When promoting your campaign through multiple affiliate networks, it is important to prevent duplicate commission payments. Without a deduplication setup, a single transaction can be attributed to more than one network, which may result in paying multiple commissions for the same order.
To avoid this, we recommend implementing network deduplication based on the last click principle. This means that only the network responsible for the final click before the conversion is rewarded. This method is also known as “last cookie counts” (LCC).
Please note that this setup is specifically intended for deduplication between affiliate networks. It is not designed as a full attribution model across other marketing channels such as SEA, email, or social media.
Do you need automatic deduplication?
In some cases, especially when starting with multiple affiliate networks, the impact of duplicate registrations may initially be limited. The overlap between networks can be relatively low, depending on your publishers and traffic sources.
It is possible to monitor this overlap and manually correct transactions if needed. This approach may be sufficient in early stages or for campaigns with lower volume.
However, as volume increases, manual correction becomes less scalable and more error-prone. Implementing an automated deduplication setup helps ensure consistent tracking and prevents duplicate commission payments over time.
Also note that the last click principle determines which network is rewarded, but does not always reflect the full contribution of all publishers involved. Some advertisers choose to reward assisting publishers separately, depending on their attribution strategy. Read more about assisted conversions.
You can implement network deduplication in three steps:
- Step 1: Register the network source
- Step 2: Apply LCC logic in the conversion pixel
- Step 3: Validate and monitor tracking
Important: Network deduplication only works correctly when all involved affiliate networks are configured using the same logic. Daisycon can only control its own conversion pixel. It is important to also properly configure tracking and deduplication for the other networks you work with.
LCC functionality in Daisycon integrations
Daisycon integrations for platforms such as Magento and WooCommerce include built-in support for last click logic for the Daisycon conversion pixel.
For other platforms, this functionality is not available by default. In those cases, network deduplication must be implemented manually or through a tag management system such as Google Tag Manager.
This functionality only controls the Daisycon conversion pixel. The effectiveness of deduplication depends on how tracking is configured across the other affiliate networks you are working with.
Configuration of LCC settings in Daisycon may require adjustments in your campaign setup. Always coordinate changes with your Daisycon contact to avoid incorrect tracking.
Important: Do not use UTM-tag parameters for the LCC network parameter!
Simplified explanation of LCC logic
Scenario 1: network=daisycon
- The last click came from Daisycon
- Only the Daisycon conversion pixel is triggered
Scenario 2: network=othernetwork
- The last click came from another affiliate network
- The Daisycon conversion pixel is not triggered
Scenario 3: no network value available
- The source of the visitor cannot be determined
- A fallback decision is required, depending on your setup
Step 1: Register the network source
To apply deduplication, you must first store which affiliate network brought the visitor to your website. This is typically done by adding a network parameter to the landing URL and storing this value in a cookie or similar storage.
Example:
https://www.yourdomain.com/?product=1&category=2&network=daisycon
When a visitor arrives, the value of the network parameter is stored. This value is then used later to determine which conversion pixel should be triggered.
You must ensure that all affiliate networks use a consistent parameter structure, or that you normalize incoming parameters before storing them.
Step 2: Apply LCC logic in the conversion pixel
On the confirmation page, the conversion logic should determine which network was responsible for the last click. Based on this value, only the corresponding conversion pixel should be triggered.
Below is a simplified example of how such logic could work. This is not a Daisycon-provided script and should not be used as-is. The actual implementation depends on your website, setup, and tracking requirements.
<!-- Example logic for illustration purposes only -->
$fromNetwork = $_COOKIE['network'] ?? null;
$pixels = array(
'daisycon' => '<img src="https://www.ds1.nl/...." />',
'network2' => '<img src="https://www.network2.com/...." />'
);
if ($fromNetwork && isset($pixels[$fromNetwork])) {
echo $pixels[$fromNetwork];
} else {
// fallback logic
foreach ($pixels as $pixel) {
echo $pixel;
}
}
Important: This example is only meant to explain the concept of last click logic. It is not a standard Daisycon script. In practice, the implementation may differ significantly depending on your setup or the tools you use.
You must also carefully decide how to handle fallback situations where no network can be identified. Triggering all pixels ensures maximum measurement coverage, but may introduce duplicate registrations. Not triggering any pixel may result in missed transactions. This trade-off should be evaluated based on your setup.
Using Google Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager can be used to manage network deduplication without modifying backend code. The same principle applies: only the conversion tag of the network responsible for the last click should be triggered.
To achieve this, the network source must be available in GTM, for example via a cookie, URL parameter, or data layer variable. Based on this value, you can configure triggers and exceptions.
- Trigger the Daisycon conversion tag only when the network value equals daisycon
- Prevent the tag from firing when another network is identified
- Define a fallback rule for cases where no network value is available
The exact configuration depends on your GTM setup and how the network value is stored. Always test your implementation thoroughly before going live.
Step 3: Validate and monitor tracking
After implementation, it is essential to validate whether deduplication works correctly. Test different scenarios where traffic comes from different networks and confirm that only the correct conversion pixel is triggered.
Keep in mind that tracking based on cookies is not always reliable. Browser restrictions, user privacy settings, and ad blockers may prevent correct identification of the traffic source.
To improve measurement accuracy, you may consider additional techniques such as server-side tracking or alternative identification methods. Always ensure that your setup complies with applicable privacy regulations.
Regular monitoring helps detect inconsistencies and prevents incorrect attribution or duplicate commission payments.