Glossary
A reference guide to affiliate marketing terminology and Affitor-specific concepts.
Advertiser
Section titled “Advertiser”The company running an affiliate program. Also called: brand, merchant, client. In Affitor, advertisers are SaaS companies that pay partners to drive customers.
Affiliate
Section titled “Affiliate”A person or organization that promotes products in exchange for commission. See: Partner.
Affiliate Link
Section titled “Affiliate Link”A unique URL assigned to each partner that tracks referrals. When a customer clicks this link, Affitor records the source and attributes any resulting conversion to that partner.
Affiliate Program
Section titled “Affiliate Program”A structured arrangement where a company pays partners for driving customers. Programs define commission rates, approval rules, and payout terms.
Affitor Pay
Section titled “Affitor Pay”A checkout integration method where Affitor hosts the checkout page and handles payment collection. Best for advertisers without an existing Stripe account. Affitor collects payment, deducts commission and platform fee, then pays the advertiser.
Attribution
Section titled “Attribution”The process of crediting a conversion to the correct partner. Affitor uses cookie-based attribution with a 60-day default window.
Attribution Window
Section titled “Attribution Window”The time period during which a partner can receive credit for a conversion after a customer clicks their link. Affitor default: 60 days (configurable).
Bill Flow
Section titled “Bill Flow”A checkout integration method where the advertiser collects 100% of payment through their own Stripe. Affitor tracks conversions and sends a weekly invoice for commission + platform fee. (Also called: Track & Bill)
CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
Section titled “CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)”The total cost to acquire one customer. Affiliate programs help reduce CAC by paying only for results, not impressions or clicks.
When a potential customer clicks a partner’s affiliate link. This is the first tracked event in the conversion funnel.
Commission
Section titled “Commission”The payment a partner earns when they drive a qualifying action (usually a sale). Commission can be a percentage of revenue or a fixed amount.
Commission Duration
Section titled “Commission Duration”How long a partner continues earning from a referred customer. Options: One-time, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, Lifetime, or Custom.
Commission Tier
Section titled “Commission Tier”A defined commission structure that can be assigned to partners. Advertisers can create multiple tiers with different rates for different partner groups.
Conversion
Section titled “Conversion”When a referred customer completes a desired action — typically a signup, lead submission, or payment.
Cookie
Section titled “Cookie”A small file stored in the customer’s browser that tracks which partner referred them. Affitor uses cookies for attribution.
Hold Period
Section titled “Hold Period”The waiting period between when a commission is earned and when it becomes payable. This protects advertisers against refunds and fraud. Affitor: 7-21 days (configurable).
Influencer
Section titled “Influencer”A content creator with an audience who promotes products to their followers. Influencers are one type of partner in Affitor.
A potential customer who has signed up or submitted contact information. Lead tracking captures conversions before payment occurs.
Lifetime Commission
Section titled “Lifetime Commission”A commission structure where partners earn on all future purchases from a referred customer, not just the first transaction.
One-time Commission
Section titled “One-time Commission”A commission structure where partners earn only on the first purchase from a referred customer.
Partner
Section titled “Partner”Any individual or organization that promotes an advertiser’s product in exchange for commission. Partners include affiliates, influencers, agencies, and content creators. Also called: affiliate, publisher, referrer.
Payout
Section titled “Payout”The transfer of earned commissions to a partner. Affitor processes payouts via Bank, Wise, or Stripe on a bi-weekly schedule.
Performance-based Pricing
Section titled “Performance-based Pricing”A pricing model where fees are tied to results. Affitor charges 3.5% only on revenue generated by partners — no monthly subscription.
Platform Fee
Section titled “Platform Fee”The fee Affitor charges advertisers. Currently 3.5% of partner-generated revenue, collected at payout time.
Program
Section titled “Program”See: Affiliate Program.
Recurring Commission
Section titled “Recurring Commission”A commission structure where partners continue earning on subscription renewals for a defined period (e.g., 12 months) or lifetime.
Referral
Section titled “Referral”A customer who arrives through a partner’s affiliate link.
Revenue Share
Section titled “Revenue Share”A commission model where partners earn a percentage of the sale amount. Example: 30% revenue share on a $100 sale = $30 commission.
Split Pay
Section titled “Split Pay”A checkout integration method using Stripe Connect. When a customer pays, funds are automatically split: the advertiser receives their portion instantly, and Affitor receives commission + platform fee. No invoices, no manual reconciliation. No extra fees for auto-payout.
Stripe Connect
Section titled “Stripe Connect”Stripe’s platform for marketplace payments. Affitor uses Stripe Connect to enable automatic fund splitting (Split Pay) and partner payouts.
Track & Bill
Section titled “Track & Bill”See: Bill Flow.
Tracking
Section titled “Tracking”The system that records clicks, leads, and payments to attribute conversions to the correct partner. Affitor tracking integrates with Stripe for automatic payment capture.
Webhook
Section titled “Webhook”An automated notification sent when an event occurs. Affitor uses Stripe webhooks to capture payment events in real-time.
Withdrawable Balance
Section titled “Withdrawable Balance”Partner earnings that have cleared the hold period and are ready for payout. Partners can withdraw to Bank, Wise, or Stripe on the bi-weekly payout cycle. Minimum: $5.