Affiliate program rules - initial or last set cookie, which is fair?
 

Who has the right to the last sale - the webmaster who referred the customer the first time, or the webmaster that referred the client the last time? So most of you would probably say "last set cookie, what else?", but.....? What about products with alot of repeat buys/returning customers? What about the affiliate "owning" his clients from their first sale?

Input appreciated, thx! :thumbsup

I may get beat down for this, but I personally believe the credit should go to the person who made the sale click

just because someone sent someone 6 months ago, doesn't mean I should get credit for the visitor I sent today

It would bug me more if I knew that someone my sale from a cookie 30 days old, than if I missed a sale because of a cookie that was 30 days old

damn, all this cookie talk is making me hungry

I hear you... there are a lot of pros/cons with both cases, and its a very delicate (no pun) decision.

Opinions vary on this question.

On the one hand, there is *precedence* -- meaning who referred FIRST.

On the other hand, there is *currency* -- meaning who referred LAST.

I, personally, don't see the variable "X days post sale" as the measure of whether you should get paid, if you referred that customer.

Programs talk a whole lotta shit about *retention*. But that don't mean shit to me if they have a "no-pay-me" out clause they can exercise if I am owed too much.

I would say "Remember me, I am yout AFFILIATE... I want to share revenues with you!"

last-touch it how it's done in every single program i've ever promoted, mainstream, grey, or adult.

We do last click too, but we also give our members lifetime passwords. If they quit, and come come back and sign up again as a typein join, we give credit to the original referring affiliate. This method is MUCH more accurate than using cookies.

Steve Lightspeed

that is a great idea steve, can I ask how many members return over and over? I can see it being a lot, but I might be wrong

Since we implemented this last October, we've given credit for about 5% of our total joins to the original referring affiliates.

Sounds like a very good idea well worth considering! :thumbsup

good info.. thanks for sharing steve

The last time... The first 20 guys peaked his interest, but it was my ad that got him to pull out the credit card. I don't agree with the lightspeedcash re-signup thing. Again, if it's my ad that finally got him to spend the money, I should get the money if he comes back. The first guy failed to get him to spend the money and so other than branding, he didn't make any cash for lightspeed. Given another 10 guys might also have sent the surfer to help with branding, why didn't they get a share as well?

initial.

i believe in the you got the click-you get that sale. thats just me though.

I might not have explained well enough, but we reattach affiliates to surfers who signed up again as a typein --- any member who comes in from an affiliate is credited to the last affiliate.

awhile ago i noticed a disturbing trend of high traffic tgp's iframeing sponsor pages , the only reason i could see was to set cookies for these sites so if the user signed up thru a diff affiliates gallery on their tgp they would make the sale..

not sure if anyone understands what i mean/said but..

Ah... ok I misunderstood then.

I just recently became an affiliate and I've got a bunch of things in the pipe.. I'm REALLY looking forward to generating some sales. Not sure about the rest of the girls, but I've been preping some stuff for Courtney and I have a really good feeling about her.

If it's the last cookie that makes the sale, how would this override it? I know some guys are doing this for SEO reasons although the benifits of doing that may be gone now.

last set cookie, what else?

The affiliate only owns the client in recurring programs.