What should the affiliate marketing industry be doing to\nprotect consumers?
\n
\nPolicing FDA non approved products via affiliate marketing, what should our\nindustry be doing to better protect consumers? Or should we even concern\nourselves?
\n
\nSelling online has become cheaper and easier in recent years and more so if you\nadd drop shipping ecommerce stores into the mix and the evolution of \u201cthe\nmarket place\u201d. Great news for consumers as it offers more choice and competitive\npricing. Great for the affiliate marketing industry and we all win right?
\n
\nThere is mounting evidence within the health\/wellness and beauty sector that some\nproducts have slipped under the radar of the FDA or loopholes have been used to\nsell products that are potentially dangerous to consumers. Notable talk show\nhosts like John Oliver and Samantha Bee have had dedicated spots to raise\nawareness. \u201cThe consumer should do their research\u201d I hear? Yes, they should but\nwe know that\u2019s not always going to be the case, which is why we have, among\nothers, the FDA as consumers first line of defense. In an article by Forbes in\nMay, the listed a number of big brand cosmetic brands still selling lipsticks containing\nlead. We have also seen a rise in counterfeit cosmetics which can contain\nmercury and its not just limited to the cosmetics industry. Other harmful\nproducts can be sold direct to consumer via Walmart Market Place, Amazon, E-bay\nand other sales channels.
\n
\nSo who is looking out for the consumer in affiliate marketing?
\nWell that\u2019s just it, I don\u2019t know, do you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The affiliate networks would be the first line in defense, right?\nThe networks we work with do have a form of quality control. Example, if an\nadvertiser is selling anti-wrinkle creams and does not fall under \u201cFDA approved\u201d,\nsome are still accepted, providing there is no false or misleading reference to\nthe FDA.
\nBut affiliate network sales folks are not pharmacists, the decision to allow\nthem into the affiliate network is not going to be based on ingredients in\ntheir products, rather accessibility will be based on site traffic,\nconversions, sales and competition and general metrics.
\n
\nThe affiliate? Should we be looking to them to help consumers make the right\nchoice?
\nAffiliates are business folks and if they have targeted traffic, I believe\nthose who care about consumers purchasing dodgy merchandise would, at best, be\nproblematic as they are not pharmacists either.
\nThere are a number of publishers out there who promote \u201corganic\u201d products, one\nassumes the products are safe right? St John\u2019s Wort and Kava 100% organic, can\ncause liver damage and extreme cases death.
\n
\nIs it my job to protect consumers?
\nMaybe but I\u2019m not a pharmacist either, I can certainly veto any advertiser that\nis obviously selling products that can cause harm, but then there are so many\nproducts we use on a daily basis that are slowly killing us anyway.
\n
\nMy take away on all of this, it\u2019s not just one person, one organization that\nshould be protecting consumers, I feel we all have a part to play in protecting\neach other. Not be too quick in accepting advertisers onto our networks, not be\ntoo quick to join affiliate programs without looking more closely at the\nproducts. Who knows\u2026. If we all pull together on this, we may even save some\nlives.
\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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