Your cart is currently empty!
Affiliate Dashboard – Earnings Issue
—
by
Hi,
I seem to be having an issue with the earnings tab in the affiliate dashboard not displaying the users earnings. The Traffic tab is recording the correct data as per my expectation but I can’t figure out why the earnings tab is not showing any results. Are you able to assist with this?
Thank you
Chris
Posted in Affiliates Enterprise
Comments
21 responses to “Affiliate Dashboard – Earnings Issue”
Hey Chris,
You’re welcome. Since you already have Itthinx Updates installed, you need to enter your license key which will allow you to update to the latest version of Affiliates Enterprise – current version 4.4.0- and also give you access to the integrations available. I think you should update Affiliates Enterprise for various reasons -bug fixes, new features to name two of them, and also you should not modify the core source code of the plugin, since this would make us unable to handle any possible future support request you might have- support is valid only for official versions of the plugin provided only by itthinx.com.
FYI, this message appears usually when you haven’t entered you license key inside Itthinx Updates plugin. If you first visit Plugins > Itthinx Updates, there is a link to retrieve your license key from your profile at itthinx.com and then you’ll be able to install the integration through the aforementioned path.
Kind regards,
George
Hi Chris,
I hope you realise that this is far beyond from setting a few rates for your affiliates’ commissions although it’s pretty interesting even if it’s complex. The best option would be to use a formula for calculating commissions and by using the filter hook we provide you can adjust/add formula variables depending on all the factors you mentioned here.
First, you need to somehow distinguish the simple products added by you from the products coming from the feed. Also, you need to somehow distinguish the external affiliate for each product so that you can adjust the variable for that factor.
Furthermore, and since the commission depends also on the company where the product comes from, you need to also check it in your formula.
An example of such a formula is this which obviously won’t work for your case as there are a number of factors to be taken into account. If you check the code and the comments included I think you will get the idea what need to be implemented.
function my_variables( $variables, $rate, $context ) {
// These are predefined variables
// s : the net order subtotal
// t : product line subtotal
// p : unit product price as product subtotal divided by the quantity (the number of units for the order line)
// q : quantity, the number of line units
// But you can also define yours like this
$variables['c'] = 10;
// As I mentioned you should get the order placed
$order_id = $context['order_id'];
// And for that order get the products and then distinguish the ones added by you, or by the feed.
// For each product you should also check the 'external' affiliate
// But also the company where the product comes from
// And each time adjust the custom variable value
return $variables;
}
add_filter( 'affiliates_formula_computer_variables', 'my_variables', 10, 3 );
And the formula usage can be set if you go to Affiliates > Rates, create a new rate, choose Formula as Type and for the Value use the proper formula ie:
p*c where c would be your custom variable.
The above will cover the commission of the original referrer aka the affiliate that refers the sale. For the tiered commissions and if these are fixed percentages, then you need to simply set a rate for each level.
For example, if you need to grant a 10% of the sale net amount as commission for level 1. Add a new rate, choose Rate as Type, set the value to 0.1, set the level to 1 and click Create.
For each of the subsequent levels, you should add a rate following the same process but obviously each time, set the proper level and add the proper percentage. In order to use 6 levels of tiered commissions, you should go to Affiliates > Tiers, Enable multi-tiered referrals and set Levels value to 6.
Please note that in order to record referred sales through WC, you need to install Affiliates WooCommerce Integration through Affiliates > Settings, under integrations tab. In order to be able to install integrations, Itthinx Updates plugin must be installed and your license key must be set.
Also, in order for new users to become affiliates, each new referred user should register using the Affiliate registration form, either generated by [affiliates_registration] or through the Affiliates Dashboard registration form. After registration and if the new affiliate has been referred by another affiliate then the new affiliate will appear in Depth 1 of the referring affiliate. There is another option of automatically creating new affiliates upon user registration but IMO this is pretty complex to add further details at the moment.
Kind regards,
George
Hi George,
Thank you for you comprehensive response.
I think I should try and get everything working using the simple product type before I include the external affiliate products.
With this in mind, and based on what you have said, I am guessing I need to install Affiliates WooCommerce. I have tried to install this via the path mentioned however, the message I am shown is “Installation package not available”.
What is the current version of Affiliate Enterprise? I seem be running version 4.2.0. Furthermore, itthinx Updates are active on my site.
I am reluctant to update the Affiliates Enterprise plugin as I am guessing this will overwrite any custom work that has been done on my site. Please advise.
