Affiliate marketing glossary
CPS (cost per sale)
In one sentence
CPS is a commission model in which the affiliate is paid only when a sale completes, usually as a percentage of the order value.
CPS is the dominant model in retail affiliate marketing. It carries the least risk for the advertiser and the most for the publisher, since traffic that browses without buying earns nothing.
Because CPS pays a share of the basket, it is the only common model where your earnings scale with what the customer chose to spend. That makes it the right model for categories with variable order values, and the reason a single high-basket conversion can outweigh a month of small ones.
Common questions
CPS (cost per sale), answered
What is the difference between CPS and CPA?
CPA is the umbrella term for any paid action; CPS is the specific case where that action is a sale. In everyday use, 'CPA network' has come to mean a network focused on flat-fee actions such as signups, while retail programs paying a percentage of the basket are described as CPS.
Is CPS better than a flat bounty?
It depends on the basket. A percentage model rewards high-value orders and multi-item baskets; a flat bounty pays the same whether the customer spends $30 or $300, which suits subscriptions and lead products where customer value is consistent. If your audience buys expensive things, percentage models pay more.
Do CPS programs pay on the full basket?
Usually on the qualifying subtotal rather than the amount charged. Shipping, tax and gift cards are commonly excluded, and discounted lines often pay a reduced rate, so the commissionable figure is normally lower than the order total the customer saw.
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.
EPC (earnings per click)
EPC is the average commission earned per click sent to an advertiser, calculated as total commission divided by total clicks over a given period.
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.
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