Luxury Affiliate Marketing: A Beginner's Guide

As affiliate marketers, you want to make the most income from your efforts.

Aside from getting more people to click on your affiliate links, finding high-ticket affiliate programs is another way to increase your earnings.

By becoming affiliate partners to these programs, you get a chance to earn hundreds of dollars per commission sale if promoted correctly.

And, among affiliate programs, nothing is more highbrow and high-ticket than luxury brands.

This post will break down the following:

• What luxury affiliate marketing is all about
• Why you should highly consider becoming partners of luxury brands
• The best luxury affiliate programs you should apply for
• Best tips for promoting luxury brands as affiliates

In the end, you should have the information to help you decide whether to pursue luxury brands as part of your affiliate marketing journey.

Luxury Affiliate Marketing in a Nutshell

Luxury affiliate marketing is the process of making money by promoting affiliate links of luxurious brands.

Luxury brands are associated with fashion and jewelry. However, "luxury" can also allude to experience. Examples are staying in a five-star luxury hotel or riding a luxury cruise ship.

Why You Should Get into Luxury Affiliate Marketing

The term has also been synonymous with extravagance and exclusivity.

People are interested in acquiring high-end goods and apparel and basking in opulent experiences. The reason is that people gain a sense of accomplishment by being able to afford luxury in all its forms using their disposable income.

As a status symbol, luxury items increase the perceived status of the person who owns them.

These products and experiences are also tangible forms of the success they worked hard for in life.

These reasons should convince you to jump the gun and use the psychology of luxury brands against consumers.

But before you do, you must also know that the personal luxury goods market was in danger during the pandemic.

At the height of COVID-19, the market plummeted from 281 billion euros in 2019 to 217 in 2020 according to Statista. Thankfully, things got back on track in 2021 with a market worth 283 billion euros.

While everything's coming up roses for the luxury goods market, the setback it experienced during the pandemic shows you what it truly is: an ultimately unnecessary need in the scheme of things.

So, if something else happens that's similar to the scale of COVID-19 (let's hope not), expect the luxury market to be one of the first casualties in the market again.

That said, this shouldn't dissuade you from pursuing luxury affiliate programs as marketers.

According to XP2 by Dynamic Field, the average order value of Luxury & Jewelry is $225 as of March 2022.

Considering that the average affiliate commission rate falls between 5-30%, expect to earn $11.25-67.5 per sale from luxury retailers and their programs.

Using different affiliate marketing tactics to attract more visitors and generate more sales, you can multiply your earnings and scale your online business in no time!

9 Best Luxury Affiliate Programs

If you're planning to increase your affiliate income with help from luxury brands, you must know which products or experiences you can promote.

In other words, you need to scour for the different luxury affiliate programs you can join first.

Knowing the programs to sign up for, their terms, and the items you can sell on your website will give you a better idea of whether luxury affiliate marketing is for you.

Below are some of the more popular affiliate programs from luxury brands and why you should consider joining them:

1. Net-a-Porter

• URL - The NET-A-PORTER Affiliate Program
• Commission Rates - 6% on most items, 4% on beauty, 3% on sale in Rakuten Advertising
• Cookie Duration - 14 days in Rakuten

Net-a-Porter carries the majority of women's luxury fashion worldwide.

Suppose you're looking for different luxury items (clothing, shoes, pieces of jewelry) as well as brands and designers (Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Gucci). In that case, there's a good chance Net-a-Porter has them.

The wide selection of products you can promote on your website or social media makes it arguably the most vital affiliate program to join.

Once accepted, you also gain access to its marketing materials, such as banner ads that you can display on your ads.

On the downside, the program will deliberate if your site aligns with its affiliate program. So, there's a chance your application will be denied if it doesn't meet their standards.

2. Saks Fifth Avenue

• URL - Saks Fifth Avenue Affiliate Program
• Commission Rates - Between 3-6%
• Cookie Duration - 14 days

Saks Fifth Avenue is another popular store that carries luxury brands and products. Like Net-a-Porter, it has designer clothing, jewelry, and accessories from Christian Louboutin, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, etc.

The store is not afraid to offer up to 75% discount on select items. This somewhat makes their selection of luxury items more forgiving to customers.

So, if you want to promote high-ticket products that aren't as heavy on the budget as their contemporaries, you should apply to its affiliate program.

