What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing involves partners (affiliates) promoting other companies’ products or services and receiving a commission for each sale they generate. Affiliates direct traffic to the product or service using special affiliate links. If a purchase is made through one of these links, it is attributed to the affiliate, who then receives compensation. For businesses, it is a performance-based form of advertising because costs are incurred only when an actual sale takes place.
At a Glance
- Affiliate marketing is a performance-based form of advertising: commissions are paid only for sales generated through the affiliate.
- The parties involved are merchants, affiliates, and end customers.
- Affiliates promote products through affiliate links, which are used to track sales.
- Compensation is usually based on sales; less commonly, it is based on leads or clicks.
What exactly is affiliate marketing?
The term “affiliate” comes from English and means “partner.” In affiliate marketing, a partner recommends a third-party product and, if the sale is successful, receives a share of the revenue.
There are three parties involved:
Merchant: provide the product, promotional materials, and affiliate links.
Affiliates (partners): promote the product through their own channels, such as blogs, newsletters, or social media.
End customers: purchases via the affiliate link.
Clicking on the link usually sets a cookie. This ensures that a subsequent purchase is attributed to the correct affiliate and that the affiliate is compensated.
How Compensation Works
The most common model is pay-per-sale: The affiliate receives a percentage or a fixed amount per sale. There are also other models:
Pay per Lead: Payment for a qualified action, such as a sign-up.
Pay-per-click: Payment per click; less common today.
The commission rate and attribution are determined by the respective affiliate program. Reliable tracking is essential to ensure that sales are correctly attributed.
ablefy classification
ablefy is not an affiliate network like Awin, where merchants and affiliates connect on a shared marketplace. Instead, ablefy allows you to set up your own affiliate program for your digital products, giving you full control over the program.
You set the terms yourself; multi-level commissions with up to five levels can be configured, and commission settlement is handled automatically by the system, including allocation and payment. This keeps the program directly linked to sales and shipping, without having to go through an external network. Details at
Frequently Asked Questions About Sales Platforms
What is affiliate marketing?
A performance-based form of advertising in which partners promote products and receive a commission for each sale they generate.
What does "affiliate" mean?
An affiliate is a partner who promotes other companies' products and receives a commission for each sale.
What is an affiliate link?
A unique link that attributes a purchase to a specific affiliate.
What is an affiliate program?
The program that allows merchants to manage their affiliate terms, links, and payouts.
