Following the launch of its new Xenon range of webmaster tools, Affiliate Future (to be found at affiliatefuture.co.uk) seems to be an affiliate program that means business. The website is part of the prestigious Internet Business Group in London, established in 1996, and has invested heavily in the affiliate offering over the last few years.

Affiliate Future offers all the features that we have come to expect from a good affiliate network. Their commission analysis tools are of a good standard, and allow you to scrutinise your earnings in relation to specific merchants and any time period. They also provide basic traffic statistics and conversion rates and give the option to compare between different programs.

Affiliate Future also offers an impressive communications centre. This comprises an internal emailing system, which most notably, allows you to subscribe to merchant specific newsletters which are sent on a regular basis. They also deliver regular company and generic merchant news through the system, allowing you to easily keep track of events together with any new merchant additions or incentive programs.

Where Affiliate Future really excels, however, is with the tools offered in their new Xenon range. This comprises three different areas for affiliate use, all of which have been created to allow for greater customisation. The first of these is the Xenon Data tool, which allows for the latest merchant data from their system to be delivered to you by a variety of different means. These include CSV and XML files, or you can obtain an excel file with the appropriate information (a video demo clearly displays how to create such information feeds). For the ridiculously busy affiliate (and who isn’t!!), a web API is also available. All of these are updated regularly and allow for easy and convenient access to the most recent data.

The second tool offered is the Xenon Content system. This allows you to create dynamic content for your site which displays various merchant products. The usability of the system is impressive, with the tool allowing you to select from a large array of product categories and then customise the display of your Xenon Content feed to fit nicely into your site. There are a variety of sizes on offer, ranging from 120px by 240px, to 750px by 500px, along with various appearance options including complete colour customisation. The range of merchant products available for use with this tool is also broad, with most categories having an wide selection of products from which to choose. At the end of the process, you are presented with a piece of html code to copy and paste into your site, making the tool very easy to use (again, a video demonstration is provided).

The final offering is Xenon Search – a tool designed to create search boxes for merchant products. As with the content system, the customisation offered is impressive. You can choose colours, text and other options, such as whether you wish the results to open in a new window. You can then refine the search options further by specifying whether text should be searched for in a particular category or product line. At the end of the process you are presented with a short snippet of code to place on your site. It is worth noting that you do not have to sign up to all merchants individually to use this tool, you can simply implement the search box in your website and earn commission on ALL sales.

The range and number of merchants on offer within Affiliate Future is excellent, and compares well to most other popular affiliate programs. Programs range from Health and Beauty to Food and Drink, with service websites such as Just-a-quote also offering programs. The information provided is also comprehensive, with many merchant pages displaying video interviews with company representatives and special resources for affiliates. Most merchants also offer seasonal promotional material and creative, with some even giving access to brand advertisements.

Many merchants run incentive programs within the site, including vouchers or experiences being offered for a certain number of sales. These are all easily monitored by using the website’s incentive bar, which clearly shows how far you have to go in order to achieve your award.

The general usability and indeed merchant coverage of the site is difficult to criticise. All key pages are easy to find within the side navigation bar and the FAQ section is relatively comprehensive. Your personal account information is found within a profile page, and all reporting information, merchant offers and program performance information are displayed clearly and are easily searchable.

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