How affiliate marketing works
Key takeaways
- A tracking link carries a small tag that identifies the affiliate who shared it.
- A cookie remembers who sent a visitor, so a purchase days later still counts.
- The full chain is click, then cookie, then conversion, then commission.
- First-party tracking keeps it working even when browsers block cookies.
Transcript
So you share a link and a sale happens. But how does the company actually know it came from you? Let's follow one click. Every affiliate gets their own link. It looks normal, but it carries a small tag that says: this visitor came from me. When someone clicks, their browser quietly saves a little note, called a cookie. It remembers who sent them, for days or even weeks. Later, that person comes back and buys. The cookie is still there, so the sale gets matched to the right affiliate. That match is a conversion. Once the sale is confirmed, the affiliate earns their commission. Click, cookie, conversion, commission. That's the whole chain. One catch: some browsers now block those cookies. That's why good platforms track on the company's own website instead, so nothing gets lost. That's how a simple link turns into a paid commission. Komissio handles this chain for you, cookie problems and all.
Ready to run your own program?
Connect Stripe or Shopify, set your rules, and invite affiliates. Komissio handles tracking, fraud checks, and payouts.