An affiliate commission model that distributes credit across multiple publisher touchpoints in the conversion path rather than assigning 100% to the last click. Models: first-click (100% to initial touchpoint — compensates top-of-funnel publishers); linear (equal split across all touchpoints); position-based (more credit to first and last touch, less to middle — e.g., 40/20/40). Prerequisite: affiliate network must capture the full conversion path (Impact Radius and Awin support multi-touch reporting). Recommended threshold: programs with 500+ monthly conversions can reliably analyze conversion paths for multi-touch implementation; below 500 conversions, path data is too thin for reliable model calibration. Practical alternative for smaller programs: maintain last-click attribution but correct for bias through commission rate differentiation by publisher type.
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