EP4P Insights

The partnership model

Which ecommerce sales should count toward a performance marketing fee?

Define eligible transactions, click attribution, duplicate claims, and order adjustments before a sales-based agency fee goes live.

A sales-based marketing fee needs a precise definition of the sales being counted. Total store revenue, an ad platform’s attributed revenue, and the transactions eligible under a partnership agreement can be three different numbers.

Start with the agreement’s attribution rule

At EP4P, the fee applies only to ecommerce sales directly tracked to clicks on our ads. It is not a share of every order the business receives. The percentage and attribution rules are agreed before campaigns launch.

The practical detail matters. Define the qualifying interaction, the attribution window, the eligible products, and the source of the transaction record. If an agreement depends on a click, a view-through conversion appearing in an advertising report should not silently redefine the billing rule.

Give each order a stable identity

Use an order identifier that allows the store and reporting system to refer to the same transaction. This supports reconciliation when campaigns span several platforms. Two platforms claiming influence over one purchase does not mean the retailer received two separate orders.

Ask to see how duplicate claims are resolved. Also establish the treatment of partial refunds, cancelled orders, returns, taxes, and delivery charges. The important point is agreement and consistency, rather than assuming every provider uses the same convention.

Walk through edge cases before they become disputes

Consider a customer who clicks an ad, later opens an email, and then buys. Consider a second customer who purchases twice. Consider an order that is partially refunded after the reporting period closes. Those scenarios expose ambiguities faster than a broad promise to charge only for results.

You do not need to invent an exhaustive contract in a dashboard. You do need to know which agreed rule the reporting implements and how an exception can be reviewed.

Keep performance analysis separate from reconciliation

Marketing analysis may examine assisted journeys, view-through reporting, and broader store trends. Those views can help evaluate strategy, but they should remain identifiable as analytical views. Billing should follow the agreed transaction definition.

Before launch, request a simple example showing the qualifying ad interaction, order reference, eligible revenue, and fee calculation. If the calculation is understandable at the order level, the monthly total becomes much easier to trust. That clarity lets the team concentrate on improving campaigns instead of debating what the numbers mean.