This blog will explore:

What bottom-of-funnel publishers are and how they influence the customer journey
The different publisher types (verticals) operating at this stage
The value and risks of partnering with them
How to manage and measure BOF partnerships effectively
And how to integrate them into a full-funnel affiliate marketing strategy for sustainable growth

Optimising your affiliate program with BOF partners blog

Understanding Bottom of Funnel Publishers and Why They Matter

BOF publishers help close a sale by influencing a customer at the final stage of their purchasing journey, they can be the deciding factor between a customer choosing to purchase a product from you or a competitor.

They are key partners to add to an affiliate program if you want to capture customers when they are ready to buy, especially price-conscious shoppers comparing offers between brands to find the best deal.

Key Bottom of Funnel Publisher Types:

Coupon and discount sites – RetailMeNot and VoucherCodes
Cashback sites – TopCashback, Rakuten, and Quidco
Retargeting and cart abandonment – RevLifter, SaleCycle, and Ve Global
Incentive platforms – Prograd and Custard

Why are BOF publishers often seen as both valuable and controversial?

Whilst BOF publishers are effective at influencing customers at the final decision stage by helping brands secure the sale and outpace competitors, they can also be controversial due to concerns around incrementality – i.e whether they’re actually adding new sales or simply capturing existing demand – and cannibalisation, where they may take credit for purchases that would have occurred anyway or overlap with other marketing channels in the conversion path.

The Advantages of Working with BOF Publishers

How can BOF publishers help convert high-intent customers into conversions?

By engaging customers who are ready to buy, BOF publishers use offers and incentives to remove final barriers to purchase. This makes them effective at converting high-intent, price-conscious shoppers who are deciding between brands or looking for the best deal.

What measurable value can BOF publishers add beyond last-click conversions?

BOF publishers can increase average order value by adding different reward tiers based on order amount and reduce cart abandonment - delivering incremental sales by capturing price-sensitive or undecided shoppers who might not have converted otherwise.

How can they complement mid and top funnel efforts in a full-funnel strategy?

They can reinforce and build on the awareness and consideration generated by top and mid funnel activity, helping to bridge the gap between interest and action. By capturing users who might have already been exposed to a brand/competitor or product, BOF publishers ensure that the engagement and intent built higher up the funnel translate into measurable sales. This creates a seamless customer journey, where awareness drives consideration, and consideration leads to purchase.

The Risks & Challenges

Can BOF publishers ‘steal’ revenue that might have converted anyway?

They can sometimes capture credit for sales that would have happened without their involvement. For example, a customer who has already decided on purchasing might search for a last-minute coupon or activate a cashback site before checkout, leading the partner claiming commission on a non-incremental sale. This can make it difficult to measure true incremental value and inflate performance metrics.

How can over-reliance on coupon and cashback sites affect performance?

Over-reliance on these partners can skew an affiliate channel toward lower-funnel activity, limiting opportunities to build brand awareness and new customer acquisition. It can also reduce profit margins if discounts or commissions are applied to customers who would have bought anyway. A balanced mix of partners across the full funnel ensures more sustainable, long-term growth.

What are the risks of customer overexposure to BOF publishers?

Overexposure to coupon, cashback, or incentive publishers can train customers to wait for deals, making them less likely to purchase at full price and more dependent on promotions. This can lead to reduced profit margins, brand perception, and lifetime value, as customers may repeatedly return only when a discount or reward is available.

Best Practices for Managing BOF Partners Effectively

What best practices should brands follow when working with coupon and cashback partners?

Set clear guidelines and approval processes for all offers and promotions.

Limit discounts and focus on targeted, brand-aligned offers.

Monitor partners to prevent code misuse, leaking or brand misrepresentation.

Use exclusive or limited-time offers to drive urgency and genuine incremental sales.

Align activity/discounts to different customer goals (e.g., acquisition vs. retention of existing).

Regularly audit partner activity to ensure compliance with programme terms and brand standards.

Encourage data sharing and transparency, allowing better tracking of performance and incrementality.

How to Optimise Commission Structures to Ensure Value-Driven BOF Activity

1. Implement tiered or performance-based commission models.

2. Reduce commissions for repeat or low-margin purchases.

3. Offer higher commissions for new customers, high-margin products, and higher basket values

4. Regularly review and adjust commission rates based on partner performance and customer value.

How to Measure Incrementality vs. Last-Click Wins

Track New Customer acquisition to measure how many first-time buyers are coming from BOF partners vs repeat customers.

Analyse conversion paths to spot where BOF partners are contributing in paths, and whether they are essential vs capturing credit.

Establish average sales performance without BOF activity, then compare it against periods when BOF publishers are active to identify true incremental lift and determine whether these partners are driv...

Strategic Integration: How can BOF publishers be used alongside mid and top-funnel partners for a diversified affiliate channel?

Each type of affiliate partner plays a different role in the customer journey, allowing brands to reach a wider audience and influence different consumer behaviours. BOF publishers work best when used alongside mid and top-funnel partners to create a balanced mix. While content creators and influencers build awareness and consideration, BOF publishers step in to close the sale by converting high-intent, price-conscious shoppers who might otherwise choose a competitor with a better deal.

By ensuring that the interest generated higher up the funnel turns into conversions, BOF partners help brands capture ready-to-buy customers and maximise the return on broader marketing efforts.

The Importance of Data Transparency and Attribution

An advantage of transparent data is its ability to improve decision-making – affiliate managers can allocate budgets more effectively, ensuring investment goes toward partners that genuinely drive incremental performance rather than those simply capturing last-click credit.

Transparency also enhances the ability to analyse the full customer journey. With consumers engaging across multiple touchpoints before purchasing, clear attribution data helps avoid overvaluing or undervaluing certain channels. This ensures that performance insights reflect real customer behaviour, leading to smarter optimisation and fairer commission structures.

It also builds trust and accountability across partner and brand relationships, brands and publishers who transparently share data with each other can create stronger relationships built on shared insights, accountability, and a mutual commitment to growth.

How can BOF publishers be incentivised to drive incremental value?

Commission structures should be designed to reward incremental performance rather than simple last-click wins. Brands can offer higher payouts for new customers, high-margin products, or higher basket values, while reducing rates for repeat or non-incremental sales.

Setting clear KPIs such as average order value or customer lifetime value helps encourage BOF partners to focus on value creation and long-term customer acquisition, not just opportunistic conversions.

Key Takeaways

To ensure these partners drive incremental value, and not just opportunistic wins, there must be a balance of combining data transparency, smart commission structures, and full-funnel integration.

Bottom-of-funnel publishers are an essential part of a high-performing affiliate marketing program, and when managed strategically, they deliver far more than last-click conversions, they amplify intent, increase AOV, and help close high-intent buyers who might otherwise slip away.

Find out if your affiliate program is optimised for bottom-of-funnel performance

Get in touch for a program audit or a no-obligation chat about how we can help you strengthen your affiliate funnel and unlock incremental value for long-term growth.

Matilde Silva

Senior Digital Marketing Executive

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