Since launching our top toy unit yesterday, we have had a few requests to offer one which features the best prices for the toys. Well I am pleased to say we have done this for you. We are updating this ourselves daily to ensure the correct pricing is reflected on the unit, so you can add it to your sites without having to worry.

Please make sure you’re signed up to all the toy merchants to ensure your links will work:
Toy Retailers included:

Character Online via AffWin
Gadgetshop via AffWin
Hamleys via AffWin
John Lewis via AffWin
Play.com via AffWin
thetoyshop via AffWin
ToysRus via AffWin
Tesco Direct via TD
Mail Order Express via Webgains
Argos via CJ
Amazon

Remember you can style this unit any way you like, and we’ll control the products for you. So if you want a skyscraper unit, you can change the width/layout so that it fits, you can change the colours, and also what is shown on the unit. To add the unit to your account, visit this link and follow the instructions.

Here’s the unit:

For individual price comparison units for each of the products, see our Top Toys Price Comparison Units page

We have now added the functionality to create random units using Amazon products. You can specify a category with/without a keyword and ECU will conjure up a unit for you based on those choices.

Great if you’re looking to quickly populate a content unit, which you don’t need to update. Don’t forget that keywords can be separated by commas and are based on the product title.

You will find the options for an Amazon random unit on the create a unit page below the standard random unit options. We will be looking at rearranging this soon, so keep an eye out on here for the changes.

Enjoy this new feature which is available to Free and Pro members, if you have any comments, please let us know below:

Following on from our Top Toys Unit, we have now been able to create a price comparison unit for each toy in the top 12 ‘Dream Toys’, which you can add to your sites.

Similarly, you will need to be approved to each of the programs so that your links work. You can of course ask for the unit to be transferred to you, to give you control of the merchants if you wish.

All these can be styled anyway you like to fit into your websites.

Only want to show the best price? Simple, resize unit to show 1 row x 1 column – order by price

The Units:

Bakugan Battle Pack Price Comparison

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If you want to be able to edit the products in these units, please let us know on a support ticket and we’ll copy the unit into your account.

We have created a top 12 toys managed unit for you to use if you wish.

This is a managed unit containing the official top 12 toys that the Toy Retailers Association published as being the most popular (and therefore best selling) with children for Christmas 2009.

Please note that this is a multi-merchant, multi-network unit – For you to earn commission you must have entered your ID for all the networks, and be accepted onto the merchants program. In most cases, each toy is sold by several merchants – We have chosen a broad range of merchants, and selected one per toy.

If you wish to promote different merchants, then you can of course create your own Top Toys unit – alternatively, we will shortly be releasing managed price comparison units for each toy that you will be able to pick up.

As it stands we control the products. If you would like to have this unit added to your account, so that you can change the merchants to suit, please send in a support ticket and we’ll do it as soon as we can.

The Unit:

As we create the individual Price Comparison Units, we will add them to this page.

We have been asked about if ECU can be integrated with Google Analytics, and we featured the following post on the A4U Forum, but  I thought we’d pop it here too (note this is only available for Pro members who have a fair knowledge of PHP):

There is a way to send your unit click information to google analytics, Ive not tested this method myself yet though.

In your ‘My Details’ page, enter the ‘Callback URL’ value.
an example url:

http://www.mydomain.com/myscript.php?unitid=[UNIT_ID]&product=[PRODUCT_TITLE]&datetime=[CLICK_TIME]

This url should point to a small PHP script that sits on your own website (I’ll get to that in a minute).
Within the callback url, you can specify which information you want to send to the PHP script. Other parameters are listed in the dropdown help for the Callback URL.

When a click occurs, we send that specified information to your PHP script, which then forwards it to google analytics.

This is the PHP script that I have found that should do the trick:
Google Analytics without Javascript – PHP – Snipplr

There are 3 lines that you will need to edit within the PHP script:
PHP Code:

$var_utmac=GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_CODE; //enter the new urchin code
$var_utmhn=WEB_DOMAIN; //enter your domain

The other line is where you will place any value/values that you want to send to google:

PHP Code:

$var_uservar=$storeinfo["storeid"]; //enter your own user defined variable

You could replace the $storeinfo["storeid"] part with any of the values that we have sent to the script, ie
PHP Code:
$var_uservar=$_GET['product_title'];
or:
PHP Code:

$var_uservar=$_GET['unit_title'].’:’.$_GET['product_title'];

This probably sounds more convoluted than it actually is, but its the only way that I’ve found that could work.

