Amazon-connected publishers have been handed another way to monetise their content thanks to the shopping platform’s new ‘Mobile Popover’ for product suggestions.
The mobile-only service bears plenty of similarities to Skimlinks, both of which scan for phrases and keywords within site text before serving banner ads to viewers. In Amazon’s case, the ads display a relevant product, its price, star rating and shipping information such as whether it’s available for Prime delivery.
Reports suggest that affiliates then gain commission on a cost-per acquisition model. The system is currently being trialled with specific partners, although the presence of a dedicated page for Mobile Popover Beta and a form for entering store IDs would suggest that Amazon is looking into applications.
The process
Among the reported benefits of Mobile Popover is the streamlining of product ordering on mobile – a field where reducing the amount of clicks to a purchase is crucial. 
The retailer also claims an enhancement to the mobile experience for users, and their journey through a Mobile Popover-enabled page is documented in a smartphone tutorial.
The demo starts with a re-direct to the page of a blog detailing three different garden trimmers. As the user scrolls down to an entry on a GreenWorks String Trimmer, they’re served an ad for the corresponding product.
Scrolling down to option number two, the Poulan Pro PP125, returns another banner, and for the product being described.
The final ad is served for a Black & Decker LST130W – seen to the right – which is the last of the products listed.
Although some may consider the ads intrusive for taking up precious space on their miniature screens, Amazon has taken care of certain qualms by allowing users to hide and show their banners at any time.
The offering
If Amazon is to get retailers on board with its new feature for affiliates, it will face competition from an eight-year veteran in Skimlinks and the slightly younger VigLink, which also provides content-driven ad solutions for retailers such as Nike, eBay and Nordstrom.
Commissions earned on Mobile Popovers have not been disclosed. But given that Amazon retailers only pay out a maximum of 10% on premium product categories, and a minimum of 4%, there is a degree of guidance on offer.
A move across to mobile affiliate offerings makes perfect sense for a company looking to build from a hugely successful year for business in this area.
According to the company’s holiday report from 2014, purchases made on mobile devices over Christmas accounted for nearly 60% of all products sold. This was particularly the case on Cyber Monday, Amazon’s biggest day for mobile shopping, as the platform saw 18 toys being sold every second through smartphones and tablets.