Affiliate Cookies are simply small files stored on a user’s computer or phone that tell the parent company (such as Best Buy or Target) that a particular affiliate gets credit for the referral of a sale. Clear-as-mud, right?
How long Affiliate Cookies last?
This is up to the parent company sponsoring the affiliate program. But when choosing an affiliate program, cookie duration is one of the metrics I pay close attention too.
Why is cookie duration important?
It takes time and effort to write a blog. And because you don’t always know where the customer is in the sales process (that’s when they’re thinking over the decision to buy) it could take a week or more for a customer to decide. This is more the case if it’s a larger purchase being made.
Amazon, as an example, has a 24-hour affiliate cookie. So say you referred me, and it took me 25-hours to remember to log in and make a purchase, well, sorry, that’s an hour over the limit, and YOU lose credit for that sale. That seems harsh, I know. So pick the companies you work out carefully.
As a rule, you’ll want to find companies offering extended cookies duration. Thirty to forty-five-day cookies are an average time. But longer is better.