Summary
CHALLENGE
- Ran affiliates on a WordPress plugin that needed constant custom coding.
- A small, China-based startup team with limited IT resources.
- High-ticket robots with a roughly one-month buying decision.
SOLUTION
- Launched a no-code affiliate program on UpPromote after moving to Shopify.
- Set a 10% commission plus an extra bonus to attract professional partners.
- Recruited coaches, clubs, and YouTube creators, seeding products to qualified ones.
- Published their offer on the UpPromote Marketplace to draw sign-ups.
RESULTS
- Affiliate marketing drives around 20% of overall sales within about three months.
- 5–10 new affiliates register through the Marketplace every day.
LESSONS
- Pick an affiliate tool that runs without custom code or a dedicated IT team.
- Set a commission you can sustain, then layer bonuses to win professional partners.
- Recruit partners who can credibly demonstrate your product, not just any affiliate.
Pongbot builds AI-powered sports training robots — tennis ball machines and table tennis robots used by everyone from beginners to professional coaches and clubs. Their flagship Pace S Pro and a growing lineup of models sell worldwide.
The China-based startup only recently moved their store from WordPress to Shopify. Even so, within about three months of launching affiliate marketing on UpPromote, the channel already drives roughly 20% of overall sales.
Here’s how a small team with limited engineering resources built a working program around high-ticket products, and where it’s focused next.
Why did a China-based startup need an affiliate tool that didn’t lean on its IT team?
Before Shopify, Pongbot ran their store on WordPress and managed affiliates through a WordPress-only plugin. The setup worked, but it demanded constant custom coding.
For a small team, that was the breaking point.
We’re based in China and we are just a startup company, and we don’t have enough IT team. So it’s a little bit harder for the team to run over WordPress.
Kyle, Operation Manager at Pongbot
Moving to Shopify let Pongbot replace that code-heavy workflow. The team chose UpPromote to run the program without custom development — set up through the Shopify App Store, not engineering tickets.
That choice came from the team’s own research. Pongbot searched Google, read Shopify App Store reviews, and leaned on the affiliate marketing experience they had before.
For that reason, the team trusted itself to pick a tool that fit. With the program live and no engineering bottleneck, the next question was how to structure it around products that can cost more than a thousand dollars.
How did Pongbot design its affiliate program for high-ticket sports robots?
Pongbot’s products are expensive, and buyers take their time. Two choices shaped the program: how much to pay affiliates, and which affiliates to recruit.
A commission rate sized for a startup chasing reach
Pongbot set a standard 10% commission. On a high-ticket item priced around $1,500, that works out to roughly $150 per sale. The brand also layers an extra bonus on top.
The rate is deliberately generous for a young company.
We are just a startup company and we want to get more exposure and get more partners around the world. So we have to do the best we can offer for our partners.
Kyle, Operation Manager at Pongbot
For now, reach matters more than trimming payouts — a trade-off Pongbot is willing to make while they grow their partner base.
That’s why the brand also offers generous month bonus to celebrate affiliate reaching sales goals, ranging from $20 to $550, on top of the based 10%.
Recruiting coaches, clubs, and YouTube creators
That partner base isn’t random. Pongbot targets professional affiliates who can credibly demonstrate the robots.
Most of the affiliates from our program are the coaches, clubs, and KOLs from YouTube.
Kyle, Operation Manager at Pongbot
The fit matters because the products are high value, and buyers take their time. Kyle said a purchase decision could run about a month.
Hands-on reviews from people the audience already trusts help carry that decision. So Pongbot sends samples only to qualified coaches and creators so that they can test the robots and film valuable content.
Merchants can streamline the same step with UpPromote’s gift feature. Brands can choose to deliver free or discounted samples to specific affiliates or new sign-ups, then the system emails them to claim.
Recruiting the right partners is one half of growth. Finding enough of them is the other, and that’s where the UpPromote Marketplace comes in.
How does Pongbot use the UpPromote Marketplace to find new affiliates?
Pongbot lists their affiliate program on the UpPromote Marketplace to attract affiliates to promote their products.
The listing brings partners in consistently every day. 5–10 new affiliates register through the Marketplace on their own.
And Pongbot wants to grow that further.
We want more exposure, and we want to work with more professional affiliates through UpPromote — particularly more exposure on the marketplace.
Kyle, Operation Manager at Pongbot
What results has Pongbot seen in its first three months with UpPromote?
In about three months, affiliate marketing has grown to contribute around 20% of Pongbot’s overall sales.
We just worked with UpPromote the last three months and the contribution of affiliate marketing maybe like 20% of overall sales.
Kyle, Operation Manager at Pongbot
That’s a meaningful share for a brand selling high-ticket robots, and it has come without the engineering overhead that pushed Pongbot off WordPress in the first place: no dedicated IT team, no custom code.
