Cashback and voucher sites: friend or foe of your brand?

Cashback and voucher sites operate at the final stage of the customer journey, helping to close the sale. They are particularly effective at reducing basket abandonment and winning over price-sensitive shoppers.

While they may not always create the initial demand, they often prevent customers from switching to a competitor at the checkout stage. DIKKE KASSA helps brands integrate these partners without sacrificing long-term brand equity.

The main concern is paying commission for customers who would have bought anyway. To mitigate this, monitor the share of new vs. returning customers coming from these platforms.

Implement rules that exclude commission on sales where a generic 'site-wide' discount code was already used. This ensures you only pay for the extra incentive provided by the affiliate.

Instead of offering permanent discounts, use voucher sites for tactical goals such as clearing old stock or launching a new product line. Exclusive codes for specific partners can also help build stronger relationships.

Tiered vouchers—like '£10 off when you spend £100'—are excellent for increasing average order value. This turns a simple discount into a tool for boosting overall revenue.

Cashback members are often highly loyal to their platform of choice. Being present on these sites ensures your brand remains part of their regular shopping rotation.

Unlike voucher codes, cashback is paid out after the sale is fully confirmed, reducing the risk of paying for returned items. It is a clean, performance-based way to reward customer behaviour.

Content-heavy sites often deserve higher commissions than voucher sites because they do the hard work of brand discovery. Set lower base rates for voucher partners to maintain your overall margin.

Regularly review the performance of these partners to ensure they are contributing to your growth. A healthy programme uses a mix of publisher types rather than relying on one single category.