The history of webePartners begins in 2007, two years before the affiliate platform webePartertners.co.uk was founded, Ewa Dudek, an interior designer by training and passion, was at the time creating her interior design and decorating website in London. Ewa’s basic premise was:
“I do what I know, that is to design, create and furnish interiors by selecting and recommending original products, and in the process earn money through affiliate links, without incurring any costs or investment in the shop.”
The end of the 20th century in Poland is a technological standstill compared to what is happening in the world. Only 2% of people have access to the Internet and there are still 2 million Poles waiting to have a landline set up. Internet shops such as Empik.pl, merlin.pl, Komputronik or the auction platform allegro.pl are emerging. However, due to the lack of widespread Internet access, the Polish e-commerce market will only be in its infancy for a few more years.
At this time, Ewa Dudek is studying Interior Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. Although there is no indication yet that technology will dominate her professional life, she is one of the first students at the Academy to do her master’s thesis in the form of 3D visualisation and animation.
This is the moment when the worlds of art and technology in Eve’s life begin to merge.
Two years after graduating, in 2003, Ewa Dudek leaves for London. This is a time of high unemployment in Poland, reaching 20%, and mass emigration of Poles. It is also the last months before the opening of borders and the free movement of Poles across Europe, thanks to Poland’s accession to the European Union on 1 May 2004.
The first few months in London are not easy. In order to survive, she takes on various odd jobs and also works as a waitress. But all the time she is polishing her English and looking for a job related to her profession. Ewa quickly manages to get into her design business. She sets up a company with a friend and starts designing the interior remodelling of flats and detached houses, while also supervising the projects. The rapid growth of the company and the acquisition of more and more clients throughout London is made possible by the Internet access that was already widespread in England at the time.
For the purpose of growing the company, together with her partner they create websites and webpages that serve as a presentation of the offer and aggregation of orders.
Ewa Dudek is developing her website, where she presents the materials used in various design projects, as well as the products that completed the final look of the interiors after the renovation. She becomes familiar with affiliate marketing, through which it is possible to earn money by selling products, without having to have her own stall. She quickly came up with the idea of creating an online service, which was also to be a platform, allowing the purchase of selected products through affiliate links. The affiliate adventure begins, then still in the role of publisher.
While Ewa is developing her service and starting to make money through affiliate links, there is a call for applications for EU funding for startups in Poland, aimed at increasing innovation in the economy. She knew immediately that this was an opportunity she had to seize. With EU support, she will have the opportunity to transfer her experience and knowledge of affiliation to the Polish market. She develops a project to build an affiliate network and submits it to Measure 8.1 of the OPIE. After a few months of waiting, there is great joy as the project has received funding!
After receiving funding, she puts everything on the line and acts quickly. She closes the company in London and after 6 years returns to Poland. She opens a one-person business within which, in September 2009, she launches a project – the webePartners affiliate network. The beta version of the webePartners platform is created within a few months. The first users were able to register as early as January 2010.
The development of webePartners and affiliate marketing in Poland is a result of the ongoing changes in the online world, which have an impact on the behaviour and requirements of internet users.
The opportunities for publishers and advertisers to make affiliate cooperation profitable for all parties involved are steadily increasing. As the e-commerce market continues to grow, users’ expectations of quality and speed of service are increasing.
The main task of webePartners is to support the cooperation between advertisers and publishers and to provide tools, based on the latest technological solutions.