Regards
Chris
Hi Chris,
Sorry for the delay.
In order to clear things up, could you please indicate shortly what is your plan and how would you like to record commissions? Is it only for referred sales or also for referred users? How many levels of tiered commissions would you like to apply and what is the commission you like to grant for the referring affiliate, and each of the tiered commissions?
Once I have these, I will access your website using the credentials you provided, if necessary install Affiliates WooCommerce integration for you and setup the necessary rates. I think it’s better this way since I don’t want to cause you any further delay.
Kind regards,
George
Hi George,
Thank you for your response.
I want to be able to pay commission to my affiliates on each sale my site makes. Affiliates will be paid commission when somebody shops via the affiliates Bio Page link. An example of the Bio Page link can be seen by going to this page https://sixdeep.com/links/second-level/
When you access this page, go to the product category of Women’s Blouses. This will take you to the URL of https://sixdeep.com/product-category/categories-grid/women/?affiliate_id=517
There are 2 types of products on this page. We can see the products that have been added direct by me (set as Simple Product Data Types in WooCommerce) and we can also see the products that have been added by the affiliate data feed (set as External/Affilaite Product Type in WooCommerce).
Products on the top row have been added by me. Products on the 4th row from the top (Blush Ruffle Tie Front Blouse for example) have been added by the product feed.
If somebody buys a product that I have added to the site then we will pay a set commission to the affiliate whose Bio link page was used to make the purchase.
If somebody buys a product that the data feed has added (external affiliate product) then we will pay a set commission to the affiliate whose Bio link page was used to make that purchase. NOTE: The commission for this product type may be different to the simple product type. Furthermore, we will need to set a different commission based on which external affiliate the product belongs to. We use a company called affiliate window.com for access to 1,000’s of products that we can then import into our site using a data feed. Each of the commission payments vary depending on which companies products we are selling. The commission payments are usually a percentage of the sale price of the product. Some might pay 5% and some might pay 7%. I guess the commission value that we need to set for the affiliates will need to be a percentage of the percentage that we get paid by the affiliate.
In order to view the product details on our site, we require each user to sign up. This user is then credited to the affiliate (they become their referral) whose bio link page was used to bring the user to the site. The sale will also then be credited to that same affiliate if the user makes a purchase.
I intend to set 6 tiers below the affiliate. So, potentially there are 6 tiers of affiliates who will be paid up the line when a sale is made. You can set whatever commission value you want to set as we can always change this at a later stage.
I am not too sure what is meant when you say refer to referred users receiving a commission but I assume this refers to a commission that will be paid to an affiliate when he brings in a new affiliate to the site. Is this correct? If so, please be advised that commission is only ever paid when a sale is made.
Please help me to resolve this.
Regards
Chris
Hi Chris,
It was obviously my misunderstanding as I thought that your issue was with referred sales.
After checking your site again, I’ve noticed that the user registration integration is enabled but the commission amount is zero and therefore this is normal to have referrals with zero commission granted. But let me check the situation on my local installation and will report back.
Kind regards,
George
Hi George,
I am so confused right now.
My issue is relating to the sales made. The issue is that nothing is getting recoded in the Earnings Tab of the Affiliate Dashboard here (https://sixdeep.com/affiliate-area/?affiliates-dashboard-section=earnings).
If user A signs up to the site and then brings in User B and User B then makes a purchase then surely the commission for that sale should get recorded in the Earnings Tab of the affiliate dashboard for User A. This is the issue I seem to be having. The commission for the sale is not being displayed.
I tried downloading the plugin that you suggested in your previous post (Affiliates WooCommerce integration) however, whenever I click install, I am presented with a message that says Installation package not available.
In your post above you have said that you have “noticed that the user registration integration is enabled but the commission amount is zero and therefore this is normal to have referrals with zero commission granted” I don’t know what you mean here. My referrals / affiliates are not supposed to be paid commission for introducing new members / affiliates to the site. They should make money from the sale of products that their referrals make.
On my site, users must sign up if they want to view the products in store. This is how wish.com also work. If a user visits the site direct and makes a purchase then the sales credit will go to Admin. If they were introduced by an existing affiliate then that existing affiliate will get the credit for the referral and will benefit by earning commission on any purchases made by the person they introduced or any of their referrals (based on the tiers feature).
Regards
Chris
Hi George,
I hope you are well.
I just wanted to check in with you to see if you had any further luck with the issue I am facing.
Regards
Chris
Hi Chris,
Thanks for providing access.
