Q: Why wasn't my affiliate's order tracked?
A: There can be several reasons why a referral isn't appearing as expected. The first step is to determine if the referral was tracked and is awaiting confirmation, or if it wasn't tracked at all.
First, navigate to the "Referrals" section of the app to see if the order is listed with a "Pending" status.
If the Referral is Listed as "Pending"
A "Pending" status means the referral was successfully tracked but is waiting for a final condition to be met before the commission is approved. Common reasons include:
Confirmation Delay: You may have a confirmation delay set up (e.g., a 14-day delay to account for your return policy). The referral will remain pending until this period has passed. You can check your settings under Settings > Referral.
Pending Fulfillment: Commissions are only approved once the customer's order is fulfilled.
If the Referral is Missing Entirely
If the order does not appear in your "Referrals" section at all, it means the app did not track the referral. The most common reasons for this are:
Draft Orders: Commissions cannot be generated from Shopify Draft Orders. The purchase must be made through your standard online store checkout for tracking to occur.
Minimum Purchase Not Met: The affiliate's group may have a minimum purchase requirement. If the customer's order total (after discounts) does not meet this threshold, a commission will not be generated.
Self-Referrals Disabled: If an affiliate used their own link or code to make a purchase for themselves and you have disabled self-referrals, the system will correctly block the commission.
Browser or Tracking Issues: The customer may have been using a private/incognito browser, cleared their cookies before purchasing, or clicked the link on one device (like their phone) but completed the purchase on another (like their desktop).
If you have reviewed all the common reasons above and believe an order was missed in error, please reach out to our Live Chat support with the order details, and we'll be happy to investigate.