Affiliate marketing glossary
Average order value (AOV)
In one sentence
Average order value is the mean value of an order placed through a program, and it determines how much a given commission percentage is actually worth.
A 4% commission on a $400 average order pays $16. A 10% commission on a $50 average order pays $5. Comparing commission rates without comparing order values is the most common mistake new affiliates make.
AOV also indicates the deliberation involved. High-AOV programs need longer cookie windows and more considered content; low-AOV programs reward volume and impulse.
Worked example
The same rate, four times the money
Two programs both pay 6%. One sells accessories at a $45 average order, so each sale pays $2.70. The other sells furniture at a $780 average order, so each sale pays $46.80. Seventeen accessory sales are needed to match one furniture sale, and the furniture program will convert more slowly. Which is better depends entirely on which of those your audience is likely to do.
Common questions
Average order value (AOV), answered
Where do I find a program's average order value?
Every program page in this directory publishes it alongside commission and cookie window. Networks publish it inconsistently and sometimes not at all, which is part of why headline rate ends up doing all the work in most program comparisons.
Is the AOV shown the one I will get?
It is an indicative figure across all traffic to that program, and your basket will differ. Editorial content recommending one specific item tends to produce baskets near the price of that item; gift guides and seasonal content tend to produce larger ones. Treat it as a scale rather than a forecast.
How do I raise average order value?
By recommending things that are bought together rather than in isolation. Coordinated sets, a product plus its consumable, a room rather than a single object. The mechanism is the same in every category: give the reader a reason to add a second item before checkout, not after.
Keep reading
More from the glossary
Every term here is written to answer one question completely, then point at the next one worth asking.
Sub-affiliate network
A sub-affiliate network is a company that holds approved relationships with affiliate programs on major networks and lets smaller publishers and creators promote those programs under its account, sharing the commission it receives.
Affiliate network
An affiliate network is a platform that connects advertisers running affiliate programs with publishers who promote them, handling tracking, reporting and payment between the two.
Cookie window
The cookie window is the length of time after a click during which a resulting purchase is still credited to the affiliate, commonly ranging from 24 hours to 90 days.
Last-click attribution
Last-click attribution credits the entire commission to the final affiliate link clicked before a purchase, which is the default model across almost all affiliate networks.
Attribution
Attribution is the process of determining which marketing touchpoint receives credit for a conversion, and therefore which affiliate is paid.
Cross-device tracking
Cross-device tracking links a click on one device to a purchase on another, so an affiliate is credited when a customer discovers a product on mobile and buys on desktop.
Apply what you just read
Join free and check the commission, cookie window and revenue share on every program before you commit content to it.