GoAffPro

The standard e-commerce affiliate model is simple: drive traffic, get the click, and pay out a percentage on the order value. However, if you run a SaaS company or a subscription service, you already know that this conventional model doesn’t work effectively for you.

In the subscription economy, the initial checkout is just the starting point, not the finish line. If customers cancel after the first month, the business suffers financially. Therefore, your affiliate program should not only reward sales but also encourage customer retention.

One‑Time vs. Recurring: Why Lifetime Commissions Win

When setting up a subscription affiliate program, you essentially have two ways to payout affiliates:

• One-Time Commission
• Recurring Commission

For subscription and SaaS products, lifetime recurring commissions, such as 20% of every payment, are much more appealing to affiliates than one-time commissions, like $50 for each subscription signup.

One‑Time Commission Model: While recurring revenue is the gold standard for long-term growth, the one-time commission model still has a strategic place in SaaS. A one-time commission is a flat, one-time fee paid upon conversion (e.g., $50 per new paid subscriber).

Recurring Commission Model: A recurring commission rewards the affiliate with a percentage of the subscription payment each time the customer renews, whether on a monthly or annual basis.

Why affiliates prefer recurring:

• Passive income: They promote once, earn forever (or as long as the customer stays).
• Aligned incentives: Longer customer retention = more affiliate payout.​
• Higher potential: Top affiliates can earn thousands per referral over time vs. a fixed $50–$100.​

For brands: Recurring aligns affiliates with your churn reduction goals. That is, partners who promote long‑term value help build recurring customers.

Churn Reduction: Affiliates as Retention Allies

Affiliates with recurring commissions also reduce churn through social proof and ongoing engagement. When you pay affiliates for the lifetime of the customer, the affiliate’s job doesn’t end at the point of sale.

How It Works

• Social proof & Community: High-level affiliates often have private communities (like Discord or Facebook Groups) that new users join when promoting your SaaS. This helps users seek assistance instead of canceling, allowing affiliates to support them.
• Content creation: When software updates or new features are released, these affiliates lead discussions by creating YouTube tutorials, updating blog reviews, and sending newsletters, which reinforces your product’s value and reduces cancellation risks.

GoAffPro Features: Recurring Commissions Setup

GoAffPro makes recurring commissions plug‑and‑play for subscriptions and SaaS, no custom coding needed.

Enable Lifetime/Recurring Commissions

1. Go to Settings > Extras > Customer Affiliate Connect section.
2. Enable the Customer Affiliate Connect toggle.
3. Next, enable the “Automatically Connect affiliate to the customers they refer” option.

This allows for lifetime commissions, meaning that affiliates will earn a commission on all future purchases made by customers they refer.

Enable Commissions for Subscription Renewals

1. Go to the Settings > Advanced > Conversion Preference Order section.
2. Here, enable the Subscription renewal toggle.

This allows affiliates to earn commissions on subscription renewals (for subscription products in your store).

Separate Commission for Recurring Sales

Additionally, GoAffPro also offers the option to set a different commission rate on subscription renewal sales using commission rules. For that:

1. Go to Commissions > Referral Commissions > Commission Rules > New Commission Rule.
2. Select “Customer is old customer/recurring customer”.​​
3. Set the commission rate: for example, if the default rate is set at 20% (which applies to the first sale), set the ongoing rate to 10% (reduced).

Group-Specific Recurring Logic

Not all affiliates require lifetime commissions. GoAffPro allows you to segment your partners using Affiliate Groups. You can keep standard affiliates on a one-time commission payout, while moving your top-tier affiliates into the Group.

• You can set this by navigating to Groups > Edit Group > Group Configuration.
• Here, you can enable the “Keep connections permanently” option.

Conclusion

The recurring commission model aligns interests: you pay only when you earn revenue, motivating affiliates to succeed with you. Transitioning to long-term revenue sharing helps build a network of committed partners. With GoAffPro managing attribution and automated payouts becomes easy and lets you focus on creating subscription products.

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