As you probably know, you can only assign an affiliate to one offer. But there are other ways to customize your commission structure to meet your goals.

One of the available customizations is the ability to set different commission rates at the product or SKU level. You can include as many SKUs as you like, adding them individually or in bulk by uploading a list of SKU commissions. Just ensure that the SKUs in the list match those in your store.

Please note that Product-Level Commissions are not available on all plans. To view the list of plans and the features included with each plan, please visit here.

If you have a product that has a lower margin, you may want to offer a lower commission rate to match. Or, you might want to incentivize affiliates to refer products with a higher margin by offering a higher, matching commission rate. Additionally, businesses can use product-level commissions as part of a broader strategy to simplify affiliate management. For instance, consolidating affiliates into a single Offer with product-specific PLC rates not only ensures accurate payouts but also streamlines operations by supporting a single affiliate link for promoting all products within the catalog.

We check every order to see if any sales contain SKU-level commissions. If so, we apply that special commission rate to those items. (Other products in the order keep the Offer’s default commission.) Refersion also processes discounts and commissions differently based on the level of application. Discounts applied to orders are calculated using the offer-level commission rate, while product-level commissions remain based on the individual selling price of the SKU. Merchants often adopt one of two common strategies when combining commissions and discounts: maintaining the full affiliate commission rate despite discounts extended to customers, or adjusting the commission rate to mitigate losses from the discount. These strategies allow businesses to tailor their approach based on profitability goals and create clear communication with affiliates.

Important Note: The Refersion platform currently only receives and reads discount amounts at the order level and not at the product level. This means that discounts are processed using the offer-level commission rate, even for SKUs with product-level commissions. The system uses product-level commission rates to calculate earnings for SKUs while adjusting for discounts based on the offer-level commission rate. For associated implications, see the examples and key insights provided below. It is crucial to align these considerations with your affiliate communication strategy, ensuring transparency about how discounts influence their earnings.

If a SKU has a product-level commission of 5% and is sold for $35, the affiliate earns 5% from the selling price, equating to $1.75. However, if there’s a discount applied at the offer level using a 3% offer-level rate, the resulting discount and adjustments are not directly tied to the product-level commission.

1. Go to Affiliate > My Offers.

2. Choose an Offer Name from the list (or create a new one, then return to add the list of SKUs).

3. Click Product Level Commissions from the menu on the left.

4. Click the Add SKU button.

5. Enter the Commission Details.

Note: Product description is optional, but it is highly recommended to make it easier to see what product the SKU applies to.

6. Click Create.

If you have many SKUs uploaded to a particular offer and you need to search through them quickly, then you can use the search functionality:
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Simply type the Name or SKU of the product that you’re looking for, and click Search. All uploaded PLCs that contain your search terms in either the SKU or product name will appear.

You can click the X button under Clear Search to clear your search and go back to displaying all PLCs uploaded under the offer

SKU-level commissions are part of Refersion's collective offer settings. Any changes made to an offer, including PLC rates, will automatically apply to all affiliates assigned to that offer. By utilizing these collective settings, businesses can maintain consistency while strategically managing commission structures for their affiliates.