The Firebox Affiliate Blog

Recent Bestsellers (including the Flu) at Firebox

Wow, its been ages since I've done a blog post on here. In my defence, i've been busy with other things, and I've been caught up in the Twitter phenomenon. You can catch me at @NaomiMB, or the official Firebox account is @firebox.

Anyway, here are some of our bestselling products at the moment, to give you some ideas for what to promote...

Henry Desktop Vacuum £12.95
A bestseller since before Christmas, this is a mini battery-powered replica of the popular vacuum cleaner with a face.

Cyber Clean £7.95
Got a gross keyboard or other gadgets? This clever goo will help you clean them up safely. Also available in a minty blue version perfect for your car. Video creative available for this product.

Sex Panther £29.95
60% of the time, it works every time. If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch Anchorman, its very funny. This film tie-in aftershave is a Firebox UK exclusive. Video creative (see below) available.

Sega Mega Drive Twin Player Console £39.95 NEW
Pre-loaded with 15 classic Sega games, it will also play all your old Genesis and Mega Drive cartridges, and it comes with two controllers for some classic retro gaming battles!

Giant Microbes from £5.95
A product we've sold for a while, making a comeback (possibly to do with our current health concerns?). Before you ask, no Flu isn't the bestselling version, the Common Cold is! Although sales of Flu have been increasing.

My predictions for 2009

Everyone is doing prediction lists at the moment, so I thought I'd join in. Here is my list, its a mixture of predictions about affiliate marketing, internet marketing and general trends in product buying. Will be interesting to see which of these come true!

Video
Online videos were big news in 2008 and this will continue. At least one network will launch a fully-functional video serving system with affiliate tracking integrated, to build on the merchant solutions currently out there such as our own Affiliate Video Player.

Affiliate Programmes closing
Sadly this is definately going to be a theme of 2009. Retailers will either bring their affiliate programmes in-house to try and cut costs, or they will close them completely, normally because they've gone bust. Warning signs on an affiliate programme include creative not updated, sales not being validated and commission rates being cut (although sometimes a big increase in commissions can indicate a certain desperation for sales at any cost that doesn't bode well). On the remaining affiliate programmes commission levels and cookie lengths will be tinkered with to get maximum ROI.

Retro
Nostalgia will be a big trend in 2009, with people wanting to recapture past glories and look back to slightly happier times. Retro prodcucts will continue to sell well. We may even start to see some 90s products coming through, as we move towards the end of this decade. Possibly due for a revival are Pogs, Trolls, Tiddlywinks, Ghostbusters (a new film is rumoured), Care Bears and Sea Monkeys.

Simplicity
This is a trend already being seen in consumer technology- the move away from complex gadgets to simple stuff. Following on from the iPhone there's definately a market for a simpler easy to use mass-market mobile phone that just works. The key is making it cool- look at the Flip digital video camera and ASUS Eee laptops. Overall people will want to invest in products that work and last- we'll see less throw-away gadgets becoming popular this year.

Product Reporting
Affiliates now not only want to know that they've made a sale, but what they've actually sold. Product reporting will be adopted by more of the major networks, in addition to the click tracking already available.

Transparency
This will be the big buzzword for 2009 across all digital marketing, but particularly with affiliates. Merchants are demanding greater knowledge about what affiliates are actually doing, and the clever ones will use this to maximise revenue from the channel, tailoring campaigns to what works.

Its going to be an interesting year!

Last month's bestselling Firebox products

Its been a while since I've posted (I got caught up in lots of Christmas stuff), so a Happy New Year to everyone!

First post of the year is a look back at what were our bestsellers for December- these are likely to be big this year as well, so give a good idea of some stuff to promote.

In order of number of units sold:

1) Mystery Box from £14.95. This was the surprise Christmas bestseller for us- a box of random Firebox products at a reduced price. Available in versions for him or her. A Valentine's version is planned.

2) Plop Trumps £5.95. Everyone's fave novelty stocking filler

3) Screaming Flying Monkey £4.95

4) Henry Desktop Vacuum Cleaner £9.95. One of the best selling gifts, also available in a pink Hetty version.

5) Stylophone Original £14.95 This electronic instrument is definately enjoying a bit of a revival.

Bestselling products for the last month at Firebox

Here are some ideas for some popular products you might want to promote. This list is the top ten selling products for November, based on units sold.

1. Plop Trumps £5.95
This silly game is based on Top Trumps, but uses different types of dung as its subject.

2. Screaming Flying Monkey £4.95
This funny monkey toy can be flung across the room, and makes a screaming sound as it flys. Complete with special monkey mask and cape.

 
3. My Own Morph £9.95
Morph is back and now you can create him yourself. Comes complete with a load of fun accessories and some classic Morph episodes on disc.

4. Stylophone £14.95
A reissue of the classic 70s electronic instrument made popular by Rolph Harris. The new version even allows you to plug in your MP3 player and play along to your fave tracks.

