Sales and Reporting Considerations

It’s important to understand how a merchant will be tracking sales. Do they use a trusted third-party affiliate network like Commission Junction? Do they use industry-standard affiliate tracking software like My Affiliate Program? Do they have their own internal tracking solution?

What Kind of Reporting Do They Offer?

As an affiliate, it’s critical to know detailed information about each of your merchants. Different merchants may provide different statistics. If the merchant belongs to an affiliate network or uses industry-standard affiliate tracking software,the reporting capabilities will be fairly consistent. The more detailed reporting a merchant provides, the more information you will have to make decisions about your campaigns. As an affiliate, I would rather have too much information than not enough.
It’s also important that the reports are updated frequently. The faster you have information, the faster you will be able to take action. Some merchants offer real-time reporting, which is very helpful. Some Merchants will batch their transactions daily, while others may batch their transactions weekly.

Real Life Example:

One of the challenges of promoting credit cards is the delayed reporting. Most credit card companies compensate their affiliates based on approved credit card applications. This can take anywhere from 1-6 weeks depending on the credit card offer. Imagine if you were spending money on a pay per click campaign only to find out 6 weeks later that you have been losing money the entire time! Here are some of the most important statistics I look for in my reports:

• How many clicks did I send to the merchant?
• What time and date did the visitor make a purchase?
• What items did they purchase?
• How much commission did I earn?