Managing Affiliate Settings357

This chapter describes how to use the Settings > Affiliate settings option in the toolbar.

Figure 346   The Settings > Affiliate Settings Option

Configuring Affiliate Settings

When you join an online affiliate marketing system, the system operator is likely to provide you with a few lines of conversion tracking code. Conversion tracking serves a number of purposes, which depend on the affiliate system. Among other things, conversion tracking allows you to gauge the affiliate marketing system’s level of success, and controls the commission system for your affiliates.

To set up the shopping cart software to use your affiliate conversion tracking code:

1  Click Settings in the toolbar, then click Affiliate settings.

Figure 347   Settings: Affiliate Settings

2  Paste the conversion tracking code supplied by your affiliate marketing system operator into the Conversion tracking code field.

3  The code is likely to have “placeholders” where you are required to enter order-specific information (for example, in the code “...orderid=XXX”, “XXX” is the placeholder to be replaced).

The shopping cart software supports two variables that you should insert into the code in place of the placeholders:

•  “%%ORDER_AMOUNT%%”: this variable defines each order’s amount.

•  “%%ORDER_ID%%”: this variable defines each order’s order ID number (this is the same as the ID that displays in the Orders > View orders screen; see Viewing and Managing Orders).

For example, the original conversion tracking code:

<img border="0" src="https://www.yourdomain.com/affiliate_tracker/sale.php?totalminusshipping=XXX&orderid=XXX" width="1" height="1">

becomes:

<img border="0" src="https://www.yourdomain.com/affiliate_tracker/sale.php?totalminusshipping=%%ORDER_AMOUNT%%&orderid=%%ORDER_ID%%" width="1" height="1">

4  Click Save to save your changes. Alternatively, click Cancel if you do not want to save the changes you made.

Vortex Portal Suggests the following Affiliate Software: