Summary
CHALLENGE.
- Runs their biggest sales push during BFCM, the year’s most competitive period.
- Gave all affiliates the same Black Friday code, creating a tracking blind spot.
- Risked affiliates losing credit when customers skipped their tracking links.
SOLUTION.
- Educates affiliates to use their tracking links alongside the shared code.
- Puts the brand owner on top affiliates’ podcasts during BFCM.
- Lends saunas to big influencers, repaid from their first commissions.
- Offers custom discount codes and faster payouts via UpPromote’s Wise integration.
RESULTS.
- One top affiliate earned $240K in commission during BFCM 2024.
- BFCM is the brand’s biggest sales period, with an uptick every year.
LESSONS.
- Educate affiliates to use tracking links, especially alongside shared codes.
- Invest your founder’s time in your top affiliates’ content.
- Remove cost barriers with product loans repaid from commissions.
- Pay affiliates quickly to keep partnerships strong.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the year’s most competitive sales days, and brands have to stand out to win attention and revenue.
For Relax Sauna, a major North American supplier of infrared saunas and therapeutic devices, BFCM is consistently their strongest stretch of the year.
The brand leans on a strategic affiliate program, working with influencers in the alternative health and athlete space to reach health-conscious shoppers.
How is Relax Sauna’s affiliate program built?
Relax Sauna sells infrared saunas and devices like lamps across North America, targeting people who want the wellness benefits of infrared heat.
It’s very beneficial for people who don’t get a lot of exercise. So it heats up the body and they can burn calories and get circulation going that way
Corey Daniels, tech specialist and affiliate program manager at Relax Sauna
To fit different partners, the brand runs two tiers. The affiliate tier is open to anyone at a 12% commission, with no ownership or business requirements.
The reseller tier is for partners who own both a sauna and a business, like wellness centers, gyms, or creators. They earn full wholesale commissions, letting them promote harder or use the products in their own facilities.
What tracking problem did Relax Sauna face during BFCM?
With their network in place, Relax Sauna hit a BFCM-specific snag: making sure affiliates used their tracking links alongside a shared discount code.
The company gave every affiliate the same Black Friday code. They simplified checkout for customers but created a tracking blind spot.
Since they’re all using the same discount code, it won’t track that way so they have to use their link in order to get credit.
Corey Daniels, tech specialist and affiliate program manager at Relax Sauna
If a customer applied the code without first clicking an affiliate’s link, the sale couldn’t be attributed, so the affiliate lost credit and the brand lost visibility. The fix, Corey realized, was education.
How did Relax Sauna maximize BFCM performance?
Relax Sauna’s BFCM playbook combined clear communication, the owner’s personal time, and hands-on product access.
Educate affiliates on the mechanics
The foundation was making participation crystal clear: affiliates would get the special Black Friday code to share, but had to use their unique tracking links alongside it.
I would just let them know what the discount code is for the special and then let them know that they should use their link when they share
Corey Daniels, tech specialist and affiliate program manager at Relax Sauna
For partners who wanted more flexibility, the brand also created custom discount codes on request.
Put the owner on top affiliates’ podcasts
During BFCM, Relax Sauna gets hands-on: the owner personally appears as a guest on their top affiliates’ podcasts and shows to talk through the benefits of the saunas.
BFCM is when the owner goes on the most podcasts and shows to promote the saunas.
Corey Daniels, tech specialist and affiliate program manager at Relax Sauna
It’s a win-win. Affiliates get high-quality content straight from the owner, and the gesture shows the brand values their best partners enough to invest his time.
Lend saunas to big influencers
To help large influencers create authentic content, Relax Sauna lends them saunas, recouped from their first commissions.
We basically give it to them like a loan and then out of their first commissions, they repay us the wholesale.
Corey Daniels, tech specialist and affiliate program manager at Relax Sauna
That removes the upfront cost for influencers, who keep the sauna once their sales cover the wholesale price.
What results did Relax Sauna see at BFCM 2024?
BFCM 2024 continued the brand’s pattern of peak-season success.
We normally see an uptick each year in BFCM
Corey Daniels, tech specialist and affiliate program manager at Relax Sauna
The formula works because everything lands at once: holiday shoppers are buying, every affiliate is promoting, and the owner is reaching new audiences on podcasts.
The standout number tells the story: one of Relax Sauna’s top partners earned $240,000 in commission during BFCM 2024 alone.
What’s next for Relax Sauna’s BFCM strategy?
For BFCM 2025, the game plan stays the same: one shared Black Friday code, tracking links for every affiliate, and the owner booked on top performers’ podcasts.
The brand also sped up their backend, using UpPromote’s Wise payout integration to pay commissions faster and more reliably, which keeps partnerships strong and affiliates engaged.
Educate affiliates on tracking. Relax Sauna teaches affiliates to use their tracking links alongside the shared Black Friday code so they get credit.
Use a two-tier program. Relax Sauna offers a 12% affiliate tier open to anyone and a wholesale reseller tier for partners who own a sauna and a business.
Invest your founder’s time. Relax Sauna’s owner joins top affiliates’ podcasts during BFCM to promote the saunas directly.
Remove cost barriers. Relax Sauna lends saunas to big influencers, repaid from their first commissions.
