Are you looking for the best Chinese affiliate networks? We’ve compiled a breakdown here of the top affiliate networks in China.
Affiliate marketing (or 联盟行销 as it is known in Chinese) is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards affiliates for sending traffic, leads or customers.
In other words, it’s a system which involves paying a finder’s fee to the person who refers someone.
While this marketing model originated in the West, it is becoming very popular in China due to the enormous popularity of ecommerce. To show just how big the Chinese online retail market is, let’s look at a couple of popular annual sales events.
Singles Day, also known as Double 11, is now the largest physical retail and online shopping day in the world. It is held on November 11 each year, and celebrates people who are not in relationships. In 2018, Alibaba shoppers spent USD $30.7 billion during Singles Day sales, while competitor JD.com took in USD $19.1 billion during their own 11 day sale. In 2019, Alibaba’s sales for the entire event rose to USD $38.4 billion.
618 is a mid-year shopping event started by JD.com and taking place on 18th June easy year. During the 2020 event, China’s two biggest e-commerce companies Alibaba and JD.com handled $136.51 billion of sales through their platforms.
With ecommerce numbers like these, it is no wonder that there are some great opportunities in China for affiliate marketing! Several affiliate networks have emerged as leaders in this space.
Quick Note: In China, some affiliate networks are referred to as “sub-affiliate networks”. What this generally means is that the network is itself an affiliate, and then in turn pays their own affiliates or publishers for sending through leads or traffic.
Similar to affiliate networks in western countries, the two most popular performance models are CPS (cost per sale) and CPA (cost per action). CPA is used mainly by sub-affiliate networks.
Also, it is important to note that mobile devices are incredibly popular in Asia. According to AdmitAd in their 2020 Report, “the share of transactions through such devices is estimated at 85 – 90%.” So when formulating your plans for China, make certain that “mobile” is a part of your internet marketing strategy.
So what are the best affiliate networks in China?
The Best Chinese Affiliate Networks
Here are our top picks.
GANet
GANet (short for Global Affiliate Network) is a multinational affiliate network and platform officially launched in 2018, and bringing together the former CHANet (Chinese) and JaNet (Japanese) affiliate networks.
The name CHANet 成果网 came from “China Affiliate Network”. This network actually has its origins in Japan. In 2002 the company launched JANet (“Japan Affiliate Network”) and then expanded into China with CHANet in 2005.
GANet now works with publishers in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.
According to their web site they have 2000+ advertisers and 400,000+ publishers. They offer various pay-for-perfomance models including CPC (pay per click), CPM (pay per thousand manifestation), CPA (pay per action), CPS (pay per sale).
Check out GANet affiliate network.
ChineseAN
ChineseAN is part of is part of Ignite Vision and was founded in 2007 and has offices in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Bangkok. The name ChineseAN comes from “Chinese Affiliate Network”.
Check out ChineseAN affiliate network.
YiQiFa 亿起发
YiQiFa is an affiliate marketing platform started in 2004, and is a sub-affiliate network.
It is mainly dedicated to well-known Chinese Internet companies listed overseas, outstanding Chinese Internet companies preparing to list overseas, and a larger range of emerging Internet companies. They claim to have more than 60,000 website owners (website owners or influencers) in China on their network.
YiQiFa offers CPC, CPL, CPA, and CPS performance models.
Some of their key advertisers include 1688, Apple Store, Huawei, Microsoft and Nike.
Check out YiQiFa affiliate network.
Linktech 领克特
Some of Linktech’s key advertising partners include Huawei, JD.com, Jumei, Nike, Qunar, Suning, and VIP.com.
Check out Linktech affiliate network or find out more at linktechnetworks.com.
DuoMai 多麦
This sub-affiliate network was established in 2010 and is based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
They have 1000+ merchants and 100,000+ publishers. Some of their notable merchants include 1688.com, Adidas China, Dior, Estee Lauder, Huawei, Microsoft, Mont Blanc, and Nike.
Check out DuoMai affiliate network.
LinkHaitao
LinkHaitao, founded in 2014 and owned by 55 Haitao, is an advertising platform which focuses on effective cross-border marketing in China. The team is located in China and the United States, with two main offices in Shanghai and Los Angeles.
LinkHaitao helps to extend the reach of businesses around the globe into the China’s large ecommerce market. Some of the strengths of LinkHaitao include native language vetting, network quality & transparency, and bilingual support.
They have more than 3,000 merchants and 10,000 active media channels (publishers).
Their offers include CPS, CPA and Cost Per Click (CPC) opportunities.
Top content categories include: fashion, beauty, travel, and health & wellness.
Check out LinkHaitao affiliate network.
China-Based Affiliate Programs on International Networks
Affiliates and merchants based in China may also find that some of the best global affiliate networks are suitable for their requirements in an affiliate network.
For example, some popular affiliate programs based in China are part of international affiliate networks. Examples include:
- LightInTheBox (at CJ Affiliate and ShareASale)
- Wondershare (at CJ Affiliateand ShareASale)
Independent Affiliate Programs in China
Not all affiliate programs in China are part of an affiliate network. There are companies who have their own affiliate program and manage it independently. Examples include:
Also, a few may run their own affiliate program and maintain a presence on the big networks.
Additional Reading on Chinese Affiliate Networks
We’ll be updating this section with additional resources soon.