Top Affiliate Program Categories to Maximize Winter Sales

Online businesses can hit a slump in the Winter, after holiday sales have been made and consumers are dealing with the spending hangover. That’s what makes it a great time to promote affiliate programs related to personal finance. Other opportunities include anything related to New Year’s Resolutions and Valentine’s Day gifts.

But what are the most profitable affiliate program categories for Winter?

Whether affiliate marketing is your primary source of revenue or a secondary source, there are plenty of affiliate programs that will boost your bottom line this Winter. Focusing on the right categories will increase your 2025 revenue and re-engage your audience after the holiday season.

TIP: If you’re new to affiliate marketing, read How to Start Affiliate Marketing in Canada.

What Are the Best Affiliate Program Categories for Winter?

The following affiliate program categories were chosen based on network data and our own experience (last year and this year-to-date). For a quick start, I included examples of affiliate programs that convert well for us in some categories. You can easily work these programs into content and marketing funnels to bring in more commissions than last year.

[DISCLOSURE: We may receive compensation for links to products on this website.]

Software as a Service (SaaS)

B2B revs up this time of year, in my experience, and “software” is one of our most successful categories overall. SaaS companies often have high-paying affiliate programs to better compete in this space. They convert well by offering convenience, instant gratification without shipping, and affordability (usually).

New year’s resolutions extend to aspiring entrepreneurs, and many are inspired to take action this time of year. They’ll be looking for SaaS products that will help them start and run a small business and maximize revenue. Throw in AI and you’re golden.

Head to the PartnerStack affiliate network to find SaaS affiliate programs. Other networks work with SaaS companies, but PartnerStack specializes in them.

Winter & Warmth

Warm, comfortable clothing, blankets, portable heaters, hot health drinks, and anything else that warms the body, heart & soul.

“Enter the competitive market for calming weighted blankets (over 100,000 searches per month) or niche-down and sell weighted dog blankets and vests (2,100 monthly searches),” suggests Shopify. “You could specialize in luxury cashmere blankets (2,800 searches per month) or target consumers looking for equally indulgent, but far more affordable, blanket hoodies (29,000 searches).”

Winter Holidays

Besides the holiday season, Winter holidays and observances include Lunar New Year, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, National Flag of Canada Day, and “Family Day” (or the equivalent provincial day celebrated on February 17th in Canada).

For gift shopping, the biggest of those holidays is Valentine’s Day. Read Romance Revenue: 5 Ways to Earn Money Online with Love for profitable ideas. For content tips, check out 11 Ways to Boost Valentine’s Day Sales with Content.

Indoor Hobbies

Now that the holiday season is over, many Canadians find themselves with more time and they’re less inclined to go outside. Crafting and hobbies to the rescue! Mary Maxim Canada is on ShareASale and is a recognized craft brand in this country.

Eating In

As we head inside, more cooking and entertaining will be indoors (even here in British Columbia). Trending items like cast iron pans, cutting boards, or clever multi-use products can be top sellers this time of year.

Meal Kits grow in popularity every year, thanks to our desire to dine-in on healthy food but with as little time and effort as possible. HelloFresh has a fantastic meal kit affiliate program for Canadians.

Pets

Pets will spend more time indoors now, and that means they need indoor activities to keep them active and intellectually content. We’ve seen fantastic returns on pet subscription boxes this time of year, such as PupJoy’s subscription boxes.

Of course, they can’t stay inside all the time, which is probably why canine clothing sales jump in January. Consider promoting moisture-resistant coats, sweaters, and booties to kick things off.

SIDE NOTE: This also applies to online craft businesses who create their own inventory. If you know a pet product maker, share this list of free needlework and other pet clothing patterns on All Natural Pet Care.

Winter Wellness

Some of the top new year’s resolutions are health-related, as I’m sure you know. Indoor exercise, weight management, skin care, natural wellness, supplements, and any type of self-improvement or motivation perform very well for us this time of year. Our go-to health affiliate is Well.ca, but we also do very well with digital products in this category (from books to courses).

Don’t forget to work on a little Winter wellness of your own, affiliate marketers & managers can always use a little TLC.

How to Find Profitable Affiliate Programs

Affiliate networks can play a critical part in evaluating affiliate programs and estimating ROI. They can also help you choose programs for seasons or special occasions. For example, ShareASale features affiliate programs for Winter holidays like Valentine’s Day, or the season in general.

Chart showing affiliate programs for Winter on the ShareASale affiliate network.

Additionally, you can utilize the same tools that online sellers and ‘super affiliates’ use to choose products.

For example:

• You can search for trending keywords with Semrush and use those that relate best to your niche.

• Google Trends can be a valuable source of intel as well. Use it to find topics that are currently trending, along with seasonal trends.

• Online marketplaces often reveal trends and best sellers, providing a wealth of valuable information and sales data. Tools like Jungle Scout use this data to evaluate market demand and trending items.

• You can find great ideas on lists of best selling products for other types of businesses as well, such as the Best Dropshipping Clothing Suppliers 2025: Build a Profitable Fashion Store.

Related reading: The Best Affiliate Program Networks for Canadians

Keep Your Eyes Open

Continue to monitor social media throughout the Winter, not only for what’s trending but also for problems and challenges consumers are experiencing. Always be on the lookout for opportunities.

Sometimes it’s a simple matter of picturing your products in the lives of your ideal customer, identifying pain points in that scenario, and then presenting your product as a solution.

Where do your affiliate sales come from in the Winter? Please share your comments below, or join us in the Online Business Canada Facebook group.

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Melody McKinnon
Digital Business & Marketing Manager at  | Website |  + posts

Melody McKinnon is an internet entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in a wide range of online business models, backed by a formal business/marketing education and enhanced by training and mentorship. She has owned or managed both educational and ecommerce websites. Her book, 7 Recession Proof Online Businesses to Start From Home, is available from all major ebook retailers.

Melody has worked with many businesses in a multitude of capacities. She can often be found on CanadianDigitalMedia.com, CanadiansInternet.com, CanadianFamily.net, and AllNaturalPetCare.com, as well as other quality digital publications. Her content has earned reference links from highly-respected websites, magazines and university textbooks.

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