The transition of ShareASale to Awin

Affiliate marketing adheres to the adage that ‘change is the only constant.’ The latest step forward in this domain is the upcoming upgrade of ShareASale to Awin. 

This blog post will detail what current and future members can expect from this change. I’ll cover the history behind Awin and ShareASale’s operations, the specifics of the upgrade process, and what it means for publishers that promote ShareASale ads.

A brief background of ShareASale and Awin

Since its inception in 2001, ShareASale has asserted its presence among affiliate marketing networks. Operating out of Chicago, this platform has made yearly transactions exceeding 12 million. It represents a significant number of publishers and advertisers, over 100,000 and 4,500, respectively.

Awin, another key player in affiliate marketing, is an international network. It operates under the umbrella of Axel Springer, Europe’s leading digital publisher. Awin has progressively strengthened its North American presence and boasts partnerships with prominent brands like Hewlett-Packard, StubHub, Hyatt, Superdry, and Etsy.

A series of strategic decisions have marked Awin’s evolution. The fusion of Zanox and Affiliate Window in 2007 laid the groundwork for what Awin is today. This merger elevated Awin’s market position and allowed for a global expansion. The company took further strides with the 2016 acquisition of ShareASale, initially retaining the brand to establish a foothold in the North American market and vastly expand Awin’s reach.. The 2018 merger with affilinet resulted in an even larger network, consolidating Awin’s position as an industry leader.

ShareASale’s upcoming transition to Awin

Come 2025, ShareASale will fully integrate with Awin, bringing the brand to a definitive close. This move aims to offer a consolidated platform that caters to the varied needs of advertisers, merchants, and publishers.

All ShareASale elements, including relationships, tracking links, and programs, will be transferred automatically to the Awin platform. Publishers will retain their favorite ShareASale features while gaining access to advanced reporting tools, expanded partnership opportunities, and a more globally connected network.

Advanced Ads supports all ad formats from both networks, ShareASale and Awin. Consequently, the plugin is ideal for implementing Awin ads on WordPress sites.

Implications of this upgrade for publishers

The transition from ShareASale to Awin aims to provide a scalable solution for running affiliate businesses. The upgrade offers publishers more features, better functionality, and comprehensive support. It improves tracking accuracy and gives publishers more tools to optimize their activities.

The upgrade requires no technical effort from publishers. All existing relationships, tracking links, and programs will be transferred automatically. Publishers already using Awin can continue with their current login credentials. By merging ShareASale into Awin, the process simplifies management for publishers and ad managers, effectively combining two affiliate networks into one.

The process is straightforward:

1. Email verification: Publishers should log into ShareASale and verify their email by January 7, 2025, to ensure they receive necessary updates.
2. Prep period: Awin will provide training materials, live webinars, and other resources to help publishers familiarize themselves with the new platform.
3. Upgrade notification: publishers will receive an email when their Awin account is ready.

Closing of ShareASale

By the end of 2025, the ShareASale platform will be fully retired. I advise publishers to download any historical data they want to keep before then.

To do this, log in to your ShareASale affiliate account, navigate to the “Reports” section in the header menu, and select the specific reports you need from the dropdown submenu. You’ll find options like “Download (.CSV)” and other detailed reports such as monthly summary, traffic report, and merchant trend report. Download these reports as CSV files to preserve important historical data like clicks, conversions, and commissions.

Conclusion

The transition of ShareASale to Awin is more than a mere change; it consolidates two influential networks into a single platform. The integration process, aimed at enhancing efficiency and ease of management for publishers and ad managers, automatically transfers all relationships, tracking links, and programs. Augmented features and a more globally connected network are among the benefits that all users can anticipate.

Regarding the transition process, publishers are not required to do any heavy lifting. The enhancement comes with ample support, including training materials and live webinars. The retirement of ShareASale’s platform by the end of 2025 marks the culmination of the transition.