Ask Kirsty - Two Clicks, Which Gets The Commission?
Ask Kirsty, Beginners Affiliate Marketing Add commentsHadi dropped me a wee line with a question that’s asked frequently on lots of forums.
Hi Kirsty
I’ve got a real newbie affiliate question for you.
Here’s the scenario:
I have an affiliate site and you have an affiliate site with links to the same
merchant.
A visitor to my site clicks a link and goes to the merchant, a 60 day cookie is
set with my id in the visitor’s browser, but they don’t buy.
The same visitor then goes to your site, clicks a link to the same merchant,
your cookie’s set and they do buy a product.
Who gets the commission?
Thanks for a great blog btw.
Hey Hadi, You’ve heard of the first past the post system? In affiliate marketing the system is a little different! The affiliate who was the last referrer actually gets the sale.
i.e. Customer goes to Affiliate Site A, clicks on link to merchant site and affiliate site A’s cookie is set on their computer. They then leave without a purchase.
7 days go past, and the same customer then returns to the merchants site, but via another affiliates link on Affiliate Site B and makes a purchase.
This sale and its commission would be attributed to Affiliate Site B and the cookie from Affiliate Site A would be overwritten. Now there has been a lot of debate about this over the years. Some people feel that this is not fair to the original affiliate. However, the reasoning is that the second site may have gotten a visitor to return who might not have otherwise returned and made a purchase at all.
Hence, the second referrer wins!
October 18th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
This system also deters people from dropping 1001 cookies in hidden iframes to thousands of merchants - although not all affiliates comply
Imagine a little script or webpage that goes around, and does nothing but drop a cookie for every single merchant on every single network by way of 1px by 1px iframes.
2 months later, the visitor goes to a merchant using Kirstys affiliate links, after reading a very intersting article on one of her many Clog and Sock review websites. It wouldn’t be fair that the rogue affiliate who has dumped a load of cookies on a users machine, gets paid for it.
There are arguements for and against 1st and last cookie commissions, and I must admit to having changed my mind on this subject, more times than my boxers!
October 18th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Too true Chris, it’s an hotly debated topic… I could have written a book about it on here!
October 18th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
I didn’t realise my boxers were classed as a “hotly debated topic” and something that a book could be written about
I think over the coming years this won’t be the case as new technologies will allow new tracking. POR are leading the way with their discount code tracking proposals and I suspect we will see more and more changes, working in the good affiliates favour… well I certainly hope so anyway
October 18th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Well Chris, you’re clearly unaware that all us affiliate marketing ladies spend a lot of time discussing the possibility of you taking your boxers on and off!
October 18th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Thanks for such a clear explanation Kirsty.
I guess the lesson here is to make sure your landing pages are compelling enough to get a sale first time.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
No probs Hadi. It is a subject which has resulted in threads several pages long. The ins and outs of this issue are very complex with compelling arguments on both sides (as Chris said!).
I think you are right about the landing pages. If you help your site visitors find exactly what they are looking for by making your landing page and featured merchants highly relevant to what they are looking for you’ll have a much better chance of a successful sale.
October 19th, 2007 at 9:48 am
I take my boxers on and off too… All day long. Btw, great blog lol =)
October 20th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
That’s the way it is. What about users that clear cookies or don’t allow them at all? You only can compesate that with more volume.
Another solution is to sell your own products, do dropshipping, …, do something, which makes you “own” your customer. Of course you can make a fortune as affiliate, but it is not the only way. –John
October 27th, 2007 at 3:34 am
I’m pretty sure I belong to a couple of programs that assured me that the original 30 day cookie is the one that pays - must check on that!
It really is a problem due to the fact that stats say a buyer needs to be exposed to the product a multiple times before purchase, but I guess providing a site that gets traffic returning would be the way to go - if they don’t buy first visit, maybe the next one - rather than from the next affiliate site they visit
November 2nd, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Like the last poster I’ve come across affiliate schemes that pay on the first to refer system. It’s always worth checking that out for any particular affiliate scheme, because they all have the odd wrinkle that’s a bit different from the norm.