Cookie-Stuffing Targeting shoes.com
Cookie-Stuffing Targeting Major Affiliate Merchants - Ben Edelman

This page reports cookie-stuffing by ultimatecoupons.com and webbuyingguide.com, targeting shoes.com.

As of November 4, the http://www.ultimatecoupons.com/coupons/shoes_coupons.htm page was #49 in Google results for "shoes.com coupon" (without quotes). This URL immediately redirects users to http://www.webbuyingguide.com/coupons/shoes_coupons.htm. This latter URL included the following JavaScript code, which opened a CJ tracking link in a new window (as a popup):

<script>
<!--
//Pop-under window - javascriptkit.com
var popunder_url="http://www.qksrv.net/click-1417434-5050647"
var
winfeatures="width=780,height=580,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,toolbar=1,location=1,menubar=1,status=1,directories=0"
var once_per_session=1
function get_cookie(Name) {
var search = Name + "="
var returnvalue = "";
if (document.cookie.length > 0) {
offset = document.cookie.indexOf(search)
if (offset != -1) { // if cookie exists
offset += search.length
// set index of beginning of value
end = document.cookie.indexOf(";", offset);
// set index of end of cookie value
if (end == -1)
end = document.cookie.length;
returnvalue=unescape(document.cookie.substring(offset, end))
}
}
return returnvalue;
}
function loadornot(){
if (get_cookie('popunder7956')==''){
loadpopunder()
document.cookie="popunder7956=yes"
}
}
function loadpopunder(){
win2=window.open(popunder_url,"X_Y_Z_TARGET",winfeatures)
win2.blur()
window.focus()
}
if (once_per_session==0)
loadpopunder()
else
loadornot()
// -->
</script>

This lengthy JavaScript causes ultimatecoupons.com's popunder to trigger only once per user session, setting cookies to avoid repeated displays. In this way, ultimatecoupons.com can avoid at least a portion of the low conversion rate sometimes associated with cookie-stuffing.

I captured the resulting on-screen display in a video (WindowsMedia format, view in Full Screen mode). I also preserved a full packet log of these findings.

In my testing, this is but one of many affiilate web sites targeting this and other merchants. For example, the current number two Google result for "shoes.com coupon" is www.consumernow.com/Shoes_coupon , which uses cookie stuffing precisely along the lines of that shown as to consumernow's targeting of Toshiba and Netzero.