Who is this article for?
This article will be useful to you if are a partner looking to understand why a customer/referral is not showing up on your PartnerStack dashboard.
If a customer has used your PartnerStack referral link to sign up or make a purchase but you can't see the customer in your PartnerStack account, there are a few possible reasons for this.
In this guide, we'll cover scenarios in which a customer is not visible in your account or may not have been tracked, and what to do next.
Potential reasons you can't see a customer
There are a few reasons you may not see a customer in your account. The two main reasons are that the customer did not track due to user error, or that the company you are partnered with needs to take some action from their side.
Customer not tracked due to user error
A referral may not have been tracked to your account if the customer click on another partner's link before completing their signup, if they cleared their browser's cache and cookies before signing up, if the cookie expired in the customer's browser before they signed up, or if they used a different browser or device to sign up.
- 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 with the customer and would receive any applicable commissions for that transaction.
- The customer has cleared the cache & cookies of their browser: Link tracking relies on cookies. If a customer clicks your link but clears their cache and cookies before making a purchase, the referral will not be tracked.
- The customer's browser blocks cookies: As link tracking relies on cookies, if their browser does not allow 3rd party cookies, referrals will not be tracked.
- 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 be tracked.
- 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.
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 such as fulfilling the customer's order, or approving your referral.
- The company has not fulfilled the customer's order: If you are partnered with an e-commerce company, and a customer makes 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 been tracked due to information not being sent to PartnerStack successfully.
Next steps to investigate a missed referral
If you believe a customer was not tracked to your account for any of the above reasons, reach out to the company you partner with directly using your Messages tab with your customer's information
Please provide the company with the following details:
- Customer's email address
- Approximate signup or purchase date
- Which of your referral links the customer used
Some companies may ask for proof of referral here, but each company is unique. The company you partner with can then check its internal records for a customer signup or transaction matching the details you provided and take any necessary steps.