3. Puffy Mattress

• URL - ShareASale.com and Puffy Mattress
• Commission Rates - 20% (sell 10 mattresses in the first 10 days and receive $1,000 bonus)
• Cookie Duration - 180 days

Luxury products aren't just limited to products people can wear on their bodies.

In the case of Puffy Mattress, you get to experience luxurious sleep and rest at home with your family and loved ones.

The self-cooling memory foam mattresses range from $699-1,149. And with a very generous commission rate, you can earn at least $139.8 per successful sale.

Plus, if you can sell ten mattresses within the next ten upon approval of your application, you can score a hefty $1,000 for your efforts!

Aside from mattresses, the store also carries bed frames and bedding for people and pets. With a niche product that targets everybody, you can join this program to boost your interior design website sales.

4. Oberoi Hotels and Resorts

• URL - Oberoi Hotels Affiliate Program
• Commission Rates - 6% (for an average order value of $337)
• Cookie Duration - 30 days

In line with luxury brands being more of an experience than just products, Oberoi is one of the few hotels offering luxurious getaways in the Indian sub-continent.

The brand provides travelers looking for alternative travel destinations with luxury hotels located in the UAE, Mauritius, Morocco, New Delhi, and others.

This is great if your site covers any locations where Oberoi is available. By talking about the landmarks and tourists in these cities and islands, you can promote the hotel as a place where your readers can stay.

Once you successfully close a sale with your visitors, you can earn $19.92 from its average order value (AOV) of $337.

5. Jimmy Choo

• URL - Jimmy Choo Affiliate Program
• Commission Rates - 8% per sale
• Cookie Duration - Not listed

Jimmy Choo is a British high-fashion luxury brand selling shoes, bags, and accessories for men and women.

Among the various luxury products Jimmy Choo has in store, its women's shoes hold the reputation for being one of the most comfortable in the market. Women can wear them for hours without experiencing rubbing or pinched toes.

Add that to its handmade shoes' sublime quality and craftsmanship, and you have a high-ticket item in your hands.

Use this information when promoting Jimmy Choo shoes on your fashion blog or website.

Regarding its affiliate program, it is believed that the brand offers affiliates 8% per sale, although this isn't stated on their program page.

6. JR Dunn Jewellers

• URL - ShareaSale.com and JR Dunn
• Commission Rates - Not Listed
• Cookie Duration - 90 days

J.R. Dunn is one of the most trusted brands for luxury watches, pieces of jewelry, wedding and engagement rings, and other accessories. It is also the Official Jeweler of Rolex watches.

Aside from Rolex, there are other designers you can find in the store for various products:

• Fine jewelry - Carbon & Hyde, EF Collection, Fope
• Watch brands - Accutron, Breitling, G-Shock
• Bridal designers - Private Label, Anna Sheffield, Gabriel & Co.

The items sold at J.R. Dunn cost at least a thousand dollars, with some of them reaching six figures.

For example, the Colombian Emerald Three Stone Ring (11.47ctw) in Platinum currently runs at $210,000.00. It doesn't get any more luxurious than that!

For affiliates with lifestyle websites, you can promote J.R. Dunn products in your luxury section and see how it goes.

Their affiliate page doesn't share the commission rates for each successful sale, but it's believed to be at 3%. Despite the relatively low rate, you can still rake in around $30 for every $1,000 product sold through your affiliate link.

7. MSC Cruises Luxury

MSC Cruises is one of the biggest privately-owned cruise companies worldwide.

People can book a sail in the Caribbean and Mediterranean all year long. In addition, there are seasonal trips in the other parts of the world, such as South America, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.

Its cruise ships can host 2,000 to 5,000 guests while providing them with top-of-the-line entertainment, technology, and programs the whole family can enjoy.

As affiliates, the cruise your readers booked for the cost and duration doesn't matter. As long as they book a reservation from your affiliate link, you're guaranteed to receive $100.

So, if you own a travel blog, you want to promote cruise ships as an excellent way to reach your readers' travel destinations.

• URL -MSC Cruises affiliate program in Rakuten and Sovrn
• Commission Rates - $100 per successful sale
• Cookie Duration - 30 days

8. OceanScape Yachts

Oceanscape Yachts is the first on the list that allows you to earn potential recurring commission sales from returning customers.

With most affiliate programs, you won't be able to earn referral sales from customers once the affiliate window expires.

With Oceanscape Yachts, you can continue earning from customers as long as they buy from you the first time. How cool is that?

