Multiple Level Conversions grant a parent affiliate an ongoing commission every time a sub-affiliate beneath them generates an approved conversion; for as many levels deep as you configure.
This article assumes you're already familiar with parent/child affiliate relationships. If not, start with How Do I Manage Multi-Level Affiliate Commissions? before continuing.
Note: Multi-Level Affiliate Management (MLM) features are only available on the Scale plan. Contact us to learn more.
How levels work
When an affiliate's conversion is approved, Refersion looks up the chain of parent affiliates above them and pays each parent a commission. You set the commission for each level on the offer.
Level 1 is the direct parent of the affiliate who made the sale.
Level 2 is that parent's own parent, and so on.
Levels are counted up from the affiliate who made the sale.
Each parent gets a separate conversion. Its commission comes from the level row on that parent's own offer, based on how far above the original affiliate they are.
Commissions are created when the original conversion is approved.
Note: Each affiliate can have only one direct parent, and that parent is Level 1. Every level above that is found by looking at the parent of the affiliate one level below. For example, Level 2 is the parent of the Level 1 affiliate, which makes them the original affiliate's grandparent.
Setting up a Multiple Level Conversion structure
Multiple Level Conversions are configured per offer, from the Multiple Level Conversions tab on the offer's edit page:
Open the offer you want to configure and go to the Multiple Level Conversions tab.
Add a level record and set the level (1 for the direct parent, 2 for a grandparent, and so on).
Choose a commission type: Percent of Sale, or a Flat Rate amount with a currency. Leave the currency blank on a Flat Rate to match the original sale's currency automatically.
Choose whether to check Require Same Offer for that level. When checked, the level pays only if the affiliate directly below the parent is on the same offer as the parent. See Scenario 2 below.
Save. You can view or delete existing level records from the same tab, and repeat this process to configure additional levels.
How levels are granted commission
Example chain: Joe's parent is Sharon. Sharon's parent is Bobby. The chain is Joe → Sharon → Bobby. Bobby is not Joe's direct parent, but he is still above Joe in the chain because he is Sharon's parent. Each link in the chain is set by that affiliate's own parent.
Scenario 1: All affiliates are on the same offer (recommended)
Set up the offer once under Multiple Level Conversions:
Setting | Example |
Offer commission | 25% |
Level 1 | 10% |
Level 2 | 5% |
When this sale is approved | Joe earns | Sharon earns | Bobby earns |
Joe's sale | 25% | 10% (Level 1) | 5% (Level 2) |
Sharon's sale | None | 25% | 10% (Level 1) |
Bobby's sale | None | None | 25% |
Bobby's level depends on who made the sale. He is Level 2 for Joe's sales and Level 1 for Sharon's sales. Require Same Offer doesn't need to be set explicitly in this scenario, because everyone is on the same offer.
Scenario 2: Some affiliates are on different offers
Each parent is paid using the Multiple Level Conversions settings on their own offer, NOT the offer of the affiliate who made the sale.
Example: Joe is on Offer A, Sharon is on Offer B, and Bobby is on Offer C. When Joe's sale is approved:
Joe earns Offer A's commission.
Sharon earns the Level 1 row on Offer B.
Bobby earns the Level 2 row on Offer C.
Things to know
A level pays only if you've set it up on that parent's offer. If Offer C has no Level 2 commission added, Bobby earns nothing from Joe's sale.
Require Same Offer is a checkbox you can turn on for each level. When it's checked, that level pays only if the affiliate directly below the parent is on the same offer as the parent. At Level 2, that means Sharon's offer is compared to Bobby's, not Joe's.
In the example above, checking the box on Sharon's Level 1 would skip her, because Joe is on Offer A and she is on Offer B.
Leave it unchecked if you want the level to pay no matter which offer the affiliate below is on.
Commission amounts, commission types (percent or flat rate), and currencies can differ for each parent.
What's Next?
To reward affiliates for recruiting new sub-affiliates instead of (or alongside) their ongoing sales, see How to Set Up Signup Bonuses for Affiliates.