WidgetBucks – New E-commerce Ad Network from Mpire

The name a bit corny? The ads a bit flashy? Don’t let that put you off. WidgetBucks has taken the world of affiliate marketing by storm.

Launched on October 2, 2007 by Seattle-based Mpire, WidgetBucks promises to help publishers, affiliates and bloggers earn three to four times more money compared to traditional ad networks.

Publishers can choose between a patent-pending technology called MerchSense to display contextual shopping widgets or select among a 100 different categories from electronics to political books. Widgets are available in a conventional ad sizes (160×600, 120×600, etc) plus a new 160×300 sidebar size.

Product offers are from 30,000 merchants, including top brands such as Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, NewEgg, Macy’s and Gap. The flash-based widgets, presented in part as top 10 lists constantly rotate through the offers. Constant monitoring auto-optimizes widget rotation based on shopping habits and success rate.

Program Details

Monetization: CPC
Ad Formats: 7 formats
Colors/Borders: Partially configurable
Contextual: With MerchSense
Specific Product Ads: No
Languages: English only
International Sites: Yes (lower success rate)
Multiple Sites: Yes
Second Tier: Yes
Cookie Life (referrals): ?
Traffic Minimum: None
Ad Units Per Page: No limit
AdSense Compatible: Yes
Sign-up Bonus: $25
Payment: Check or PayPal ($50 minimum)

Early adopters are reporting very good results compared to other ad networks. The ad click-thru rates (CTR) and revenue per click (RPC) are better than average especially for blogs covering gadgets, video games, and cameras.

More good news? Yup! For a limited time, publishers and bloggers receive a $25 sign-up bonus. So why not go for it? Just click on the logo (above) or here to sign-up. You should be able to find an ad category aligned with your niche. Or, just choose MerchSense,