How much work is Shopspotting?
The real work happens before the seller signs up: finding suitable sellers and recommending Merchavio to them honestly. After that, there is nothing more you need to do for the commission, because Merchavio handles assignment, settlement and the credit note. How much time finding sellers takes depends on your network and your channels, and not every recommendation leads to a seller.
Where does the work in Shopspotting lie?
Almost all of the work happens before a seller signs up. It has three parts.
Finding the right sellers
You are looking for people who sell or want to sell online courses, coaching, memberships, downloads or livestreams. Merchavio also suits people who currently piece together several tools. This is the most time-consuming part: not everyone who fits is looking for a new system right now. How to recognise suitable sellers is covered in which sellers are a good fit, where to find them in how to find sellers.
Recommending honestly
A good recommendation explains why Merchavio suits this particular person. You quote prices and features as they appear on merchavio.com, present your own experience as your own, and label every recommendation as advertising. What that sounds like in practice is shown in how to recommend Merchavio.
Setting up once
You create the Shopspotter account once, and your link is then in your Shopspotter area. Before your first payout, you add your tax and business details and your payout destination once.
What runs without extra work for the commission?
Once a seller has signed up through your link, Merchavio takes care of the rest:
- Assignment: the seller is assigned to your account, there is nothing to report.
- Calculation: every payment the seller makes creates your commission, every month.
- Settlement: for every payout, Merchavio automatically creates a self-billing credit note. You don’t write invoices.
- Overview: clicks, referrals, commission per month and payouts are all in your Shopspotter area.
Your part in the settlement is one click: once enough balance is available, you request the payout with the “Request payout” button. When that is possible is explained in when commission is paid out.
What still stays with you
Your recommendations have to stay up to date. Statements about Merchavio must be true and current, and you quote prices and features as they currently appear on merchavio.com. If something changes there, you update your existing posts, video descriptions or pages. On request, you tell Merchavio where you advertise Merchavio. With a few posts this is little work; with many, it becomes a regular task.
What is optional?
Whether you support your sellers after they sign up is up to you. You can help with setting up the shop, the offer or marketing and charge your own fees for it. The commission does not depend on it.
There is one limit: you don’t tie benefits to signing up through your link. An offer like “free setup if you sign up through my link” is therefore not allowed. What good support looks like is covered in supporting your sellers.
How does Shopspotting fit into your existing work?
It takes the least extra effort if you already deal with the right people:
Agencies and freelancers
You build websites or campaigns for clients who sell digital products. When the project touches the system they sell with, the recommendation can come up there. More in Shopspotting for agencies.
Coaches and consultants
Some of your clients go independent with their knowledge and need a system to sell with. More in Shopspotting for coaches.
Creators and writers
You write, film or talk about online business. A piece about selling digital products is a good place for a clearly labelled recommendation. More in Shopspotting for creators and Shopspotting with a blog and SEO.
What can you realistically expect?
Whether someone signs up is their decision. Some recommendations lead nowhere, others to a seller who stays for a long time. Nobody can tell you in advance how long it will take to get your first seller or what you will earn. It depends on your network, your channels and how much your sellers sell. Merchavio does not promise any particular income.
What you control: you only recommend Merchavio where it really fits. That keeps every recommendation credible, including the next one. What a single seller can bring in is shown in the example on what a Shopspotter earns.
How do you get started?
Ideally with the people you already know. The first steps are in how to start as a Shopspotter.
Know people who sell online?
Then create your free Shopspotter account with Merchavio and share your link. You receive 25% of everything your sellers pay, every month.