Fed up with failed tracking...

[km8]

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This isn't strictly true:

The networks lose out because they get a commission override for each sale, so if sales aren't tracked then it means that they lose money.

Agreed.

If affiliates lose 10% of commissions from failure-to-track issues, the networks also lose 10% of their override and remember, once they have covered their overheads, every single Pound, Euro, penny or cent lost is pure profit.

If I buy 100 gizmos at £1 each and sell 50 at £2 each, how much profit have I made?
Zip

If I sell one more, how much profit have I made?
£2

How many more do I have to sell to double my profit?
......answers on a postcard

That's why every single lost/untracked sale counts.

[wwwb]

is it possible that the network can be tracking the sale but the commission is not attributed to the affiliate?

Jude

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Loquax - The UK Competitions Portal

[wwwb]

this would explain why commissions of products and services made on the same PC in the same circumstances don't always go through.

you can bet your bottom dollar if networks spotted a loss in THEIR income they'd be investigating straight away

Jude

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Loquax - The UK Competitions Portal

[vouchers4all]

Perhaps cashback sites maybe able to provide some insight with the greater amount of quantitive data they hold, rather than our own on-tracking individual purchase which we commonly share, based on the users they have who are looking for the cashbacks to register & queries they may get from their user base.

Look at quidco.com. They publish public stats on all their merchants (have to be a member to see them). Good little tip to see which merchants are absolutely rubbish.

[theitgirl]

Can someone with some experience of using buy.at give me some advice.

I started doing some ppc stuff with one of their merchants this morning and buy.at doesn't appear to be registering the clicks.

I also bought something from this merchant to test the tracking and that was at 12pm and it still hasn't appeared on the reports.

Is this unusual, or does it normally take some time to appear?

Thanks

[mcol]

started my Xmas shopping last night, and lo and behold the very first thing I bought hasn't tracked. Doesn't give me a lot of confidence.

In the past I promoted one merchant (Toffs) where on two occasions the tracking was obviously down for days/weeks on end. And yet Awin's quality control didn't pick up on it.

Doesn't give a lot of confidernce - does it.

Maybe an independant testing service is called for - paid for by the networks. Wouldn't cost much to do and would be a big selling point for the networks who took part.

[Dazza30]

This is an issue that realy worries me.
Its easy to say that the networks & merchants will feel the pinch from untracked sales, but the majority of these companies have large budgets and can absorb the losses.
Affiliates are generaly enthusiastic people with small budgets who cant absorb the losses when a sale isnt tracked. In the long run it could have a negative effect for the whole market. It needs to be sorted out.

This issue on its own could prevent new affiliates from joining the market.

[Grounded Vertigo]

Just bought a computer through my own links and waiting to see if it shows up. If it doesn't I will be questioning why not. I've alway found that my links through Webgains have seen commission, others haven't, that could however just be a coincidence (sp??)

[Azam.net]

According to my tests, approximately 15% of sales don't track. Frightening figure really, as affiliates and networks are losing out on a lot of money.

Must say has improved over the last couple of years. Used to be just over 20% before.

[drivetowin]

There will always be sales that do not track - I can't find it now but Clarke from POR did a thread about the possible reasons a couple of years ago.

I think generally you have to look on it a bit like you have to look at shoplifting in physical stores, whatever checking you put in place some of it will always happen - just build Nadeems 15% non-tracking (and based on our stats I'd agree with him on that figure) into your planning - so work out how many sales you need to make a profit, then allow for 15% of those not tracking and up the number of sales accordingly.

[kier]

I've alway found that my links through Webgains have seen commission, others haven't, that could however just be a coincidence (sp??)

It's no coincidence

[yvee-gf]

Its easy to say that the networks & merchants will feel the pinch from untracked sales

I fail to see how merchants "will feel the pinch" for untracked sales as its a win win situation for them, they get the sale AND don't have to pay the commission.

But I do get your point.

[Hero]

just to give some assurance to affiliates promoting programs through Webgains.
We have alerts in place which notify us if our tracking code is not displayed for a set period of time or if performance drops below a threshold level. We investigate these alerts immediately so as to ensure they are not due to tracking issues.
Furthermore, our cookieless tracking approximately captures 8-10% more transactions than normal tracking. Cookieless works alongside other tracking methods and from feedback we have had from affiliates, Webgains is the network with the least number of untracked sales.

There is no 100% perfect tracking - there will always be occasions where the sale for one reason or the other won't track unfortunately and that usually has to do with the merchants' local tracking or the customer actually going through a different affiliate before purchasing. If any affiliates have untracked sales they want to chase up, all they have to do is contact us and we check them on our system and with the merchant. Once we get confirmation from the merchant, we attribute a manual commission in.

[Grounded Vertigo]

Thanks for that explanation Hero. Webgains is the one network I've never had any tracking problems with so you, Kier and the rest of the Webgains crew are obviously doing your job incredibly well!

[roarer02]

I started my Christmas shopping yesterday and the very first sale (which I was incredibly careful to make sure would track) didn't. It was on Affiliate Window and I have been assured that the problem (which of course I would never have been aware of had I not made a purchase) has been fixed.

Ive always believed that at least 20% or so of my commissions never tracked, tho of late Ive started to feel it may be even higher.

Agree with earlier posters that have never had a bad experience with Webgains; their tracking seems superior to likes of Awin, TD etc.

I think its pretty apalling that we have to put up with so many lost commissions at all; but I am staggered by the lack of action and urgency among other affiliates.