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In the world of affiliate marketing, marketers usually see only the finished offer: attractive packaging, a polished landing page, and a compelling USP. But behind this lies a massive amount of work by the product team — research, testing, dozens of hypotheses, and continuous analytics. We spoke with Olga, who leads offer development at AdCombo, to learn more about this process.

New product development

Concept Formation

Product development or updates are always driven by real signals: requests from affiliate marketers, performance statistics, call center feedback, and audience behavior. Our analysts also track which topics are trending among affiliates and where metrics start to decline. Repackaging can completely relaunch an offer — increasing conversion rates and extending its market lifecycle.

As soon as an idea with potential emerges or it becomes clear that the offer requires updating, the team begins research. At this stage:

• competitors within CPA networks are analyzed;
• the white market is studied — marketplaces, news sources, and niche communities;
• ideas and trends suitable for adaptation are collected.

As a result of this preparation, concepts for future products are formed. The team usually generates around five concepts and selects up to three of the most promising ones. Each is given a narrative, unique selling proposition, and several naming and design options. Brainstorming sessions with affiliate teams are held to further narrow the list of options.

For example, when entering the US market, we reworked the UpVision offer into UpVizol – PR, US

Testing and analytics

After the initial selection, concepts go through A/B/C testing. At this stage, not only new designs are compared with each other — the test set is also included a donor product: either a previous AdCombo offer or a strong competitor. This helps determine whether the new concept truly performs better.

During testing, we analyze key metrics such as conversion, approval, and cost per lead across various sources. Once a “winner” is identified, we finalize the graphic layouts for printing and hand them over to production.

Full-scale call center analytics is conducted after the product launch, once a sufficient volume of orders is collected. We request call center reports, review conversations, and analyze customer reactions. If we see that buyers mention different pains or triggers than initially assumed, we update the product brief and suggest improvements to call scripts.

Quality control and interaction with production

We collaborate with factories that produce goods for international brands, which immediately sets a high quality standard.

If it is a new production or a specific product form, samples are requested to ensure that everything meets the requirements.

“They send us samples, and we test them: ‘This one goes on nicely, this one smells good, it’s not sticky, it doesn’t leave marks on clothes’—all to make sure the product sells better.”

This way, we make sure the product not only looks good in creatives, but is also liked by the end customer — which directly affects conversion rates and stable buyouts.

Product samples

Product release

Only products with the strongest performance make it to the production stage and are handed over to the advertiser. At this point, we also start preparing the full methodological base for affiliates.

For each offer, we create a detailed product brief that includes:

• features of positioning and USP,
• key insights about the target audience,
• a selection of real photos and creative ideas,
• nuances that are important to consider when launching.

This brief helps adapt existing bundles to a new product or create something unique for the offer.

Don’t forget to request a brief from your managers — we prepare it specifically to make your launch easier and help you get results faster.

Talorix Bold Offer

Taking GEO Context and Legal Nuances into Account

During development, the team focuses on studying local audience habits, interests, and behavior—this helps create a product that feels natural and inspires trust in the end user. Particular attention is paid to countries with strict regulations, such as the US, Mexico, and the MENA region. Here, it’s crucial not only to comply with laws but also to consider cultural and religious nuances.

To better match local expectations, we conduct surveys and test user reactions to packaging, legends, and positioning. When necessary, we create social media accounts and work with bloggers to validate hypotheses.

Developing an offer for the international market is always a compromise between marketing and legal restrictions. We carefully take into account registration rules and country-specific requirements:

• the name and product comply with the rules and are unique;
• production and registration standards are observed.

A good example of successful naming and regulatory compliance is the Congelum cooling joint balm. In Spanish, it sounds like “con hielo”, which means “with ice” — the name conveys a cooling effect and is easy to perceive across different languages. It also subtly includes the word “gel” in the name.

Offer Congelum – ES

All AdCombo products are certified, so affiliates don’t face issues with delivery, buyouts, or customer complaints.

The Role of Affiliate Marketers

Collaboration with the product team opens up additional opportunities for affiliates:

• the ability to influence packaging and product design;
• participation in offer testing, including exclusive campaigns;
• access to private terms and unique products.

“When an affiliate gives feedback on packaging or concept, we always take it into account, test it, and implement it if it works. For example, we recently received feedback that packaging with dark labels convert better. We developed a variant and added it to the test.”

For teams with whom we’ve built strong, long-term partnerships, we develop fully custom products:

• for a specific niche,
• for a particular GEO,
• based on an idea proposed by the team itself.

These can be updates to existing solutions or launches built completely from scratch. This is how AdCombo remains one of the few networks where the product team truly works side by side with affiliates.

Conclusion

The work of the product team is a combination of analytics, marketing, creativity, and legal compliance. For the team, it’s important that every stage of the process has a real impact on the product’s success, while market dynamics and affiliate feedback keep the work engaging and motivating.

“I love that there’s no boring process. You’re constantly studying your audience, trends, and applying new approaches—and that makes the work incredibly interesting.”

AdCombo is a place where offers are created together with affiliate marketers and for you. You get access to unique product developments and a team that is genuinely invested in your profitability.