Last Cookie Counts, or LCC, is a click-based deduplication method. It stores the affiliate network responsible for the latest click and uses this value on the conversion page to decide which network conversion pixel should fire.
LCC is mainly used when an advertiser works with multiple competing affiliate networks and wants to prevent duplicate commission payments.
Before implementing LCC, first check whether automatic deduplication is needed. Manual monitoring may be sufficient for new or lower-volume campaigns with limited network overlap.
Read more: Affiliate network deduplication and cookie switch setups.
What is LCC?
LCC stores the affiliate network responsible for the latest click. On the conversion page, this stored value is used to decide which network conversion pixel should be triggered.
For example: if the latest affiliate click came from Daisycon, the Daisycon conversion pixel should fire. If the latest affiliate click came from another affiliate network, the Daisycon conversion pixel should not fire.
Scope of LCC
LCC is intended for deduplication between competing affiliate networks. It is not intended to deduplicate affiliate traffic against other marketing channels or traffic sources.
Do not use LCC to suppress affiliate tracking because another channel, such as SEA, paid social, display, email, or direct traffic, was also involved.
Affiliate marketing is post-paid, while many other marketing channels are pre-paid or budget-based. Comparing these channels directly in a cookie switch setup can unfairly remove a valid affiliate commission.
When should LCC be used?
LCC is useful when deduplication is based on clicks and each affiliate network can pass a recognizable value to the advertiser website.
- The advertiser works with multiple competing affiliate networks
- The advertiser wants to prevent duplicate commission payments
- The advertiser uses last click logic between affiliate networks
- The network source can be stored when the user lands on the website
LCC is intended for click-based deduplication. If post view attribution should also be considered, use Last Event Counts (LEC) or combine LCC with an LEC-based setup.
How LCC works
A typical LCC flow works like this:
- A user clicks an affiliate link
- The landing URL contains a dedicated network source parameter
- The advertiser stores the network source in a cookie or similar storage mechanism
- The user later completes a conversion
- The advertiser reads the stored network source on the conversion page
- Only the conversion pixel for the selected network is triggered
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 may not be 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 work 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.
Do not use UTM parameters for the LCC network parameter. Use a dedicated network parameter instead.
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 later used 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;
$pixels = array(
'daisycon' => '<img src="https://<daisycon_tracking_domain>/...." />',
'network2' => '<img src="https://<other_network_tracking_domain>/...." />'
);
if ($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 latest affiliate click should be triggered.
To achieve this, the network source must be available in GTM, for example through a cookie, URL parameter, or data layer variable.
- Trigger the Daisycon conversion tag only when the network value equals daisycon
- Prevent the tag from firing when another affiliate 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.
Fallback logic
You must carefully decide how to handle situations where no affiliate network can be identified.
- Triggering all affiliate pixels ensures maximum measurement coverage, but may introduce duplicate registrations
- Triggering no affiliate pixels may prevent duplicates, but may also result in missed transactions
- Triggering Daisycon when the source is Daisycon or when no known competing affiliate network is detected may be suitable for some setups
Fallback logic must be agreed before going live. Incorrect fallback logic can cause duplicate registrations or missed conversions.
Relation to LEC
LCC stores the latest click source. LEC works differently. LEC makes recent Daisycon event data available on the visitor’s client, which is useful when post view attribution should be included in deduplication.
Use LCC for click-based deduplication. Use LEC when recent Daisycon post view event data should also be considered.
A matching LEC result should not overwrite a newer, known click from another competing affiliate network.
Read more: Using Last Event Counts (LEC) for post view deduplication.
Step 3: Validate and monitor tracking
After implementation, validate whether deduplication works correctly. Test different scenarios where traffic comes from different affiliate 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.
Testing checklist
- Test a Daisycon click and confirm that
network=daisyconis stored - Test a click from another affiliate network and confirm that its network value is stored
- Check that the correct value is available on the conversion page
- Confirm that the Daisycon conversion pixel only fires when it should
- Test the fallback rule when no network value is available
- Monitor duplicate registrations after going live
Conclusion
LCC is a practical method for click-based deduplication between competing affiliate networks. It stores the latest affiliate click source and uses that value to decide which conversion pixel should fire. If post view attribution should also be included, use LEC or combine LCC with an LEC-based deduplication setup.