From the purchase to the payout, with paper in between.
A partner program is only finished once the money comes back out cleanly. This page describes the route of a single order: when it becomes a commission at all, how a balance comes out of it, what stands on the receipt, and what happens when it is cancelled afterwards.
When an order becomes a commission.
Three conditions have to hold at once. If one does not, nothing happens, and in the administration you see which one it was.
1Minimum age reached
14 days out of the box. What can still be cancelled is not rewarded. With high single commissions a larger value is worth it.
2Order status fits
You decide in which status a reward happens. Everything is triggered by the order status, not by the payment or delivery status.
3Customer group matches
On request only orders from the customer groups you select count. Without a selection they all count.
The check happens at the reconciliation, not when the order is placed. It runs live when the partner opens their account, hourly as a scheduled task and on request through a console command. Each of these three routes can be switched off separately, for instance when the reconciliation should only run at night.
Commission, available, paid out.
Three figures that get mixed up easily.
The balance is the sum of the commission minus what has already been redeemed. Both stand side by side in the partner account and in the partner list, so that nobody confuses the total commission with what is still callable.
What stands on the paper.
Every payout gets a number and a PDF. The receipt is a record of the payout, not an invoice, and therefore shows no tax.
- A consecutive number from a real number range, not from a counter in the code.
- The orders it contains with their respective partial amount, so that every item stays traceable.
- Downloadable by the partner if you allow it. Otherwise it stays in the administration.
€2.52€147.89− €100.41What is requested is a tiered amount, here 50 euros. It is assembled from the open entries, and that composition is exactly what the receipt shows.
What happens when it is cancelled afterwards.
When an order moves to the status Cancelled, the counter-entry comes about automatically, with a note you word yourself and that the partner reads on the entry. The plugin does not reclaim money already paid out. The balance slips into the negative and is settled against the next commission.
The only effective brake sits before that: a generous minimum age and a late order status. Whoever rewards only after 30 days in the status Completed has most cancellations behind them before anything is booked at all.
Partial refunds and returns are deliberately not booked back automatically, because they work differently in every shop. That is what the manual entry is for.
Common questions
When does a commission arise at all?
Not at the moment of purchase, but at the reconciliation. For that an order has to reach a minimum age, 14 days out of the box, sit in the chosen order status and belong to a matching customer group. The reconciliation runs live when the partner account is opened, hourly as a scheduled task, or through a console command. Each of these routes can be switched off separately.
What is the difference between commission and available balance?
The commission is the sum of all entries; the available balance is what of it has not yet been redeemed. Someone with 1,173.62 euros of commission who has already been paid 250 euros has 923.62 euros available. Both values stand side by side in the partner account and in the partner list.
Which amounts can a partner request?
For a payout, five tiered amounts, out of the box 10, 25, 50, 100 and 250 euros, or the whole balance in one go. A freely typed amount in between does not exist for payouts. With the voucher it is the other way round: there you have either five tiers or a free amount, but not both at once.
How is the receipt built?
It carries a consecutive number from a real number range and lists the orders that make up the amount paid out, each with its partial amount. It shows no VAT, because it is not an invoice document but a record of the payout. Whether the partner may download it themselves is a setting.
What happens with a cancellation?
When an order moves to the status Cancelled, a negative counter-entry with your note comes about automatically. The plugin does not reclaim money already paid out; the balance slips into the negative and is settled against the next commission. It is triggered by the order status, not by the payment or delivery status.
And with a partial refund or a return?
There the plugin books nothing on its own, because these processes work differently in every shop. You correct with a manual entry, which can be positive as well as negative, with a private note and a comment the partner sees. Automatic counter-entries only happen on a complete cancellation.
How do I keep reversals small?
Through the minimum age and the order status. Whoever rewards only after 30 days and in the status Completed has most cancellations behind them before the entry. That is the only effective brake, because money already paid out cannot be reclaimed.
Does my warehouse system need an integration?
No. For the settlement alone the receipt is enough. If your ERP should see the process anyway, you switch on the order per redemption: a pseudo product as the line item, separate tax rates for end customers and retailers, a tag of its own and its own shipping and payment method.
Other ways to turn customers into partners.
Customers refer customers
The regular customer spreads the word and takes a voucher instead of money. The balance stays in the shop.
Read on → A vet with business cardsA referral without a link
The code sits on a card, not in a link. The customer types it into the cart.
Read on → Instagram, 40,000 followersAn influencer with a discount code
A voucher of their own as advertising material, paid out to the bank account instead of credit in the shop.
Read on →A program is only as good as its settlement.
In the demo shop you can request a payout and look at the receipt.