Affiliate marketing
Commission for sales
Affiliate marketing is a form of promotion in which partners recommend your products and earn a commission for a referred sale. Each partner has their own tracking link, so the business sees exactly where a sale came from. You pay only for the result, not for the promotion itself.
How affiliate marketing works
A business brings partners into the sales process, for example bloggers, content creators, or comparison sites. Each of them gets a unique link or discount code. When a customer comes through that link and buys, the system attributes the sale to that partner, who then receives the agreed commission.
Tracking most often works through cookies or parameters in the link that record where the visitor came from. As a result, the business pays not for impressions or clicks but solely for a real result. That is the main difference from classic advertising, where you pay upfront with no guarantee of a sale.
What affiliate marketing brings and where its limits are
The biggest advantage is low risk. Because you pay the commission only from a completed sale, costs rise hand in hand with revenue. Affiliate also opens the door to audiences you would otherwise reach expensively, and the partner adds the trust of their recommendation.
Affiliate marketing doesn’t run itself. You need fair commissions that motivate partners, reliable tracking, and partners who reach a relevant audience. It is also important to watch the quality of the promotion, so the recommendations fit your brand and don’t damage customers’ trust.
- You pay a commission only for a completed sale or agreed action.
- Partners give you access to audiences you otherwise reach with difficulty.
- Every sale is measurable through the partner’s unique link or code.
- The key is a fair commission, accurate tracking, and relevant partners.
Want to sell through a network of partners?
Explore our marketing servicesFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between affiliate marketing and classic advertising?
With classic advertising you pay upfront for impressions or clicks with no guarantee of a sale. With affiliate marketing you pay a commission only from an actually completed sale. The risk is therefore lower, but you need reliable tracking and a network of partners.
What kind of business is affiliate marketing suited to?
It works best for e-shops, digital products, and services with a clearly measurable conversion. It is important to have a margin large enough to pay the commission and a product partners can credibly recommend to their audience.
How are affiliate sales tracked?
Through unique links, discount codes, and cookies that record which partner brought the customer. Businesses use affiliate platforms or their own solution that attributes the sale to the right partner and calculates the commission.