Configuring Affiliate Pro

This guide will walk you through the process of configuring the Affiliate Pro plugin for your Botble E-commerce store.

Accessing Affiliate Settings

1. Log in to your admin panel
2. Navigate to Settings > E-commerce > Affiliate Settings
3. You will see the Affiliate Pro configuration page

Available Settings

General Settings

• Default Commission Percentage: Set the default commission rate (e.g., 10%) that affiliates will earn on referred sales.
• Cookie Lifetime (days): Define how long the affiliate tracking cookie remains active (e.g., 30 days).
• Minimum Withdrawal Amount: Set the minimum amount required for withdrawal requests (e.g., $50).
• Enable Affiliate Registration: Toggle to allow customers to register as affiliates.
• Auto Approve Affiliates: Toggle to automatically approve new affiliate registrations.
• Auto Approve Commissions: Toggle to automatically approve commissions when orders are completed.

Commission Settings

• Commission for Each Category: Enable to set different commission rates based on product categories.
• Category Commission Groups: Create category groups with specific commission rates:
  • Set the commission percentage for each group
  • Select the categories that belong to each group
  • Add multiple category groups as needed
• Product-Specific Commissions: Set different commission rates for specific products, overriding the default and category-based rates.

Withdrawal Settings

• Available Payment Methods: Select which payment methods are available for affiliate withdrawals:

  • Bank Transfer: For direct bank deposits
  • PayPal: For PayPal account transfers
  • Other: For alternative payment methods

• Withdrawal Processing Time: Set the estimated number of days for processing withdrawal requests.

Marketing Materials

• Enable Promotional Materials: Toggle to enable/disable the promotional materials feature.
• Manage Banners and Materials: Upload and manage promotional banners and materials for affiliates to use.

Email Notification Settings

• Admin Notifications: Configure email notifications for administrators:
  • New affiliate registrations
  • New withdrawal requests
  • Commission milestones
• Affiliate Notifications: Configure email notifications for affiliates:
  • Account approval status
  • Commission earned notifications
  • Withdrawal status updates
  • Performance digests
• Email Templates: Customize the content of notification emails sent to admins and affiliates.

Promotional Banner Settings

Configure promotional banners that affiliates can use for marketing:

• Banner 1 Settings:

  • Name: Display name for the banner (e.g., "Banner 1 (468x60)")
  • Image: Upload banner image file
  • Recommended size: 468x60 pixels

• Banner 2 Settings:

  • Name: Display name for the second banner (e.g., "Banner 2 (728x90)")
  • Image: Upload second banner image
  • Recommended size: 728x90 pixels

• Banner 3 Settings:

  • Name: Display name for the third banner (e.g., "Banner 3 (300x250)")
  • Image: Upload third banner image
  • Recommended size: 300x250 pixels

Short Link Settings

• Enable Short Links: Allow affiliates to create shortened tracking links for easier sharing
• Short links are automatically generated and tracked
• Useful for social media and messaging platforms

API Integration

• API Access: Enable/disable API access for third-party integrations.
• API Keys: Generate and manage API keys for secure access.
• Webhook Settings: Configure webhooks for real-time data synchronization with external systems.

Permissions

Affiliate Pro includes comprehensive permissions that can be assigned to user roles:

Core Permissions

• affiliate.index: View affiliate list and basic information
• affiliate.create: Create new affiliate accounts
• affiliate.edit: Edit affiliate information and settings
• affiliate.destroy: Delete affiliate accounts

Commission Permissions

• affiliate.commissions.index: View commission records
• affiliate.commissions.approve: Approve or reject commission payments

Withdrawal Permissions

• affiliate.withdrawals.index: View withdrawal requests
• affiliate.withdrawals.approve: Approve or reject withdrawal requests

Reporting Permissions

• affiliate.reports: Access to affiliate reports and analytics

Coupon Permissions

• affiliate.coupons.index: View affiliate-specific coupons
• affiliate.coupons.create: Create affiliate coupons
• affiliate.coupons.destroy: Delete affiliate coupons

Settings Permissions

• affiliate.settings: Access to affiliate configuration settings

To manage permissions:

1. Go to Users > Roles
2. Edit a role (e.g., "Staff", "Manager")
3. Find the "Affiliate" section in permissions
4. Check/uncheck permissions based on role requirements
5. Save changes

Product-Level Configuration

Setting Product Commission Rates

1. Navigate to Products > All Products
2. Edit a product
3. Go to the Affiliate tab
4. Configure:
   • Enable Affiliate: Toggle affiliate program for this product
   • Commission Percentage: Override default/category commission rate
   • Commission Type: Fixed amount or percentage

Category Commission Configuration

1. Go to Settings > E-commerce > Affiliate Settings
2. Enable Commission for Each Category
3. Add category groups:
   • Set commission percentage for the group
   • Select categories to include
   • Save configuration

Applying Configuration Changes

Saving Settings

1. After making changes, click the "Save Changes" button
2. Changes are applied immediately
3. Clear cache if needed: php artisan cache:clear

Testing Configuration

1. Test affiliate registration process
2. Verify commission calculations
3. Test withdrawal process
4. Check email notifications
5. Validate tracking functionality

Advanced Configuration

Performance Optimization

• Database Indexing: Ensure proper indexing for large datasets
• Cache Configuration: Configure Redis/Memcached for better performance
• CDN Setup: Use CDN for promotional materials

Security Settings

• IP Restrictions: Limit affiliate access by IP address
• Fraud Detection: Enable automatic fraud detection
• Click Validation: Validate legitimate clicks vs. bot traffic

Troubleshooting Configuration Issues

Common Issues and Solutions

Commission calculations incorrect:

• Verify commission percentages are set correctly (0-100)
• Check category-specific settings
• Ensure product-level overrides are configured properly

Tracking not working:

• Check cookie lifetime settings (must be positive integer)
• Verify middleware is properly installed
• Test with different browsers/devices

Email notifications not sending:

• Check email template configuration
• Verify SMTP settings in Settings > Email
• Test email functionality

Withdrawal issues:

• Check minimum withdrawal amount (must be positive number)
• Verify payment method configuration
• Ensure sufficient affiliate balance

Permission errors:

• Review role permissions carefully
• Check user role assignments
• Verify permission inheritance

Performance issues:

• Monitor database query performance
• Check server resource usage
• Consider caching optimization

If you continue to encounter configuration issues, please refer to the Troubleshooting section or contact our support team with specific error details and system information.