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 (Admin)

1. Navigate to Products > All Products
2. Edit a product
3. Go to the Affiliate Settings section
4. Configure:
   • Enable Affiliate: Toggle affiliate program for this product
   • Use Custom Commission: Enable to set a custom commission rate
   • Commission Percentage: Override default/category commission rate

Vendor Product Configuration (Marketplace)

When using the Marketplace plugin, vendors can also configure affiliate settings:

1. Log in to Vendor Dashboard
2. Navigate to Products
3. Edit a product
4. Find the Affiliate Settings section
5. Configure:
   • Enable Affiliate: Toggle affiliate program for this product
   • Use Custom Commission: Enable to set a custom commission rate
   • Commission Percentage: Set a product-specific commission rate

Vendor Control

Vendors have full control over affiliate settings for their products. This allows them to:

• Disable affiliate for low-margin products
• Set higher commissions for products they want to promote
• Balance profitability with affiliate marketing benefits

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.

Marketplace Configuration

When using Affiliate Pro with the Marketplace plugin, additional configuration options are available.

Commission Deduction from Vendor Revenue

Affiliate commissions are automatically deducted from vendor revenue when orders are completed. The calculation is:

Vendor Revenue = Order Amount - Shipping - Tax - Payment Fee - Marketplace Fee - Affiliate Commission

This is handled automatically - no additional configuration is required.

Revenue Tracking

The mp_customer_revenues table includes an affiliate_commission field that tracks the commission deducted from each vendor revenue record.

Database Migration

If upgrading from an older version, run the migration to add the affiliate commission field:

php artisan migrate

Hook for Custom Integration

Developers can customize the affiliate commission calculation using the filter:

add_filter('marketplace_calculate_vendor_revenue', function (array $data, Order $order) {
    // $data contains: sub_amount, fee, affiliate_commission, amount
    // Modify as needed
    return $data;
}, 10, 2);

For detailed information on marketplace integration, see the Marketplace Integration Guide.