A scenario where multiple affiliate publishers receive commission credit for a single transaction, typically because more than one publisher's tracking is active on the buyer's journey. Most programs are configured to prevent commission stacking through last-click attribution (only the most recent affiliate click receives commission credit), but commission stacking can occur in specific technical configurations. When commission stacking can occur: cross-network tracking: a buyer who clicks an affiliate link from Network A and then an affiliate link from Network B before purchasing may generate commission credits in both networks if the brand has pixel tracking from both networks firing on conversion; programs that run duplicate programs across multiple networks without a deduplication layer are most vulnerable. Sub-network and sub-affiliate structures: some affiliate publishers operate sub-networks that themselves have affiliates; if the sub-network's tracking and the sub-affiliate's tracking both fire, both may receive commission credit. Prevention: run your affiliate program on a single network rather than duplicate programs on multiple networks; implement a deduplication layer if you must run on multiple networks; use server-to-server (S2S) postback tracking, which is more controllable than multi-pixel setups for preventing stacking; audit your conversion tracking regularly for duplicate commission events. Related concept: commission stacking is distinct from multi-touch attribution (which intentionally distributes credit) — stacking is unintended and typically results in paying more commission than intended for a single transaction.
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