I recently promoted on one of my sites a toy that had been reduced heavily by one of the merchants I promote, coming down from £300 to £250. Accordingly, I recommended it to my users with the usual hyperbole - "amazing offer... fantastic discount" etc.

Whilst in my online travels, I found the website of a small chain with branches around the South, who don't have an affiliate scheme, selling the same item for £199.

This raised a question: is there any point telling my users about good offers at shops - online and offline - where I won't receive any commissions for sales generated. Am I providing a genuine service to my users, or is it the guise of a service purely to take advantage of performance marketing.

As it happens, the merchant in this case soon sold out of the item so there was no point in me flagging it up to my visitors. Personally, I think the answer depends on the context of the site. If it's just some purely affiliate, flash in the pan site which may serve an immediate purpose but doesn't have much longevity, it's probably not worth it. If you have a loyal user base, a brand you care about or an email list of subscribers, I think telling them about relevant discounts and offers for which you don't actually receive any commission serves a purpose, will strengthen user loyalty and increase your own credibility.