How Altenew Generates 15-25% of Revenue Through Strategic Affiliate Tier Management

Altenew is a US-based crafting brand that makes tools for card makers and scrapbook enthusiasts, run by a global team spanning the UK to the Philippines.

The crafting industry runs on demonstration and inspiration. Customers want to see products in action before buying, which makes influencer partnerships essential.

Altenew recognized this early and built an affiliate program to scale with their monthly product launches. But first they had to fix a tracking problem.

Why did Altenew rebuild their affiliate program with UpPromote?

Altenew’s earlier platforms struggled with tracking. ShareASale produced attribution errors that frustrated influencers and staff alike, and switching to Shopify Collabs brought a different set of technical issues.

“We had left ShareASale, there were some attribution issues… it wasn’t being captured correctly,” said Nabil, Marketing Executive at Altenew. “Then we transitioned to Collabs. And then Collabs had its own issues.”

The problem ran deeper than frustration. Wrong attribution meant wrong insights, which led to wrong actions — undermining a revenue flow they could trust and scale.

They needed precise tracking that delivered real data, not approximations. After evaluating options, Altenew chose UpPromote for its reputation for consistent, accurate order tracking.

The difference was immediate. Reliable attribution meant every order was tracked correctly, giving the team confidence to make strategic decisions from performance data.

How does Altenew use tiers to motivate affiliates?

Altenew works with creators of every size, but where they land in the program depends on results, not their follower count.

Working with every influencer level

Altenew partners with influencers from nano to mega, most of them crafters and card makers.

“We work with all types of influencers from nano to mega influencers, and most of them are crafters, card makers,” shared Mitzi, Affiliate Manager at Altenew.

Most of their affiliates average 4,000 to 50,000 followers, while their highest-performing affiliate has more than 100,000. Size, though, is only the starting point.

Promoting on performance, not follower count

The tier system uses follower count as an initial benchmark, then shifts to performance. Influencers with 10,000 followers or fewer start in 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,” Mitzi explained.

Altenew currently handles these tier changes manually. UpPromote’s Auto-tier Commission offers an automated alternative — sales targets that promote affiliates when they hit goals, or demote them if performance drops.

For now, the manual approach gives the team full control over who moves up.

How does Altenew keep affiliates engaged with incentives?

Beyond tier promotions, Altenew layers several incentives, mixing cash and store credit to keep affiliates active while managing their budget.

Performance bonuses that drive activity

Performance bonuses are central to keeping affiliates active. Altenew sets bonus targets and nudges affiliates toward them with regular email reminders.

“We use the performance bonus feature. We send out emails every now and then to remind them that, you know, you have this bonus if you need certain sales,” Mitzi noted.

The reminders keep bonuses top of mind without constant manual outreach.

Early-access product gifting

Product gifting plays a major role too. Each month, Altenew sends 30 to 35 free products to their inner circle of influencers.

These are typically items from upcoming releases that haven’t launched publicly, giving influencers exclusive early access to create content. UpPromote lets merchants build gift packages directly in the system, sending products as free gifts or discounted items.

Early access keeps the content fresh and tied to each new launch.

Tailored payouts and special commissions

Payment depends on the affiliate. Professional influencers receive cash payouts, while customers who become advocates earn store credit, which UpPromote can credit automatically on a set schedule.

Altenew also runs special commissions to push specific products or collections.

“I also love how we can set up special commissions for certain products and collections,” Mitzi shared.

That flexibility lets the team spotlight new releases without reworking the whole program.

How does Altenew support affiliates during monthly launches?

Monthly launches demand constant communication with the affiliate network. Altenew uses UpPromote’s Media Gallery to centralize resources in one place.

“I love how we can create folders, making it organized and easy for affiliates to find the materials,” Mitzi explained.

The organized folders let affiliates find promotional banners, product information, and brand guidelines on their own, without reaching out to the team.

That self-serve setup keeps the program running smoothly as the catalog grows.

What results has Altenew seen from performance-based management?

The approach shows up in the numbers. Affiliate marketing now accounts for 15–25% of Altenew’s total revenue.

“I think we range between 15 and 25%,” Nabil confirmed when asked about affiliate marketing’s share of revenue.

In their first year with UpPromote, the team tracked 25,000 orders through the platform, with reliable attribution and commission management throughout.

The throughline is performance over vanity metrics. Some of Altenew’s best affiliates sit in tier 3 or 4 rather than the VIP tier.

“I don’t see any other brand providing this type of 16% commission paid out every week,” Nabil shared, pointing to competitive, frequent payouts.

Their advice is simple: start everyone at a baseline and promote on actual results, not assumptions about reach.