Good luck

Here is the full PHP script:
PHP Code:

$var_utmac=GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_CODE; //enter the new urchin code
$var_utmhn=WEB_DOMAIN; //enter your domain
$var_utmn=rand(1000000000,9999999999);//random request number
$var_cookie=rand(10000000,99999999);//random cookie number
$var_random=rand(1000000000,2147483647); //number under 2147483647
$var_today=time(); //today
$var_referer=$_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER']; //referer url

$var_uservar=$storeinfo["storeid"]; //enter your own user defined variable
$var_utmp=”http://”.$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'].$_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];

$urchinUrl=’http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmwv=1&utmn=’.$var_utmn.’&utmsr=-&utmsc=-&utmul=-&utmje=0&utmfl=-&utmdt=-&utmhn=’.$var_utmhn.’&utmr=’.$var_referer.’&utmp=’.$var_utmp.’&utmac=’.$var_utmac.’&utmcc=__utma%3D’.$var_cookie.’.’.$var_random.’.’.$var_today.’.’.$var_today.’.’.$var_today.’.2%3B%2B__utmb%3D’.$var_cookie.’%3B%2B__utmc%3D’.$var_cookie.’%3B%2B__utmz%3D’.$var_cookie.’.’.$var_today.’.2.2.utmccn%3D(direct)%7Cutmcsr%3D(direct)%7Cutmcmd%3D(none)%3B%2B__utmv%3D’.$var_cookie.’.’.$var_uservar.’%3B’;

$handle = fopen ($urchinUrl, “r”);
$test = fgets($handle);
fclose($handle);
?>

Let us know how you get on, and if you have any changes/improvements for this we can share with our other users

A4U Expo was great for meeting our affiliates, merchants and the networks we work with.  We used most of the time telling people about Easy Content Units, and gathering feedback on the service.  One of the things mentioned by a number of affiliates was the subject of tracking IDs, and what they were for.

What is Tracking ID for?

Well each of the network allows affiliates to add a parameter to the deeplink which enables you to set an ID for that click.  They then feature this ID in their reporting area, so that you can determine where the sale was made, and use it with your analytics package to work out the effectiveness of your work/account for your spend etc.

We always felt this was an important feature, and so have had this available since the launch of ECU.  However a lot of affiliates seem to not know about what it is and for.  The feedback we received suggested that we should enter a default value for the tracking ID, which would save affiliates the time and for those not using it, give them something in their reports (at the networks) to show them the effectiveness of ECU.

So we have added a prefix solution for this.

Now the Tracking ID will be prefixed with EasyCU_

So if you do not use the feature, your reports in the networks will show up with this, and if you do, your chosen value will appended to the end of the ID – like this: EasyCU_whateveryouchoose.

Each of the networks call this variable something different, here’s a quick run down of what you’re looking for in the reports:

Affilinet – SubID

Affiliate Future – Affiliate Ref

Affiliate Window – Clickref

Buy.at – LID

Commission Junction – SID

dgmPro – Network ID

Linkshare – SubID

More Niche – Campaign

Paid on Results – Custom Tracking ID

Silvertap – SubID

Tradedoubler – EPI

TradeTracker – Reference

Webgains – Clickref

I hope this will to illustrate the overall effectiveness of your units to you, when looking through the network reports.  If you have any comments/suggestions please let us know below:

Note this feature is only for those who want to use different Network IDs for different units

For the most part, Easy Content Units has handled network IDs fine, you simply had to add one ID for each network for all your ECU links.  All your clicks went through this one account, and commission awarded accordingly.  You are able to set a tracking ID which enables you to track which unit sends the traffic and earned the commission – simple.  The good thing about this way, is that apart from there was one set of accounting to do, it is easier to meet tiered commission levels if everything is going through the same account.

There is however growing demand to allow the setting of network ID by individual unit, to satisfy the demands of some of the networks and to aid merchant approval.   So it is with great pleasure that I can announce this is now supported.

