Affiliate network
A platform that aggregates affiliate programs from many merchants in one place. Acts as the intermediary tracking clicks, attributing sales, and paying out commissions. Examples: Awin, Amazon Associates, Daisycon, Impact, ShareASale.
Affiliate networks aggregate hundreds or thousands of merchants into a single platform. As a creator, you sign up to one network, get approved into individual programs (each merchant approves separately), and use one dashboard to track clicks, conversions, and earnings across all of them. Networks handle the tracking infrastructure, attribution, and payouts on behalf of merchants.
Each network has its own strengths. Amazon Associates has the broadest catalog. Awin is the largest pan-European. Daisycon and TradeTracker dominate the Benelux. Impact and PartnerStack focus on direct-brand SaaS programs. ShareASale and CJ have long tails of mid-size US merchants. Most established creators end up on 4-5 networks at once, each covering brands the others don't.
Related terms
Affiliate link
A URL that contains a tracking parameter identifying you as the referrer, so the merchant can credit you a commission when the click converts to a sale.
GlossaryAffiliate tag
The unique identifier inside an affiliate URL that tells the network which publisher to credit. Different networks call it different names but the function is the same.
GlossaryCookie window
The timeframe between a visitor clicking your affiliate link and completing a purchase, during which the network will credit you the commission. Varies by program, from 24 hours (Amazon) to 30+ days (most other networks).
GlossaryLast-click attribution
The model affiliate networks use to credit commissions: whoever was the last affiliate to send a visitor before they purchased gets the commission, regardless of who introduced them to the product.