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How does Amazon track affiliate sales?
Amazon tracks affiliate sales using a unique affiliate tracking system that relies on affiliate links, cookies, and tracking IDs to monitor and attribute sales to the correct affiliate. Here’s a detailed explanation of how the process works:
1. Affiliate Links with Unique Tracking IDs
- Tracking ID: When you join the Amazon Associates program, you’re given a unique affiliate ID that is embedded in all the links you create. This ID ensures that Amazon knows which affiliate referred a customer.
- Example: An affiliate link might look like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XYZ1234?tag=youraffiliateid-20- Here, the
?tag=youraffiliateid-20portion is your unique tracking ID.
- Here, the
- Example: An affiliate link might look like this:
- Link Generation: You create affiliate links for specific products using the tools provided by Amazon, like SiteStripe or through the Amazon Associates dashboard.
2. Tracking Cookies
- Cookies: When a customer clicks on your affiliate link, Amazon places a cookie on their browser. This is a small piece of data that stores information about the referral and tracks the customer’s activity on Amazon for a limited period (usually 24 hours).
- Cookie Duration: If the customer makes a purchase within this 24-hour window, Amazon can track the sale back to your affiliate account. Even if the customer adds items to their cart and purchases later (within 90 days), you can still earn a commission.
- Example: If a customer clicks your link to buy a book and then buys a laptop later that day, you will earn a commission on the laptop, even though it wasn’t the product you originally promoted.
3. Affiliate Link Clicks and Referrals
- Click Tracking: Every time someone clicks your affiliate link, Amazon logs the click and records your tracking ID. If the person makes a purchase, Amazon attributes the sale to the affiliate who generated the click.
- Conversion: If the person who clicked the link completes a purchase, Amazon will convert the click into a sale and credit the commission to your account based on the type of product and commission structure.
4. Sales Attribution and Tracking
- Product Sales: When a sale happens, Amazon matches the affiliate tracking ID in the link with the sale made. They record the commission based on the product category, the price, and the commission rate associated with that product.
- Amazon tracks sales in real-time and updates your account with the commissions you’ve earned as sales are processed.
5. Special Tracking Mechanisms
- Affiliate Dashboard: You can view detailed reports about your clicks, sales, and earnings through the Amazon Associates dashboard. This includes information like:
- Click-through rates: How many times your affiliate links have been clicked.
- Conversion rate: The percentage of clicks that resulted in a sale.
- Earnings: How much money you’ve earned from your referred sales.
- Tracking Reports: The Amazon Associates dashboard provides detailed reports that show:
- The number of clicks you’ve generated.
- The number of items sold through your affiliate links.
- Your earnings for each sale, broken down by category and product.
6. Multi-Product Purchases and Cross-Selling
- Tracking Multiple Products: If a customer buys multiple products in one session, Amazon’s system will still track and credit you for each product, even if they weren’t initially linked to your affiliate promotion.
- Example: If you promote a camera and a customer buys that along with a lens and a memory card, you will earn a commission on all three products, even if you only linked to the camera.
7. Reporting on Returns and Cancellations
- Returns and Cancellations: If a customer returns an item or cancels an order, Amazon adjusts the commission accordingly. You may see negative earnings for those products in your reports.
- Tracking Adjustments: The tracking system continuously monitors and updates your earnings as products are shipped and delivered, and if any returns happen, the corresponding adjustments are made.
8. Cross-Marketplace Tracking
- International Tracking: If a customer clicks your affiliate link on one Amazon marketplace (e.g., Amazon.com) and makes a purchase on another marketplace (e.g., Amazon.co.uk), Amazon can still track the sale and attribute it to you as long as you’ve set up your account for the appropriate marketplaces.
- Marketplace-Specific Commissions: Commissions are calculated for each marketplace separately, so you’ll receive earnings based on the specific marketplace and the products purchased there.
How Amazon Tracks Affiliate Sales in Summary:
- Affiliate Links: You generate unique affiliate links that contain your tracking ID.
- Cookies: When a customer clicks on your affiliate link, a cookie is placed in their browser that tracks their activity for 24 hours.
- Clicks and Sales: Amazon tracks when a customer clicks your link and, if they purchase anything within the cookie period, the sale is attributed to you.
- Sales Attribution: Commissions are calculated based on the products purchased and their respective commission rates.
- Real-Time Reporting: The Amazon Associates dashboard provides detailed reports on clicks, sales, and commissions.
- Returns and Cancellations: Returns or cancellations of products will adjust your earnings accordingly.
This tracking system ensures that affiliates are accurately credited for the sales they generate and helps Amazon monitor the performance of the affiliate program.