You are now able to set individual network IDs on a per unit basis, which will override the original ID put on the ‘My Details’ page, which will still act as the default ID as normal.  However if you have a different ’site ID’ for Webgains/Tradedoubler etc, then you can enter it on the UNIT ADMIN tab, and it will be used instead of the default.

Simply add the ID for the network you’d like to use in the box on the UNIT ADMIN tab as shown below:

If you’re happy to use the default network ID, then leave the box blank.  Only put an ID in if you want to use something different than on the ‘My Details‘ page.

We hope this new functionality will help a number of our affiliates who have concerns about using the one Network ID.  If you have any comments or suggestions on how we can improve this further, please let us know below or in a support ticket.

One of the uses of Easy Content Units is to ‘power’ price comparison on your website. So you have already created a page full of unique content on a particular product, now you’d like to show it’s prices from the many merchants selling it on the web – well worry ye not! Here’s a guide on how to do it:

First off, create a unit, and add all the merchants to it who are selling your item. For products with a model number, it’s usually best just to search for that. You may need to differ the search query if not all the merchants come up first – see our guide to finding the products you want.

Once you have them all in, click on customise unit.

On the UNIT ADMIN tab
Check that ‘Order By’ is set by Price
Choose/set a Buy Now button if you wish to show one

On the UNIT SIZE tab
Select Vertical Layout
Change the number of rows and columns to the desired shape for the number of merchants included in the unit

On the CONTENTS tab
Deselect all options apart from Price and Merchant Logo
Change Unit Alignment to ‘Center’

On the ADVANCED STYLING tab
Change any setting you require on this tab for example remove the border or show a title for the unit, if you wish

Click on Save/update button and that’s it

If you have a number of units to make, then I would recommend that you save this layout as a template. To do this, return to the UNIT ADMIN tab, and click on ‘Templates’.

Put a name in the box for the template (like Price Comparison)

Click Save

To use this template on the next unit, create the unit, then return to the template options, use the drop down to select the template, and click on ‘Apply to Unit’ button. All the settings should now be loaded.

Double check the appearance of the unit in case you have more or less merchants this time around, and that’s it.

For some inspiration about what can be achieved, take a look at how others are using ECU for Price comparison

If you would like a guide on how to do something else with Easy Content Units, please let us know below or in a support ticket.

We are delighted to add support for the MoreNiche network.   More Niche are a fairly young affiliate network specialising in health related products who have attracted a couple of retail health merchants to their program list.

We have added Slimming.com and HealthSpark to Easy Content Units for you to choose products from.

Updated: we have now added a new ‘More Niche’ merchant to ECU, which enables you to promote any of their independent Adult Health/Slimming products, a list appears below:

Pure Acai Berry
Ultimate Maqui Berry
Proactol
Slimming.com
UniqueHoodia
MaleExtra
PenisHealth
Performaer5
SizeGenetics
Ultimate Stretcher
Healthspark
Hoodia.com
Phen375
SlimWeightPatch
Zotrim
JesExtender
MaleEdge
Nature’s Drugstore
Adios
Alli
Appesat
Lipobind
Slimshot

All these merchants are offering a fantastic 20-40% commission on their range of health products. So if you are looking for a profitable niche, complete with unparrelled support from the network, then take a look at More Niche

Sign up to the MoreNiche network to start promoting these great products.  Look out for some exciting new merchants coming soon

Next week sees up to 1000 people descending on ExCel centre, for this year’s A4U Expo.  We’ll be there for the duration, will you?

We’d love to see as many affiliates, merchants, agencies and of course networks as we can fit into the 2 days.  We have a couple of fantastic prizes up for grabs for affiliates and merchants.

Find us at the conference/any of the parties, and say hi, leave us with a business card, and we’ll enter you into a draw to win a years pass for Pro for Affiliates or for merchants, a year of updates for your managed units.

We’ll release the winners via our twitter account during the final party.

How to find us:

I have set up a Google Calender to let you know our availability, so if you want a meeting let me know

At the Expo, we’ll be available via Twitter, and will update with our whereabouts.  Follow us on Twitter @EasyContentUnit or @lammo77 of course you can leave a message on our mobile: 07772813222 and we’ll get back to you.