Summary
CHALLENGE
- Sells niche micro-welding tools to a very specific market of small jewelry sellers.
- Needed authentic voices in focused communities to reach the right buyers.
- Grew frustrated with their first affiliate platform, CollabPay, over PayPal and payment issues.
SOLUTION
- Switched to UpPromote and synced affiliate data across all five stores.
- Set performance tiers from a 5% base up to 10%, 15%, and 18%.
- Ran an MLM pilot, with uplines earning a network commission.
- Gave every affiliate a personalized, auto-generated discount code.
RESULTS
- Generated $166,000 in sales within 30 days of switching to UpPromote.
- Moved top blogger Trinity Owens to the 18% tier after 200+ referral orders.
- Gave affiliates a dashboard they rely on to focus their efforts.
LESSONS
- Switch tools when payment and workflow issues hold you back.
- Tier commissions by performance, even from a low base on high-value orders.
- Use existing affiliates to recruit new ones through an MLM model.
- Give affiliates personalized discount codes to help them close sales.
Based in Utah, Sunstone Permanent Jewelry makes micro-welding and engraving tools. Their main product is a micro-welding machine that welds jewelry directly onto a customer’s wrist, creating a long-lasting accessory.
The brand serves small business owners, stay-at-home moms, and creative entrepreneurs who sell jewelry at pop-up events, trade shows, and local markets, giving them tools to start or grow their own businesses.
Why did Sunstone switch affiliate platforms to UpPromote?
Sunstone’s tools aren’t for everyone; they serve a very specific market. To reach it, the brand needed authentic voices inside the smaller communities where their buyers gather.
Affiliate marketing fit perfectly. Bloggers, influencers, and satisfied customers could recommend the tools, and Sunstone only paid when a sale happened.
At first, Sunstone ran their program on CollabPay, but quickly grew frustrated.
Connecting PayPal there was super tricky… It just kept having issues where payments would disconnect
Bryce Hales, Sunstone's head of eCommerce marketing
The search for something better led Sunstone to UpPromote.
We landed on UpPromote, and we really liked the layout of the system. It felt more streamlined… whereas CollabPay felt like I was on a website from 2005
Bryce Hales, Sunstone's head of eCommerce marketing
UpPromote also synced data across all five of Sunstone’s stores, letting the team access each account, sync new affiliates, and track performance in one place.
How does Sunstone reward affiliates by performance?
Sunstone keeps affiliates motivated with commissions tied to performance, starting everyone at a 5% rate.
That sounds small, but with an average order value of $1,000–$2,000, a 5% rate still earns affiliates $50–$100 per order.
With UpPromote, Sunstone created diverse programs at 10%, 15%, and 18%, moving stronger performers up as they bring in more sales.
Blogger Trinity Owens is a case in point. Her site draws over 10,000 monthly visitors, and within two months she generated more than 200 referral orders, earning a move to Sunstone’s top 18% tier.
UpPromote upgrades affiliates automatically once they hit preset milestones, so the commission tiers run without manual work.
How does Sunstone recruit more affiliates through MLM?
Sunstone sees their current affiliates as their best recruiters. They already know the products and the program, so they can invite others who fit.
Through UpPromote’s MLM feature, each affiliate can invite others as their “downline,” earning a network commission whenever those new affiliates make sales.
Sunstone is piloting this with their top performer, Trinity. They built a special 10% program: if Trinity invites Affiliate A, that affiliate earns 10% on their own sales, while Trinity earns 5% on theirs as a network commission.
Starting with a proven affiliate lets Sunstone test the model with someone likely to bring in similar partners.
How does Sunstone equip affiliates with coupon codes?
Promoting high-priced, niche products is hard, so Sunstone gives each affiliate a personalized discount code.
The codes do double duty: they make premium products more accessible to customers, and they give affiliates a tool to close sales, since a discount makes buyers more likely to commit.
UpPromote auto-generates each code from Sunstone’s rules, usually based on the affiliate’s name. An affiliate named Priscilla Marquez, for example, gets the code PRISCILLAMARQUEZ with a 3% discount, and affiliates can even rename their codes.
Small touches like custom codes help keep affiliates engaged with the program.
What results did Sunstone see in 30 days?
The switch paid off quickly. Within 30 days of moving to UpPromote, Sunstone’s program generated $166,000 in sales.
UpPromote is just easy to use. It’s super intuitive… Our affiliates like it a lot more. They absolutely love the affiliate dashboard
Bryce Hales, Sunstone's head of eCommerce marketing
The customer insights and dashboard gave affiliates a clear view of what worked, so they could focus on their most profitable efforts.
