program types
Advertiser
The brand or company in an affiliate relationship that pays commissions to promote its products.
What is Advertiser?
An advertiser is the merchant, brand, or company that creates an affiliate program, sets the commission terms, and pays publishers for driving qualifying conversions — the term used in affiliate network interfaces and formal agreements for what is commonly called the 'merchant.'
Advertiser In Practice
Advertiser and merchant are used interchangeably across the affiliate industry, with a slight contextual split: 'merchant' is more common in community discussions and educational content; 'advertiser' is the term used in affiliate network dashboards, contracts, and reporting. When you log into Impact, CJ Affiliate, or Awin, the brands running programs you apply to join are listed as advertisers. Your account is a publisher account; their programs are advertiser programs. The advertiser sets the commission rate, cookie window, attribution model, promotional restrictions, and payout terms — all of which appear in the affiliate agreement that governs your relationship. Advertisers range from individual software founders running a single self-hosted program to enterprise brands managing hundreds of affiliates across multiple networks simultaneously.
Example of Advertiser
Shopify is an advertiser on the Impact network. As a publisher, you apply to Shopify's advertiser program, are approved, and generate affiliate links through Impact's dashboard. Shopify sets the flat-bounty commission amount, the 30-day cookie window, and the promotion restrictions. Impact handles the tracking and payment on Shopify's behalf. In all Impact reporting, Shopify appears as the advertiser and your site appears as the publisher.
Related Terms
Related Tools & Services
- Shopify Affiliate Program — Example of an advertiser program hosted on the Impact affiliate network