The main point on your installation was that there were no actual referrals recorded, as they are assigned to the direct affiliate. The reason for that was that you’re missing Affiliates WooCommerce integration, which can be installed through Affiliates > Settings, under Integrations tab.
After installing please make a test purchase using an affiliate link and let me know if the issue persists.
Regarding the redirect, the default behaviour would be to go to the link indicated and add a cookie if applicable for the affiliate id mentioned in the link. You should check your installation -both your theme and plugins- for any custom redirects you’re using either as a third-party snippet or third-party plugin which might automatically redirect when there are URL parameters set in a link. FYI, if I use a random URL parameter like alkjkljie=jliewww then it redirects to the shop page.
Regarding referral status this can be updated through Affiliates > Referrals by clicking on Edit button for the desired referral. FYI, in the documentation you may find all the useful information to setup your installation.
– http://docs.itthinx.com/document/affiliates-enterprise/affiliate-program-management/
Kind regards,
George
Hi George,
You are being so incredibly helpful and I am so grateful to you for this.
You have said “The main point on your installation was that there were no actual referrals recorded, as they are assigned to the direct affiliate”.
I registered the following user for testing the tier functionality. You can see that Sixthlevel is a referral of Fifthlevel and Fifthlevel is a referral of Fourthlevel and so on. I am therefore not understanding why you have said that the referrals are not recorded and are assigned to the direct affiliate when we can see that users have referred each other as per below.
firstlevel@test.com (ID: 516)
secondlevel@test.com (ID: 517)
thirdlevel@test.com (ID: 518)
fourthlevel@test.com (ID: 519)
fifthlevel@test.com (ID: 520)
sixthlevel@test.com (ID: 521)
seventhlevel@test.com (ID: 522)
Perhaps you are referring to who gets the referral commission in the event the plugin you mentioned is not installed in which case, I would have expected to see all sales commission credited to the “direct” user in the earnings but I am not seeing this.
Thanks
Chris
Hi George,
I am still having some difficulty with this. I have provided access below as you originally suggested. Please help further with this as its driving me crazy!! 🙁
Affiliate ID: 517 belongs to user secondlevel@test.com – Password: xxxx
The URL for accessing the affiliate dashboard on my site is https://sixdeep.com/affiliate-area/
It is my understanding that if a user visits https://sixdeep.com/product/lose-oversized-shirt/?affiliate_id=517 and purchases the product shown, then the commission/earnings will be displayed in the earnings tab of the affiliates dashboard for User ID: 517 . It is unclear to me (please confirm) if the status of the product in WooCoomerce is required to be set as Completed however, I have tried this also.
I am at a loss as to why the earnings are not shown to the affiliate in his/her earnings tab. Maybe there is an issue with the url not tracking the sale through to the checkout stage??
In addition to providing access to the above user test account, I am also providing you with access to my admin area as you originally suggested. I would ask that you don’t make any changes or upgrade to the latest version without speaking to me first.
Admin User: xxx
Admin Password: xxx
Whist writing, I would ask that you confirm to me what the URL would be if an affiliate wanted to promote the store to other people. I would have expected the URL to have been something like https://sixdeep.com/?affiliate_id=517 however, when I enter that URL into the browser, I am redirected to https://sixdeep.com/signup/
All the best
Chris
[edit: removed sensitive data]
Hi George,
Thank you for that comprehensive reply. When you say “the referral commission will appear under Affiliates > Referrals. Once the referral is Accepted or Closed, then that amount will be added in the Earnings total”, are you referring to the sale of a product? What page in admin will the referral be accepted or closed?
Regards
Chris
Hi Chris,
I think you should have a look at the post Affiliate Tiers Demystified where there is an extended description on how tiers work.
In addition to that, there are two different terms regarding tiered commissions. Let’s assume that
George is an affiliate on your site and none referred him.
Affiliate George has referred new affiliate Chris.
Affiliate Chris has referred new affiliate Paul.
Affiliate Paul has referred new affiliate John.
If we check George’s affiliate tree*:
Chris would be at depth 1.
Paul would be at depth 2.
John would be at depth 3.
If we check Chris’s affiliate tree*:
Paul would be at depth 1.
John would be at depth 2.
*The affiliate tree can be seen if we go to Affiliates > Manage Affiliates and click on Edit for the desired affiliate.
Assume that John refers a new sale with customer Peter.
John will be the original referrer and will get the commission set for the rate that has no level set.
Paul will get the commission set for level 1.
