The Hidden "Leak" in Your Affiliate Program
One of the most debated terms in any affiliate agreement is the Cookie Duration. Merchants often want it short (to minimize costs), while affiliates want it long (to maximize earnings).
But setting your window too short doesn't just save money—it can kill your program. If your product takes 7 days to decide on, but your cookie expires in 24 hours, your affiliates will send you traffic, generate sales, and see $0 commissions. They will assume your product doesn't convert and leave.
The Lag Effect
Not everyone buys immediately. 96% of visitors aren't ready to buy on their first visit. The cookie captures them when they return.
Attribution Lift
Extending your window from 24h to 30d typically captures 20-40% more sales for B2B products.
Fair Credit
If an affiliate introduced the customer, they deserve the credit even if the user took a week to think about it.
Recommended Windows by Industry
Use this calculator to simulate the impact of changing your window. Common benchmarks include:
- Retail / Fashion (Impulse)1 - 7 Days
- Electronics / Gadgets7 - 30 Days
- SaaS / Software30 - 60 Days
- High Ticket / Enterprise60 - 90+ Days