Toys “R” Us Affiliate Guessing Game

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Toys “R” Us will be terminating its e-commerce and merchandising agreement with Amazon.com by June 30 of this year. Then on July 1, they start up a multi-year deal with GSI Commerce.

This has affiliate marketing pundits guessing which affiliate network will be the new home for the Toys “R” Us affiliate program.

Earlier this month, Scott Jangro pointed out that DicksSportingGoods is moving over to LinkShare from Be Free. And Dicks is one of the e-commerce sites run by GSI Commerce.

Jangro commented “Given that they (GSI) left CJ for Be Free years ago and mass-moved about 30 properties, it only stands to reason that they won’t go back.”

So the assumption out there is that affiliate programs run by GSI Commerce will be following DicksSportingGoods over to LinkShare as their Be Free deals expire.

If that happens, it looks like Toys “R” Us may well return to LinkShare, where their affiliate program resided years ago before they inked their deal with Amazon.

This could be a hot, sticky affiliate marketing summer.