CSS editors and affiliation: the new winning combination?

In 2017, the European Commission fined Google 2.42 billion euros relating to Google Shopping for abuse of a dominant position. As a result, Google opened up access to Google Shopping to third-party publishers. A new type of digital marketing player has emerged: CSS (Comparison Shopping Services) publishers. These publishers quickly established themselves as top partners in affiliate programs. On our Effiliation platform, for example, we have found that they can contribute an average of 15% in incremental sales. In some cases, incremental sales can be as high as 41%! These publishers can help both B2C and B2B advertisers with their acquisition issues.

What is a CSS editor?

CSS stands for COMPARISON SHOPPING SERVICE. In plain English, these publishers are price comparison sites that display your products via the Google Shopping service. Historic publishers such as Stylight and Shopzilla sit alongside newcomers such as Redbrain, Shopia and Google Shopping Europe. In order to relay your products on Google Shopping, these publishers must be certified by Google. They must meet a number of prerequisites to guarantee a high level of quality for advertisers. Finally, the CSS program only operates in the European Economic Area and Switzerland, which currently represents 21 countries.

Why work with CSS publishers as affiliates in addition to my SEA agency?

Many advertisers already work with CSS via their agencies, often on a CPC basis. When you work with complementary CSS publishers in affiliation, you’re guaranteed to pay them on a CPA basis! You only pay your CSS partner if they generate sales for you, so you’re guaranteed to stay within your target acquisition costs. The role of CSS publishers is to buy CPC slots on Google Shopping in order to bring you more share of voice, with the aim of generating more traffic to your site and more sales. By working with them as affiliates, they only win if you win. The risk is entirely borne by the publisher, thanks to the CPA business model.

Will CSS affiliate publishers compete with my SEA agency and cause me harm?

Let’s answer that right away: NO! The bidding model on Google Shopping is favorable to e-merchants: CSS agencies/publishers don’t bid against campaigns managed directly by their advertisers, but against similar queries from competing advertisers. In other words, they don’t compete against you, but with you, against your competitors.

Are you worried that competition between several CSS players vying for your brand will drive up CPCs?

The bidding system works as follows: the e-merchant with the highest bid will pay one cent more than his nearest e-merchant competitor, not his maximum bid. In concrete terms, by activating several CSS players, you have additional weapons with which to counter your competitors. We strongly recommend activating several CSS partners simultaneously. Multiplying your partners will maximize your chances of winning bids against your competitors. By analyzing the results per partner, you can assess the relevance of your partners’ buying strategies (whether your SEA agency or your affiliate publishers) and optimize your campaigns accordingly.

How to launch CSS affiliate partnerships

All you have to do is accept our different CSS partners on your affiliate program and agree on the starting fee. Once this has been done, the CSS partner will send you an opt-in request via the Google Merchant Center, which you will have to accept. All they need is a regularly updated product feed based on stock levels.

How can I optimize my CSS partnerships?

The simplest step is to optimize the product flow according to the partner’s needs. You can also apply specific distribution rules. You can ask your partner to focus on specific products: inclusion or exclusion of product categories, according to price, according to stock. It is also possible to exclude keywords, such as manufacturer brand names. The profitability of these players also needs to be monitored and controlled: adjusting the CPA commission rate, upwards or downwards, according to the publisher’s revenue per click (eCPC) is one of the priority optimizations. The publisher will be able to advise you on the optimal rate that will give you maximum exposure while respecting your target acquisition cost. On our Effiliation platform, we find that advertisers who optimize their CSS partnerships can gain up to 135% of traffic from CSS. By doubling the remuneration rate of a CSS partner on a high-tech/home appliances affiliate program, they were able to generate 3x more sales. Follow in the footsteps of many of our merchants and take advantage of this leverage to boost your traffic and increase your sales! Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our teams.

Mis à jour le 23 January 2025