Introduction

Tracking is the attribution of action, or the aligning of clicks to orders. Creators are paid for the actions that originate from the clicks they generate from the links they share on their content, profiles, and websites. A reliable and trustworthy tracking system is important to ensure creators get properly compensated and a brand is protected from fraudulent activity.

Tracking Basics

In the tracking process, there are two critical events captured:

1. Clicks from the creator's links, which include:
   • The time and date of the click.
   • The creator's affiliate ID.
2. Transactions on the brand's website, which include:
   • The brand's website.
   • Date and time of the transaction.
   • Amount of the transaction and the currency.
   • Order number associated with the transaction.

Those involved in these events are the consumer who is completing the transaction, the creator or affiliate, Rakuten Advertising, and the brand or merchant.

Cookies

Affiliate sales are often tracked with cookies, which are small text files sent by the origin site to a user's browser. The brand program sets the return days or cookie window.