The percentage of affiliate-attributed purchases made by customers who have not previously purchased from the brand. Higher new customer rates indicate the affiliate channel is driving customer acquisition (creating new buyers) rather than simply capturing existing customer demand. Measurement: match affiliate-attributed customer email addresses against historical customer database; buyers with no prior purchase history = new customers. Industry reference points: content publisher programs: 55-75% new customer rate (content introduces new audiences to the brand); coupon publisher programs: 35-50% new customer rate (existing customers frequently use coupon codes); cashback programs without new-customer restriction: 30-45% new customer rate; cashback programs with new-customer-only restriction: 70-85% new customer rate. Strategic use: a program with a low new customer rate (under 40%) is primarily serving existing customers through the affiliate channel — generating commission on purchases that would have occurred through direct or email channels; investing in content publisher growth increases new customer rate and genuine program incrementality.
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