Last-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.
Last-click attribution means the cookie that's present at the moment of purchase decides who gets credit. If a visitor clicks your link, browses, then clicks a second affiliate's link before buying — the second affiliate gets credit. Your cookie was overwritten.
The practical implication: coupon and deals sites at checkout are designed to capture the "last click" right before purchase, often hijacking attribution from creators who introduced the buyer to the product. Browser extensions like Honey work the same way. The model is industry standard but creates real revenue leak for content creators whose work happens earlier in the purchase journey.
Related terms
Cookie 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).
GlossaryAffiliate 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.