If a customer has used your PartnerStack referral link to sign up or purchase but you can't see the referral within your PartnerStack account, there are a few possible reasons for this.
In this guide we'll cover scenarios in which your referral is not visible in your account or may not have been tracked, and what to do next.
Reasons you can't see your referral in your account
There are a few reasons you may not see a referral in your account. The two main reasons are that the referral did not track, or that the company you are partnered with needs to take some action from their side.
Reason #1: Referral did not track
This reason mainly includes user error, browser issues, etc.
- The customer has clicked another partner’s referral link
If a customer/referral first clicked on your link and did not take any further action, but then clicked on Partner B’s link and made a purchase, Partner B would be the Partner that is associated to the referral and would be rewarded for that transaction.
- The customer has cleared the cache & cookies of their browser
Link tracking relies on cookies. If a customer clicked your link but cleared their cache and cookies before making a purchase, the referral would not track.
- The customer's browser blocks cookies
As link tracking relies on cookies, if their browser does not allow 3rd party cookies, referrals will not track.
- Your cookie expired in the customer's browser
All referral links place a cookie within the customer/referrals’ browser and it remains active for 90 days. If the customer purchases after 90 days have passed, the referral will not track.
- The customer used a different browser or device than originally used when clicking the referral link
If a customer/referral initially clicked your link and signed up in Safari but then used Google Chrome to make their purchase, the activity would not track for that referral’s transaction because of the browser change.
Reason #2: The company needs to complete an action
This reason typically means that the referral may have been tracked, but it is not showing due to the company you are partnered with needing to take some action from their side.
- The company has not fulfilled the customer's order
If you are partnered with an e-commerce company (example: FNX, ACTA), and a customer made a purchase with your link or discount code, the customer information will not show within your PartnerStack account until the company has fulfilled the order from their side.
Typically, this means after the order has shipped.
- The company needs to approve your referral
On occasion, the company you are partnered with may need to approve the referral you've submitted. If a referral is waiting on approval, it will not show within your PartnerStack dashboard until approved.
- A larger tracking issue with the company you are partnered with
You and your customer may have done everything right, but the referral may not have tracked due to information not being sent to PartnerStack successfully.
Next steps
Okay, I know why my referral may not be showing in my account... now what?
We recommend reaching out to the company where your referral did not track in your "Messages" tab with your referral’s information. The following information will be beneficial for troubleshooting.
- Referral email address
- Approximately when they signed up or purchased
- Which referral link of yours they used
Some companies may ask for proof of referral here, but each company is unique.