Altenew is a US-based crafting brand that creates tools for card makers and scrapbook enthusiasts. With a global team spanning the UK to the Philippines, they’ve built a business around helping people express creativity through paper crafts.
The crafting industry thrives on demonstration and inspiration. Customers need to see products in action before making purchase decisions, making influencer partnerships essential.
Altenew recognized this early and invested in building an affiliate program that could scale with their monthly product launches.
Finding a Stable Tracking Solution
Altenew faced significant challenges with their previous affiliate platforms. ShareASale led to attribution errors that frustrated their influencers and team alike. When they switched to Shopify Collabs, they encountered a different set of technical issues.
“We had left ShareASale, there were some attribution issues with some of our influencers and affiliates, that it wasn’t being captured correctly,” Nabil – Marketing Executive at Altenew explained. “Then we transitioned to Collabs. And then Collabs had its own issues.”
The problem wasn’t just technical frustration.
Wrong attribution meant wrong insights. Wrong insights led to wrong actions. And wrong actions undermined their ability to build a revenue flow they could actually trust and scale.
They needed a platform with precise tracking that could deliver real data – not approximations. After evaluating options, Altenew chose UpPromote for its reputation for consistent, accurate order tracking.
The difference was immediate. UpPromote’s reliable attribution system ensured every order was tracked correctly, giving Altenew the confidence to make strategic decisions based on performance data.
Motivating Affiliates with Increasing Commissions
Altenew’s approach to affiliate management focuses on flexibility and growth potential. They work with creators across all influencer levels, from nano to mega.
“We work with all types of influencers from nano to mega influencers, and most of them are crafters, card makers,” Mitzi – Affiliate Manager at Altenew shared. “Most of our influencers would range on average from 4,000 to 50,000; our highest performing affiliate has 100,000 plus.“
Their tier system starts with follower count as an initial benchmark but quickly shifts to performance-based promotion. “It’s usually based on the number of followers,” Mitzi explained.
“But say, for example, an influencer has 10,000 followers, and below, we leave them to the default tier. We start low because we have plans of reviewing how their sales are performing, and then we move them to a higher tier when we see improvement.”
While Altenew currently handles tier commissions manually, UpPromote’s Auto-tier Commission offers an automated alternative.
This feature allows merchants to set sales targets that automatically promote affiliates to higher commission tiers when they hit their goals – or demote them if performance drops.
The system creates a clear growth path that motivates affiliates to increase sales while eliminating manual tracking. Affiliates only move tiers once their orders are approved, giving merchants full control over the quality verification process.
Further Equip Affiliates with Smart Incentives
Altenew uses a combination of cash payments and store credit to keep affiliates engaged while optimizing their budget.
Performance bonuses drive consistent activity. “We use the performance bonus feature,” Mitzi noted. “And then we send out emails every now and then to remind them that, you know, you have this bonus if you need certain sales.”
Product gifting also plays a crucial role in their strategy. They send 30-35 free products monthly to their inner circle of influencers—typically items from upcoming releases that haven’t launched publicly yet. Influencers will have exclusive early access to create interesting content.
UpPromote streamlines this entire process. Merchants can create gift packages directly in the system, choosing specific products to send as either free gifts or discounted items.
Moreover, the payment structure differs based on affiliate type. Professional influencers receive cash payouts, while customers who become their advocates will earn store credit.
UpPromote allows brands to pay via store credit automatically. Merchants set the payment amount and schedule, then the system automatically credits affiliates’ accounts at the specified intervals – no manual processing required.
They also leverage special commission feature to promote specific products or collections. “I also love how we can set up special commissions for certain products and collections,” Mitzi shared.
Support Affiliate Promotions with Various Materials
Monthly product launches require consistent communication with their affiliate network. Altenew uses UpPromote’s Media Gallery to centralize resources and make materials easily accessible.
“I love how we can create folders, making it organized and easy for affiliates to find the materials,” Mitzi explained.
The organized folder structure allows affiliates to quickly find promotional banners, product information, and brand guidelines without having to reach out to the team.
Impressive Results from Strategic Management
The numbers demonstrate the program’s impact on Altenew’s bottom line. Affiliate marketing now accounts for 15-25% of their total revenue.
“I think we range between 15 and 25%,” Nabil confirmed when asked about the uplift contribution to overall revenue.
In their first year with UpPromote, they tracked 25,000 orders through the platform. The system has proven reliable for managing commissions and maintaining accurate attribution.
Lessons for Other Merchants
Altenew’s advice for other brands centers on one key principle: let performance guide your decisions, not vanity metrics.
“I don’t see any other brand providing this type of 16% commission, pure and then sharply paid out every week,” Nabil shared, emphasizing the importance of competitive incentives.
Beyond attractive rates, Altenew has learned that performance should ultimately trump follower count.
Their top performers don’t always have the largest audiences – some of their best affiliates sit in tier 3 or 4 rather than the VIP tier. The approach that works is to start everyone at a baseline and promote based on actual results, not assumptions about reach.
Ellie Tran, a seasoned SEO content writer with three years of experience in the eCommerce world. Being a part of the UpPromote team, Ellie wants to assist Shopify merchants in achieving success through useful content & actionable insights. Ellie's commitment to learning never stops; she's always eager to gain more knowledge about SEO and content marketing to create valuable content for users. When she's not working on content, Ellie enjoys baking and exploring new places.
