I just received this e-mail from Amazon.ca, so I thought I’d pass it along to anyone who is interested.

Dear Amazon Associate:

The Amazon Associates Program is thrilled to announce the release of two new products: Context Links Beta and Product Previews Beta!

Context Links. You create the content. We’ll link it.

Context Links are a quick and convenient way to add links to your Web site and monetize your content. Context Links automatically identify and link relevant phrases within your page content to Amazon products, unlocking new ad inventory and saving you the time from having to manually create links. You can add the links to your pages in minutes, and we provide a wealth of options to customize how they are displayed.

Why should you add Context Links to your site?

Earn Additional Referral Fees – By identifying and linking relevant phrases in your content, Context Links will unlock new advertising inventory, thereby providing the opportunity to earn incremental referral fees.

Convenience – Embed a piece of code on your page one time and automatically monetize both current and future content. This saves you the time from having to manually create Text Links.

Delight Your Site Visitors – Context Links provide your site visitors links to relevant products on Amazon.ca, and the interactive preview functionality allows them to view these products in the context of your website without having to leave it.

To add Context Links to your page today, go to Associates Central >> Build Links >> Context Links. You can learn much more on the Context Links FAQ Page.

Product Previews. A portal into Amazon.ca – directly on your Web site.

Product Previews are a portal into Amazon.ca – directly on your Web site. When users hover over a preview-enhanced link, either a text link or image link, a small window appears containing valuable content and information about the product you’re advertising, including an image, new and used price, average customer review and availability. It also gives your visitors the ability to add the item directly to their Amazon.ca shopping cart. Visit the Product Previews page today to learn more.

To add Product Previews to your Basic Display text or image links today, go to Associates Central >> Build Links >> Product Previews. You can learn more about Product Previews on our FAQ page.

We are very excited about of these new products. Both products will remain in Beta for a period of several months to ensure we launch the best products for you. Help us do that by sending us your feedback on these or any of our products!

Best regards,

The Amazon.ca Associates Team