Cookie Window

The duration after an affiliate link click during which a subsequent purchase is attributed to the affiliate publisher. Also called the referral window or tracking window. Standard durations: 30 days (most common for e-commerce affiliate programs); 60 days (common for subscription products and higher-consideration purchases); 90 days (used for premium products with long purchase cycles); 7 days (Amazon Associates — notably shorter than industry standard, which disadvantages publishers who drive consideration traffic to Amazon); session-only (immediate session, no cookie persistence — extremely rare and publisher-hostile). How it works: consumer clicks affiliate link on Day 1; a cookie is placed in their browser recording the publisher ID and click timestamp; consumer makes a purchase on Day 28 within a 30-day window and publisher receives commission; same consumer purchases on Day 32 and publisher receives no commission (cookie expired). Attribution implications: shorter cookie windows undervalue publishers who drive early-funnel consideration; a content publisher who introduces a brand to a buyer who purchases 25 days later (within 30 days) gets credit; the same buyer who purchases 35 days later generates no commission even though the publisher's content drove the eventual purchase. Match cookie window to purchase consideration cycle: impulse purchases (low-consideration, under $50): 7-14 day window sufficient; mid-consideration ($50-200): 30-day window appropriate; high-consideration (over $200, subscriptions): 60-90 day window recommended.