Affiliate Marketing – The Power of Payments

May 21, 2024

Affiliate marketing can be one of the most effective types of performance marketing…

Especially for high-risk Merchants trying to quickly scale their business and grow meaningful revenue. But Processors and Acquirers that work with affiliate Merchants can be indirectly exposed to the extreme risks of where payments come from.

Dig Deeper with Last Week’s Blog:
The Impacts and Pitfalls of Affiliate Marketing

Merchants that use affiliate marketing for one, can be plagued with fraud and chargebacks. It’s currently seen as the risk of doing business—underwriting Merchants is risky, and those Merchants can eventually fall out of compliance and get dropped.

This way of doing business is antiquated and leaves revenue on the table.

Understanding the metrics means that you can stay compliant for longer. And tools like Slyce360 can make tracking the industry standard analytics more than possible—but easy.

Let’s break down the important analytics that every Merchant Underwriter should know and monitor.

Knowing the Analytics Means Proof for Underwriting More Risk

How many new affiliates has the Merchant signed on?
Tracking how many new affiliate partners a Merchant onboards is crucial. A sudden influx of new affiliates can be a red flag, as it may indicate the Merchant is aggressively trying to boost sales through potentially risky channels. Too many new affiliates at once can proper vetting and monitoring difficult.

What percent of the Merchants’ business is driven by which affiliate?
If a single affiliate is responsible for an outsized portion of sales, it concentrates risk. Healthy distribution of sales across multiple affiliates reduces exposure. Affiliates driving a disproportionately large percentage need higher scrutiny.

Which affiliates are driving the most risk, and why?
Some affiliates may be linked to higher fraud, chargebacks, or policy violations. Understanding why is also critical—are they using deceptive marketing, selling in prohibited regions, or attracting fraudulent traffic? Understanding the root causes means Merchants can address the problem early.

Average ticket size and/or BIN types
Average ticket sizes and the types of BINs used can reveal important patterns. Unexpectedly large ticket sizes or a concentration of transactions from certain BIN ranges can signal fraud. Monitoring averages and distributions is wise.

Velocity
Velocity tracks the speed and frequency at which transactions occur. Sudden spikes in velocity, especially from new affiliates, may indicate automated fraud attempts or maliciously incentivized campaigns. Consistent, predictable velocity is preferred over rollercoaster patterns.

Slyce360 Marries Payment and CRM data

A glaring problem for Merchant underwriters is not seeing the full Payments picture.

Slyce360 combines both Payments and CRM data to give a full understanding of what’s being purchased, what is driving the sale, and where fraud and chargebacks are coming from.

Learn more about Slyce360 today