I've audited dozens of affiliate programs for DTC brands, and the same 3 problems come up every time:

1. They track clicks, not conversions.

Clicks mean nothing if you can't tie them to actual purchases. Most brands use basic UTM links and Google Analytics — then wonder why their data doesn't match their Shopify dashboard.

2. They treat all affiliates the same.

Your top 5% of affiliates drive 80%+ of revenue. But most brands give everyone the same commission rate, the same assets, the same attention. That's backwards. You need tiered commission structures and priority support for your best performers.

3. They don't optimize link placement.

Where your affiliate link appears matters more than how many affiliates you have. A single well-placed link from the right creator outperforms 100 random blog mentions every time.

The brands getting this right are running lean affiliate programs that print revenue on autopilot. The ones getting it wrong are basically burning cash on tracking spreadsheets.

I built LinkPilot to fix all three of these problems. If you're running an e-commerce affiliate program and want to stop leaving money on the table — come check it out.