5. Bubblewrap keychain £6.95
If you or someone you know is addicted to bubblewrap this is the perfect product. It recreates the sound and feel of popping the bubbles in a small keychain. Plus for every one hundred clicks it makes a random sound "pop, pop, pop, woof, pop".

6. Batteries

7. Echo Bot £6.95
A fun toy that records any message you want and plays it back when someone goes past. It also looks like a bright orange alien with one eye. Cute.

8. Miracle Fruit Tablets £9.95
These miraclulous berries work temporarily on your tastebuds, making everything taste sweet. Soon you'll be sucking on lemons and drinking vinegar.

9. Mood Beams £9.95
These cute light-up critters phase through different colours, and react to sound. They come in a variety of different colours and styles, including new fiesty Tude Beams.

10. PicoZ MX-1 Extreme £19.95
The smallest remote control helicopter in the world! Truly tiny.

Party On! Products for Christmas shindigs

If you're planning a Christmas party, Firebox has some products that will really make it go with a bang. Every party needs a few talking points to break the ice, and all of these products will help with that.

Ice Shot Glasses from £8.95

These moulds will create shot glasses made from ice. Not only do they look really cool, they save on the washing up! You can also create glasses from a variety of mixers such as orange juice to suit the contents.

Twister £9.95

Hard to buy for people: perfect gifts for teenagers

Teenagers are a pretty hard group to buy Christmas presents for. Get them something aimed too young and they'll be insulted. Too old and its boring. Plus anything without a certain cool factor is likely to get discarded. They're a grumpy bunch!

If you want something that will put a smile on their face, as well as making you one of the coolest people they know, try shopping at Firebox. This is stuff that you won't find all over the high street (so they'll get it before their friends do).

For Girls

Tooth Tunes High School Musical version £7.95
One for any teen that likes High School Musical (and there are a lot of them out there). This clever toothbrush will play a song from the second film (What Time Is It) while they brush their teeth. Clever noise conducting science means they can only hear the sound in their heads, so you won't be annoyed by the music. Plus as the tune lasts 2 minutes it helps time teeth brushing.

PoGo Instant Photo Printer £99.95
This would be a brilliant present for anyone who likes taking snaps on their mobile (that would be all teenage girls then). A dinky pocket-sized printer, it lets you send pics to it via the wireless bluetooth connection, and prints them off instantly. It uses special paper that doesn't require messy ink cartridges too.

For Boys

Have yourself a slightly geeky Christmas- decorations from Firebox

Here's some more Christmas content if you'd like to use it....

If you're sick of ordinary Christmas stuff and want something to make your home and office look a bit different, why not try some of these alternative decorations from Firebox. There's lots of stuff that won't break the bank, including eco friendly lights and space-saving trees.

Christmas Tree Poster £12.95
Short on space? Don't want to carry a massive tree home? Can't afford lots of decorations? Have a sense of humour? Look no further than the Christmas Tree Poster from Firebox. A poster with a picture of a large decorated tree on it, it will make any room look festive without the pain of picking pine needles out of the carpet.

 

Insta-Snow from £5.95

Top predicted sellers at Firebox this Christmas

To help you out with your promotions, here are just some of the gifts we reckon will fly off the shelves this year at Firebox.com:

For her
Flip Digital Video Cameras from £99.95
Why: Well, these cameras are already bestsellers, and make a great Christmas gift. Really easy to use, they have minimal buttons and fit into a pocket or bag.

For him
Brick USB Memory Stick from £24.95
Why: these memory sticks come inside a Lego block! Both cool and functional.

Secret Santa Solved- Gifts for less than £5 for Firebox

Here's an idea for something to promote- Secret Santa gifts. Every year lots of people participate in a Secret Santa draw, mainly at work. One of the rules is often that every gift has to cost less than £5.

So here are some great products we sell for less than £5. And if you combine it with our £5 voucher offer, customers can buy them for the cost of postage only!

Screaming Flying Monkey £4.95
It screams, it flies, it annoys the hell out of everyone around you. Perfect for the office joker.

LockLite £4.95
A mini torch that attaches to your key and helps you get into your house easily in the dark. Get this for the boss- its not too silly.

Star Wars Phone Flashers £4.95
These little phone charms light up and spin when you get a call. Available in Storm Trooper and Darth Vader varieties. Get this for a slightly geeky co-worker, perhaps someone in the IT department.

Top selling products at Firebox last month

To help you with what to promote, here are the top selling products on Firebox during October, by number of units sold:

1. Henry Desktop Vacuum £9.95
Ridiculously popular, this mini desk cleaner has been flying out the door. Cute and battery operated, great for getting crumbs out of keyboards.

2. Screaming Flying Monkey £4.95
A regular bestseller, makes a great stocking filler or secret santa gift

3. My Own Morph £9.95
Morph just rules. Includes lots of fun stuff like a DVD with old Morph episodes to make this extra fun.