Even better, a week-long yacht has an average price of $25,000. That means you can earn around $1,250 the first time people book a yacht, then $500 for succeeding reservations from the same customer.

If that's not enough, you can earn an additional $500 if you can successfully get your visitors to sign up for its OceanScape Club Premium.

While all this sounds awesome, OceanScape reserves the right to deny applicants to their affiliate program for undisclosed reasons.

So, before you sign up for your travel or lifestyle blog, make sure it's raking in lots of traffic from people looking to have a luxurious time in the sea with friends and family.

• URL - OceanScape Yachts Affiliate Program
• Commission Rates - 5% on the initial base charter rate + 2% for every future booking on the base charter rate
• Cookie Duration - Lifetime

9. The RealReal

As a luxury consignment brand, The Realreal helps people find pre-owned luxury items. And because these aren't brand new items off the rack, they are sold at prices much lower than their retail prices.

This is a great way to promote affordable luxury brands on your lifestyle website. So your audience doesn't have to spend that much on designer clothing and jewelry.

At the same time, you can encourage people to sell their pre-loved items on the site. This way, they can sell luxury items they don't use and make money off them instead.

As a result, The Realreal affiliate program works both ways.

For buyers, you can earn 5% for every sale of a product on the site costing at least $3,000.

For sellers, the program allows you to earn a $5 referral bonus if you can get people to consign their items to The Realreal.

But to qualify for the $5, the person you refer must consign a minimum of ten (10) items with a resale price of $3,000 each.

• URL - The Realreal Consignor Affiliate Program
• Commission Rates - 5% for every successful sale of a single item costing over $3,000
• Cookie Duration - Not Listed

Luxury Affiliate Marketing Tips

As an affiliate marketer, you want your site and online channels to align with your site's luxury items available for sale.

So, the best way to promote luxury products is to treat your audience like royalty.

Present your website like it's just as elegant as your selling items. Below are ways you can achieve this.

Brand Yourself

The best way to earn commission sales as an affiliate is by building trust with your audience.

Typically, you'd want to create content that will engage your audience in the different stages of your sales funnel, which we will discuss later.

For now, you want to establish your site's brand first.

Just like the luxury brands you're promoting on your site, you want to present your website with sophistication and grace.

And it all starts with your brand logo.

To get you started, you can create a distinct logo using Canva. Later on, however, you want to level up and get a professional to design the logo for you.

You also need to choose colors that people will associate with your brand during this process.

Finally, having a clear understanding of your buyer persona allows you to mirror their speech patterns and their problems and issues. This is also important once you start engaging with them in different online channels, which we'll get to later.

Implementing your branding consistently helps you command authority in your space.

Invest in Great Content

As mentioned, you must create content that your audience will want to consume.

For SEO, you want to find terms your buyer persona is searching on Google. Gather these terms and write resource guides and articles for them to read.

Also, not all of your content is geared toward converting your visitors into sales. You also want to provide value to them by publishing informational content about the luxury brands you're promoting.

Discuss their benefits and what makes them superior to the rest. This way, you give them more reason to purchase your high-ticket items, effectively moving them down your sales funnel!

Aside from your website, consider expanding your content marketing efforts across multiple channels.

You can build a list to engage and deepen your relationship with existing customers.

For example, you can send OceanScape Yachts customers emails reminding them to celebrate the holidays with loved ones on a yacht. In doing so, you encourage them to place an order and earn commission sales!

You could also use social media marketing to broaden your reach and attract new customers.

With luxury brands partnering with TikTok and Instagram influencers, you should also come up with a similar strategy that allows you to tap into their same audience.

Observe Google's Product Reviews update

If your site is dependent on Google for traffic and visibility, include an actual photo of the product you'll be reviewing on your site.

This is part of Google's effort to encourage affiliate marketers to write high-quality product reviews. Ideally, you should buy the product and test it yourself to produce the review Google wants.

Conclusion

Luxury brands may represent exclusivity and extravagance to people. But at their very core, they simply strive to provide the best experience for consumers.

If you're interested in getting into luxury affiliate marketing, make sure to set the bar high for yourself.

Just as these products and experiences took designers years to perfect their craft, you should also lend yourself to the same commitment and dedication on your website.

Once you do, and as long as you follow the tips in this post, you can eventually get accepted into some of the highest-paying affiliate programs in the industry and reap the rewards they promise.