Chris will get the commission set for level 2.
George will get the commission set for level 3.
Assume that Chris refers a new sale with customer Ed.
Chris will be the original referrer and will get the commission set for the rate that has no level set.
George will get the commission set for level 1.
Regarding commissions, the commission calculation will depend on the rate that applies for a level and can be either a fixed amount or a percentage of the order amount. It can also be relative to the referrer’s commission if you enable that option for the rate.
As long as a referral is recorded, the referral commission will appear under Affiliates > Referrals. Once the referral is Accepted or Closed, then that amount will be added in the Earnings total.
Kind regards,
George
Hi George,
It might help to explain what I am intending to achieve and provide access where possible.
I am intending to have 6 tiers below the initial level. I have setup some tiers in order to test the functionality of the commission payments and to see how the commission information is displayed in the earnings tab. I am providing an example of the levels as follows. The number 1 as shown below is the password for each account.
Me
firstlevel@test.com / 1
secondlevel@test.com / 1
thirdlevel@test.com / 1
fourthlevel@test.com / 1
Fifthlevel@test.com / 1
Sixthlevel@test.com / 1
Now, if user secondlevel@test.com buys an item from my store then surely the commission for that product should go to firstlevel@test.com and should therefore be displayed in the earnings tab for user firstlevel@test.com. Is my understanding correct so far? If so, where should I set the commission amount / percentage that should be paid?
If I have applied the rates setting based on tiers then this should allow me to split the commission between the levels. For example, if the user Fifthlevel@test.com buys a product then the commission can be split between all levels above fifthlevel@test.com. Is my understanding correct?
Does an order need to be set to Completed Order Status in WooCommerce before the commission is added?
Please advise further
Regards
Chris
Hi Chris,
I’m afraid I don’t have access to admin pages without an account on your site. FYI, the rates set are the way to calculate the commission, they are the commission factor and therefore they have nothing to do with the earnings display.
Cheers,
George
Hi Chris,
You’re welcome.
Other than technical issues that we might still not be aware of, the only reason why an affiliate wouldn’t see earnings from confirmed referred sales, is when these referrals are still pending.
I think it’s better in your case to have a look at your setup and check the situation in real-time by performing a few tests. You may send us temp admin access for your live or staging site to george at itthinx dot com and also enable WP debugging just in case something is wrong and affecting the normal operations of the plugin.
To enable debugging, edit your wp-config.php file and do the following:
Replace this line:
define( ‘WP_DEBUG’, false );
with these lines:
define( ‘WP_DEBUG’, true );
define( ‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true );
define( ‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, false );
All log messages will be stored in wp-content/debug.log file.
Kind regards,
George
Hi George,
Thanks again for your reply.
I am assuming that the Rates page as shown below needs to be showing the correct commission values in order for the commission amounts to show in the individual users dashboard. I am just wondering of this is the reason the commission amounts are not showing in the users dashboard.
https://sixdeep.com/wp-admin/admin.php?page=affiliates-admin-rates
Please advise
Regards
Chris
Hi George,
Thank you or your email. The issue I seem to be having relates to an affiliates own dashboard where you would normally expect to find information about his/her earnings.
What I am saying is that when somebody purchases an item via an affiliate url for example https://sixdeep.com/product-category/categories-grid/women/?affiliate_id=517 then I am not seeing the earnings/commission in the affiliate dashboard of affiliate user ID=517. What would prevent this information from showing?
Regards
Chris
Hi Chris,
You’re welcome.
FYI, Affiliates Dashboard area in general is the place where an affiliate logs in and views all the necessary information about his/her performance and all the available tools like affiliate URLs. If this affiliate has commissions and/or tiered commissions these will appear under Earnings but not for all the affiliates. If you want to keep track of your affiliates performance ie as an admin then you should check ie Referrals under Affiliates > Referrals in the WP Dashboard.
Kind regards,
George
Hi George,
Thank you for your reply. I am afraid to say that I am no clearer.
When you say referrals, are you referring to people that a user has referred to site who then go on to sign up? If so, I am actually referring to commission payments that are paid down the different levels (tiers) after a customer purchases a product on the site using another users affiliate id (?affiliate_id=2 ). Where will I see this commission breakdown? I assumed it would be shown in the earnings tab.
Thanks
Chris
Hi Chris,
FYI, earnings tab will show you totals for accepted and closed referrals, therefore if your referrals are still pending then no results would be proper. Please let me know if this is your case.
Kind regards,
George