Sucessfull advertising on the internet has become more and more difficult. Internet users tend to simply ignore banner promotions and close pop-ups and pop-unders without bothering to read them. As a result, companies are now approaching potential customers with guerilla-like marketing strategies: video commercials laid over the largest part of the website or hidden close buttons on pop-ups that force users to click on the advertisement, not to mention the seemingly infinite range of ads that flash, blink, vibrate and somersault around the user’s browser window.

While those kinds of advertising grab attention, they fail to leave a positive impression. Why? Because watching and listening to those ads is truly annoying for the users who are forced to do so against their will. Even if many companies think differently, the benefit is not worth angering most of the potential customers: If you put a big ad in front of 100 people, you will might get 2 of them to click on it. If you make it emit annoying sounds and hide the close button, it might get 5 clicks — or you might lose users who migrate to sites that don’t bombard them with frustrating ads. As a company you should ask yourself: is it really worth it to spend a ton of money on a marketing strategy that may get 10% of the users to click while 90 % of them leave angry and annoyed?

A completely different approach to address users comes from offline retail: advertising at the point of transaction. In every supermarket or shop selling physical goods (books, clothing, electronics and so on), the customer is presented with a range of products displayed near the check-out. Everyone has seen the sweets, packages of batteries, beauty products and various accessories, and everyone has been lured in by the strategically placed candy and last-minute oh-I-forgot-that items. Why shouldn’t eCommerce adopt this strategy, too?

deal united’s PAY.BY.SHOPPING allows online shops and services to advertise at the point of transaction. How? PAY.BY.SHOPPING is a cross selling marketing solution: Customers, like players of online games, can get virtual currency for free if they make a purchase at one of the advertising partners’ shops. To take part in the offer, the player goes to the payment section of the game, clicks the button for deal united, is presented with a range of advertising partners and selects one of them.

It’s a lot like what stores do at the check-out, but instead of goods, users are presented a wide range of shops. They have already selected a product (free virtual currency/software) and in order to redeem it, they go shopping in an online store that has no connection to the original business (gaming, software, online services). Imagine standing in an electronics store and someone offers you a free coffee machine if you buy a book at the store across the street!

All deal united campaigns are based on CPO (cost per order). This means that every advertising partner only pays for customers who really come into their online shops through a deal united campaign and actually buys something. No money is exchanged when someone simply clicks on the displayed advertisement.

Softwareload is the software download portal offered by Deutsche Telekom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications companies. The portal enables internet users to download the software of their choice directly onto their PCs quickly and easily. It features a broad range of programs — all classified into several main categories.

Softwareload and deal united began working together in autumn of 2009, focusing on the German market. We have since expanded our successful partnership to the UK, where users can get a voucher worth £10 for Softwareload for free by shopping online with a deal united advertising partner. Our partners include well-known brands like Price Minister, Lovefilm and Shirtcity. Customers get a great 2-for-1 offer, and Softwareload will increase conversion in UK. What a deal!

The term “CPO” (cost per order) describes a variant of online advertising  cost.  Advertisers pay a certain amount for each sales transaction generated in their online shop through a campaign. Unlike with CPL (cost per lead), CPC (cost per click) or CPM (cost per thousand views) advertisers do not pay per view or click, but only for the customers who actually bought something through a campaign.

deal united campaign with the browser game Khan Wars

deal united focuses on CPO deals. This means we offer users a free product, voucher, premium membership or a certain amount of virtual currency for purchasing from one of our well-known advertiser partners. We call this concept “value for value.”

CPO Benefits Everyone

• Merchants generate incremental revenue from the non-buyers who are converted into buying customers.
• Merchants get higher payouts. Since real sales transactions stand behind the payouts, the payouts are a multiple of the offers that are based on CPL, CPC or CPM.
• Advertisers only pay for customers that are led to their shop through the campaigns and actually buy something. This way, they gain access to customers, like online gamers or niche shoppers, from target groups  they wouldn’t have reached through traditional advertising channels.
• Customers can make a purchase they already planned to make and get a bonus on top of it – a free product, voucher, premium membership or virtual currency. A great deal!

The deal united concept as explained for customers on the landingpage of the campaign

deal united provides these and other marketing solutions without any additional costs for online merchants like web shops, software publishers, game publishers, online communities, etc.

Vouchers, discounts and free products are refunded by our advertising partners who also benefit from the concept.

Merchants: Check out www.dealunited.com/merchants for further information or to register free of charge.

Advertisers: Check out http://www.dealunited.com/advertisers for further information or to register free of charge.

End users: Check www.dealunited.de/shop (German language) for the latest and greatest deals.