Open source affiliate software is used to manage connections between a business and affiliate and to help send commissions to affiliates. The program should be able to set commissions for products, so affiliates know how much money they will make. Reporting features are important for open source affiliate software, because they help the user know how many transactions are made, what affiliate should be paid, and the amount of traffic coming in. Payment features will ensure that the affiliate is paid when a sale is made, so no affiliate will feel cheated. The affiliate program also must have good documentation and an active user community, because open source programs may not have official technical support.
When a business creates an affiliate program, it sets a commission percentage that is paid to an affiliate each time a product is sold. To ensure that affiliates clearly know how much money they will make for each product, the open source affiliate program should be able to allow users to set the commission percentage. Along with the percentage, the affiliate can set the commission for a one-time sale or for the lifetime of the buyer’s membership in subscription websites.
A business needs to track its affiliates so it knows when sales are made. Powerful reporting features are necessary in open source affiliate software; otherwise, the business may forget to pay an affiliate, which can result in problems. This tracking also will let the business know which affiliates are doing the best, so they can receive bonuses to ensure they keep bringing in sales for the company. Tracking features also ensure that the right person is paid commission.
After a sale or membership is finalized, the business is obligated to pay the affiliate who brought in the customer. To satisfy different affiliates, different payment method modules should be available on the open source affiliate software. This allows the business to use checks, electronic transfers, bank transfers and other methods to pay the affiliate.
Some open source software is not built to the same standards as closed source software, because a business is usually not backing the project and the developers are not making any money on the program. The user should choose open source affiliate software that functions like a professional, closed source program. Active user communities also will ensure that the user has many people who can help in the event of the program’s failure or malfunctioning.