That blanket take costs real revenue. Yes, some coupon sites just intercept buyers already at checkout (last-click hijacking). But others genuinely introduce new buyers and recover abandoned carts. Banning the category throws out the second group.
How to tell them apart and pay accordingly:
— Run new-vs-returning customer analysis on their conversions. Mostly new = real value.
— Check time-to-conversion. Sub-90-second clicks after checkout = interception.
— Set a lower commission tier for coupon traffic, with bonuses for verified new customers.
The correction: don't ban — segment. Tiered commissions and a published code policy (no unauthorized codes, no toolbar injection) let you keep the value and cut the leakage.
Caveat: "new customer" is only trustworthy if your attribution stitches across devices; otherwise you'll overpay. Validate before you tier.
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Q: Is it true that "coupon and deal affiliates are all parasites — ban them"?
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