De-duplication ensures that only one partner is credited for a sale, preventing multiple commissions for the same transaction. Awin’s tracking system automatically manages this, provided that you are not running partner activity on another affiliate network.
Beyond affiliate marketing, de-duplication can also be applied to other digital marketing channels to prevent duplicate commission payouts.
Key considerations for de-duplication
When implementing de-duplication, consider the following factors:
Commercial models - Different digital marketing channels operate on various payment structures beyond just conversion-based models, like affiliates.
Not an attribution solution - De-duplication is not an attribution model but rather a method to determine which channel is awarded a sale.
What to de-dupe against - Best practices should guide which channels you de-duplicate against to maintain a balanced marketing strategy.
Program T&Cs
You must include your de-duplication policy in your program Terms & Conditions, which should be accessible to partners. This transparency helps partners compare policies across advertisers and make informed decisions about where to allocate their traffic.
Before finalizing a de-duplication strategy, you should consult with your network contact to ensure the policy doesn’t restrict optimization opportunities within the partner channel.
Strategic considerations
Be mindful when choosing which channels to de-duplicate against, as it may impact partner behavior. If a partner perceives a risk of not being rewarded for their contribution, they may choose to promote a competitor instead.
You should provide adequate notice to partners before implementing a new de-duplication policy, specifying which channels will be affected and explaining the rationale behind the decision. Each advertiser’s strategy will differ based on their marketing mix and objectives.
Recommended channels to de-duplicate against
Other affiliate networks
Generic PPC
Email
Direct partnerships
Channels not recommended for de-duplication
PPC brand - Brand PPC is a common method for customers to return to a website. De-duplicating against it can discredit affiliate contributions and deter partners from promoting your program. Since a customer may have originally engaged via an affiliate but returned through brand PPC, removing partner credit in this scenario is often seen as unfair.
Natural search
Direct-to-URL traffic
Retargeting (post-impression basis) - Display campaigns include both post-click and post-impression tracking. If a customer views or clicks a display ad and later completes a purchase, it is difficult to attribute the sale solely to that interaction. De-duplicating against display may underestimate its influence, leading to decreased partner engagement.
Examples of de-duplication policies
Below are three common de-duplication policies, each with a different approach to managing attribution.
This advertiser only runs a cost-per-acquisition (CPA) program through Awin and has a significant in-house pay-per-click (PPC) campaign with generic and long-tail keywords. They de-duplicate against generic PPC while ensuring partners still receive credit for brand PPC conversions.
Channels de-duplicated:
PPC brand: No
PPC generic: Yes
Price comparison (advertiser’s own activity, e.g. Kelkoo): No
Display advertising: No
Email marketing: No
Direct publishers/partnerships: No
Other publisher network: No (no other networks present)
De-duplication rule: Last referrer is attributed the sale.
Method used: Click append with local cookie.
This advertiser rewards partners for their influence on sales and runs multiple partner programs. Since they pay CPA rates across networks, they use de-duplication to ensure they don’t pay commissions twice for the same sale.
Channels de-duplicated:
PPC brand: No
PPC generic: No
Price comparison (advertiser’s own activity, e.g. Kelkoo): No
Display advertising: No
Email marketing: No
Direct publishers/partnerships: Yes
Other publisher network: Yes
De-duplication rule: Last referrer is attributed the sale.
Method used: DoubleClick Floodlight tracking tag.
This advertiser de-duplicates across all online channels to ensure each sale is attributed to a single channel. As a result, they offer higher commission rates to compensate for the stricter de-duplication policy.
Channels de-duplicated:
PPC brand: Yes
PPC generic: Yes
Price comparison (advertiser’s own activity, e.g. Kelkoo): Yes
Display advertising: Yes
Email marketing: Yes
Direct publishers/partnerships: Yes
Other publisher network: No (no other networks present)
De-duplication rule: Last referrer is attributed the sale.
Method used: Tag management system (e.g. Tagman container tag).
How to use the click append with local cookie method
Awin recommends using a click append and setting a local cookie on the visitor’s machine when they enter the website.
A local cookie is a small data file stored on the user’s computer by the advertiser. It helps identify the last referring channel, ensuring that the correct tracking tag is displayed on the confirmation of sale page.
This method, also referred to as conditional tagging, is the most efficient, accurate, and cost-effective way to manage de-duplication. It provides you with full control over the logic used for attribution.
How it works
Click append in URL: Each online marketing channel appends a unique source parameter to the URL when a user clicks through. For example:
www.advertiserx.com/?source=aw- Awinwww.advertiserx.com/?source=td- Tradedoublerwww.advertiserx.com/?source=google- Google PPCwww.advertiserx.com/?source=email- Email campaign
Setting a local cookie: A script is used to place a local cookie on the user’s computer when a source parameter is detected in the URL.
Overwriting the source ID: The source ID in the cookie is updated on a last-referrer basis. If a user first clicks through via a Tradedoubler publisher (
?source=td) but later returns via an Awin publisher (?source=aw), the stored source ID is replaced with the most recent referrer.Tracking tag logic on sale confirmation page: When the user completes a purchase, the tracking system references the last recorded source ID to determine which tracking tag to fire. In the above example, only the Awin tracking code would be triggered, ensuring the sale is correctly attributed to Awin as the last referring network.
Best practices for accurate de-duplication
Ensure all inbound traffic includes source tagging for correct attribution.
Apply the ‘last referrer wins’ method across all channels to ensure fair and accurate de-duplication.
Regularly test the implementation to verify that tracking logic is functioning as expected.
FAQ
How to setup channel de-duplication with Awin on Shopify?
De-duplication functionality comes as standard with the Shopify app. In order to setup de-duplication on Shopify, please refer to our Shopify guide.