vCommission Media
In the past few years, there’s been an unprecedented boom in India’s affiliate industry. Hundreds of different affiliate networks have emerged in the market. Some small and some substantially large. Out of these networks, however, only a handful possess international leverage.
vCommission Media Private Limited is one such affiliate network that has an impactful global presence. It is one of the front-runners in the industry with umpteen high-performing affiliates. In its 13 years of existence, the brand has expanded its reach across a multitude of international markets and product niches, due to which, it is regarded as the most expansive affiliate network in all of India.
vCommission Media Private Limited: A Performance-Oriented Brand
The brand relentlessly focuses on delivering top-notch performance through its services. It works with the singular objective of generating maximum revenue for its partners, scaling at a rapid speed without compromising on the quality of deliverables.
Within a span of a decade, the brand has aggressively scaled as an uprising digital brand. It is currently working with 100k + affiliates, generating 80 M in monthly traffic, 2.5 Million conversions, and $ 2B monthly GMV. Right now, the brand’s major areas of focus are E-Commerce, Travel, iGaming, Finance & Insurance.
The Brand’s Inception Story
vCommission was founded by Tarang Bhargava & Parul Bhargava in 2008, with the ambition to make a difference in the Indian affiliate industry. Back then, Indians weren’t taken into affiliate programs just because of their nationality. Both Tarang & Parul aspired to change this preconception and give Indians a fair chance at these programs. Consequently, they came up with a novel idea to fructify this change. They reasoned that a company, instead of a bunch of individuals, signing up for the programs would hold far more weight in terms of credibility. Thus, they formed vCommission Media on the basis of this rationale. A few months after its inception, both of them understood the affiliate business in much greater depth. This spurred them to go all-in with the company.
Fast-forwarding to 2021, vCommission, with Parul spearheading the role as its CEO, is a thriving brand with a team of 100+ professionals. It is chasing and achieving new milestones every single day. Tarang and Parul had never imagined that their company would’ve achieved its current heights – while they had set high targets, they didn’t fathom the full scope of the business idea. So far both their journeys have been extremely rewarding, filled with learning experiences and opportunities. Both of them are immensely grateful for it all and look forward to its future advancement.
Overcoming Market Challenges
Parul has always seen challenges as avenues for learning and growth. According to her, nobody can thrive without facing their fair share of difficulties. They’re present in every sphere of life; avoiding them is simply not an option.
In the initial days, Parul and her team had to face numerous complexities while running the company. Much of this could be attributed to their lack of experience, though. For instance, they learned everything about business on their own via business forums on digital marketing. They also attended various seminars. Back then, their primary focus was the Google AdSense income. It then evolved into Ad exchanges, which later helped them discover affiliate marketing, CPA, CPS models (in their core sense).
Upon hiring professionals for the first time, Parul found it quite difficult to manage them. Also, a few years back, one of the brand’s partners had filed for bankruptcy. This really hit the brand hard, as a couple of million dollars were overdue from that particular brand and vCommission had already paid the money to the affiliates.
Such experiences, albeit daunting, taught the team a lot about business and life in general. Parul now knows that despite all odds, one can ensure success by religiously practicing this credo – believe in what you do, give your best each day, and persevere, no matter what.
The Brand’s Emphasis on Trust Building
The brand believes that mutual trust is the key to successful business agreements, transactions, and deals. Its’ team works very hard to make sure that their partners don’t lose their trust in them. Parul expressed, “I would say that our expertise combined with the collective effort of our team helps us leave our mark in the industry and also in the heart of our customers. We perpetually challenge our own limitations so that we can create something truly monumental in the long run. Furthermore, we continually study our competitors and learn and outperform their strategies. This helps us stay ahead and bring our A-game forth, always.”
To ensure quick and hassle-free payments, vCommission transfers funds directly to affiliates’ bank accounts. Such thoughtful business steps have helped it retain the tag of the most reliable Indian affiliate platform for the longest period of time. So far, the brand has successfully collaborated with top players in different industries, such as Airtel, Flipkart, eBay, Amazon, Domino’s, Etihad Airways, among many others. It has successfully created a culture around its partners and their needs.
Parul’s Inspiring Entrepreneurship Journey
Parul believes that her entrepreneurial journey still has many exploratory stages. She has a lot more to see and experience. Furthermore, she says that she’s far from a know-it-all entrepreneur. She still takes on new challenges and difficult circumstances to better her approach towards work. It’s been 13 years since she started in the digital space and so far, the experience has been truly eventful. She and her team have faced and overcome numerous challenges, which in turn have strengthened their bond and spirit.
Certain significant events marked the timeline of this journey. They were greatly responsible for shaping the brand’s current trajectory. In 2010, vCommission experienced a proper growth-curve in terms of its top-line and bottom-line business. In 2013, Adways, a Japanese company invested in it. The brand then shifted its gears from being a family-run business to being a proper corporate. By 2013, vCommission was working with Top 100 internet companies. Now, in 2021, it is a 100+ people team with its presence in Gurgaon, Mohali, Delhi, USA, and Singapore.
Future Plans For The Brand
vCommission has recently acquired a business in the Ed-Tech domain. It’ll be working towards building and growing it in the time to come.
In the long run, Parul envisions her brand as a unicorn venture that would be operating at a breakneck speed. It would’ve acquired several businesses, successfully functioning under the VC ONE group. She’s also looking forward to rolling out vCommission’s IPO in the next few coming years.
Post-covid, the dynamics of doing business have changed drastically, both nationally as well as globally. However, even with the hindrances of the “new normal”, vCommission has flourished and closed several business targets. The brand aims to continue exploring new waters at a global level while retaining its strategic focus at the home base – India.
A Message To Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Being an indefatigable proponent of the “growth mindset”, Parul advises young entrepreneurs to be constant learners. Here’s what she has to say: “I would say that any aspiring person, be it a new entrepreneur or even a student who wants to ace their exams, must never stop learning. One should always have that child-like curiosity and absorb knowledge from your environment. This will not only help you advance your career but also become a better person in life.”