crazy this summer.

The MSR Fury Tent (http://www.backcountrystore.com/msrfurytent2-person4-season.htm) has been flying out the door.

Another popular product in the tent category is the Kelty Sun Shade (http://www.backcountrystore.com/keltysunshade-large.htm). They are popular with the RV crowd, beach bums and desert campers.

Backpacks:We sell more Camelbak Hydration Backpacks than any other type. The Camelbak Classic (http://www.backcountrystore.com/camelbakclassic70oz.htm) and Camelbak Hydrobak (http://www.backcountrystore.com/camelbakhydrobak50oz.htm) pretty much sell themselves.

Our best selling weekend pack is the Gregory Reality. (http://www.backcountrystore.com/gregoryreality4350.htm)

Apparel:The following shoes and clothes are very popular.

Oakley Big Smoke Sandal (http://www.backcountrystore.com/oakleybigsmokesandal.htm)

Salomon STF 6 Gore-Tex Boot is our best selling lite hiking boot (http://www.backcountrystore.com/salomonstf6gtxwomenshikingboot.htm)

Gramicci Shorts for men and women (http://www.backcountrystore.com/gramiccishort-mens.htm)

Marmot Precip Rainwear (http://www.backcountrystore.com/marmotprecipjacket.htm)

That should be more than enough to get you started. I'll keep updating our best selling products on a monthly and seasonal basis.

Thanks.

[ 05-07-2002: Message edited by: Bryan Rhodes ]

[webmarm]

Hi,
Looks like we just bought a camping gear domain name (sigh, will he never stop? /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif ).
How much are your top affiliates earning?

thanks.


added: Sorry if this has been discussed already, but why is your reversal rate 35%??

[ 05-15-2002: Message edited by: webmistress ]

[Bryan Rhodes]

Webmistress,

I sent you specific info in a private message regarding our top affiliate sales.
I don't know exactly how our commissions compare with other programs, but it is certainly possible to make money through our affiliate program. Our top affiliates earn over a $1000 per month.

As for the reversal rate, take a look at the topic "Why was this reversed?" That explains why we reverse things.
As for why it is 35%, this is due to our belief that having our online credit card verification set as tightly as possible to keep out all fraud also keeps out legitimate customers who simply type the wrong card number or address. If you ever have a question about a reversal I am more than willing to fax you a copy of the sales transaction.

Give me a call or email and I'd be happy to get into more detail about our program, top products, or anything else on your mind.

Regards,

Bryan

[ 05-15-2002: Message edited by: Bryan Rhodes ]

[TK]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>How much are your top affiliates earning?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's something I'd be interested in knowing as well.. You say they earn over $1000 a month, but can you be more specific.. A few top earner figures would be nice..

Regards,
TK

[Bryan Rhodes]

Tk,

I spent you more specific info in a PM.

But perhaps the most important thing for an ABW Affiliate guru to know about our program is this -- We have a lot of content sites in our program. For a long time, both before and after I was involved with this program, we made some bad decisions about who to approve and who to reject. I feel that anyone here at ABW can match our top guys with very little effort.
Looking forward to Christmas, if the trends stay the same, and they have the last two years, then this December our top Affiliates will earn $4000 to $6000. We have a big holiday season but the exciting part of our program is that after the holidays we aren't seeing our commissions drop back to the pre-Christmas rate. Annually our program has grown by 150 - 200%.

Is their any other information I can give you?

Thanks for your interest,

Bryan