CJ Affiliate
Global affiliate marketing network connecting brands with publishers and creators
About CJ Affiliate
CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction) is one of the oldest and largest affiliate marketing networks, founded in Santa Barbara, California in 1998 and now part of Publicis Groupe. Advertisers use the platform to recruit publishers, set commission rules, and track sales and leads across web, app, call, and in-store channels, while publishers and creators join brand programs and earn commissions. CJ reports over 3,800 brands and more than 167K publishers and brands on the network, with $1.8B+ in annual publisher commissions.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- One of the largest affiliate networks, with thousands of established brands and a large publisher base
- Detailed reporting and real-time performance tracking, including incrementality and benchmarking
- Flexible commission rules through Situational Commissioning
- Tracking covers apps, phone calls, and in-store sales, not only web clicks
- Free for publishers, with payments in 150+ currencies
- Experienced account management for larger advertisers
Cons
- Advertiser pricing is not published and requires a sales consultation
- Interface and setup have a steep learning curve for newcomers
- Program approval can be hard for new or small publishers
- Less flexible and customizable than some newer partnership platforms, according to G2 reviewers
- Geared toward mid-market and enterprise brands rather than small businesses
Key Features
Publisher network and partner discovery
Find and recruit publishers by promotional model, audience, region, category performance, keyword, and social reach, plus network-curated lists of top performers and new-to-network partners.
Situational Commissioning
Dynamic commission rules that reward publishers differently based on order attributes such as new vs. returning customer, promotion type, and customer location.
Omni-channel tracking
Tracks conversions across devices, mobile apps, phone calls, and in-store purchases, with tracking designed to hold up against browser restrictions and privacy rules.
Insights and benchmarking
Period-over-period program analysis, customer journey touchpoints, new vs. lapsed vs. returning customer views, affiliate incrementality, and competitive benchmarking.
Placements Marketplace
Buy and manage paid placements and media campaigns with publishers to increase a brand's share of voice.
Publisher link tools
Deep Link Generator, in-platform link selection, and automatic conversion of existing URLs into trackable affiliate links for publishers.
Global payments
Publishers are paid in over 150 currencies, with on-demand commission and payment details.
Ecommerce plugins and APIs
Turnkey Shopify and Magento plugins, plus APIs for performance and transaction data via the CJ Developer Portal.
Pricing
- Join brand programs at no cost
- Deep Link Generator and link tools
- Commission reporting
- Payments in 150+ currencies
- $50 direct deposit minimum payout
- Access to the CJ publisher network
- Situational Commissioning
- Omni-channel tracking
- Insights and benchmarking
- Account management and program strategy
Best For
Enterprise retail affiliate programs
Large retailers and travel brands run global affiliate programs with thousands of publishers, using CJ for tracking, payouts, and publisher recruitment.
Content and coupon site monetization
Publishers, review sites, and coupon sites join brand programs and earn commissions through tracked links.
Creator monetization
Creators with an audience promote brands they use and earn commissions on sales and leads.
Finance and services lead generation
Finance, telecom, and home services brands pay publishers for qualified leads and calls, tracked offline as well as online.
Migrating an existing affiliate program
Brands moving from another network bring existing publishers over and use CJ's recruitment tools to add new partners.
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