Target Affiliate Program Review – Is it Worth it? (2023 Guide)

Are you a blogger, affiliate marketer, social media influencer, or content creator looking for ways to monetize your online presence? If so, you may want to consider the Target affiliate program. The Target affiliate program (Target Partners Program) allows you to earn commission by promoting Target products on your websites or social media channels. So let’s dive in and explore the benefits of the Target affiliate program! In this blog post, we’ll look at the Target affiliate program and how it can help you earn money while promoting products you love.

What is the Target Affiliate Program?

The Target affiliate program (also called the Target Partners Program) is a program that allows affiliates to earn a commission by promoting Target products on their website or social media channels. Affiliates can earn up to 5% commission on purchases through their unique referral link. The program provides access to various promotional materials, including banners, text links, and product feeds. It’s an excellent way for bloggers, influencers, and content creators to monetize their online presence while promoting products they love.

How to Sign Up for the Target Affiliate Program

To participate in the Target affiliate program, you must sign up for an account at partners.target.com. Target uses the Impact affiliate network to manage its affiliate relationships, so if you already have an Impact account, you can use those credentials and log in from partners.target.com instead.

If You Don’t Have an Impact Account

If you don’t have an Impact account, signing up at partners.target.com will require you to create an Impact account first. 

Having an Impact account is a requirement to join the Target affiliate program.

Once you’ve created and verified your Impact account, you can apply to the program. Target manually reviews applications to the program, so hang tight until they get back to you.

Target Affiliate Program Commission Rates, Rules, and Payout Schedules

The Target affiliate program advertises commission rates of up to 8%. However, the more realistic rates range from 1% to 5%. To achieve the highest 8% commission rate (base commission plus a performance bonus), you must have a substantial Target sales volume (conversions) in a given month.

To earn a monthly performance bonus, an affiliate must see a certain number of leads (actions, as Target describes them in the affiliate program terms) into sales. The first bonus starts at just 11 conversions in a month.

Here’s the performance bonus table:

• Tier 1: 11-50 Actions
• Tier 2: 51-300 actions 
• Tier 3: 301-1,000 actions 
• Tier 4: 1,001-2,000 actions 
• Tier 5: 2,001-4,000 actions
• Tier 6: 4,001-10,000 actions 
• Tier 7: 10,001+ actions 

You must convert over 10,000 leads into sales to achieve the highest possible commission rates. For top-rated websites and social media accounts, this is attainable. The performance bonus crosses categories, too, so if you have 5,000 actions in one category and 5,001 actions in another, both categories will receive the highest commission rate payout.

The bonus rate resets every month.

Here’s how their commission rates break down (as of February 28, 2022):

• Excluded SKUs and Categories: 0%
• Home & Outdoor Living: 5% (bonus +1% to +3%)
• Health & Beauty: 1% (no bonus)
• Apparel & Accessories: 5% (bonus +1% to +3%)
• Baby Gear & Furniture: 3% (bonus +0.5% to +2%)
• Everything Else: 3% (bonus +0.5% to +2%)

The excluded SKU list is several thousand items long, but from my sampling, not all SKUs were active in their catalog at the time of writing. Most of the SKUs provided that were live on target.com were Apple products or Apple product-adjacent.

Target also lists product categories that do not qualify for a commission. From what I can tell, these categories fall into a few super-categories: grocery, fresh and prepared foods, Target services, consumable media (video games, movies, etc.), Toys, and some sporting goods. When applying for the Target affiliate program, you’ll have an opportunity to see these two lists for yourself.

Target does not offer a commission on the signup and approval of the Target REDCard (debit or credit) or a commission on creating baby, wedding, or college registries. 

The Target affiliate program also does not pay commissions for orders delivered outside the United States.

Actions are locked 60 days after the end of the month they take place, and payouts happen 20 days after that. In real terms, if you refer someone to Target using your affiliate link and they buy something on March 1, on June 19 (80 days after the end of March), you’ll receive your payout for that sale.

Is Joining the Target Affiliate Program Worth It?

Target is an in-person and online retail store that carries a wide assortment of goods for the home, electronics, sporting goods, clothing, beauty and health care, and more. Having a target audience that could benefit from products sold by Target means there’s a potential to make money with this affiliate program.

Commission rates are reasonable and on par with other retailers, if not better (we’ve seen Walmart hover in the 3% range, and Amazon Associates sits at about 3%).

It won’t be a great fit if everything related to your site or social media presence doesn’t involve products one could find at target.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of websites does the Target affiliate program accept?

Target will generally accept into their affiliate program any family-friendly website (no adult or vice-related content, and nothing illegal). They’ll also take influencers that operate on social media channels, too. They ask for primarily U.S. readership and viewership (given the Target affiliate program is designed for customers of target.com, not Target located in other countries). Beyond that, the program terms and conditions apply. 

Can I join the Target affiliate program outside the United States?

Target accepts applications from affiliates outside the United States, so long as you can acquire or have an Impact account and it supports your country of residence. The rule about U.S.-centric content and readership still applies. 

Can I use the Target affiliate program on multiple websites?

Yes. Impact allows an account to have multiple associated websites. Thus, the Target affiliate program can be used on multiple websites as long as they’re approved by Impact.

Conclusion

The Target Affiliate Program is an excellent way for website owners and social media influences to refer their visitors and followers to a site they may already shop at and enjoy while earning a commission on those sales. Target offers reasonable rates (up to 8%) on sales and has no cap on commissions. Sign up for the Target affiliate program at this link and start earning today!