Tiered Affiliate Program

What This Recipe Does

This recipe creates two affiliate programs bundled in a program group:

1. Standard Affiliate - 10% commission on referred sales
2. VIP Affiliate - 25% commission on referred sales

Both programs track referral link visits and calculate commissions the same way. The difference is the payout rate. The program group makes sure only one program fires per sale, even if an affiliate is enrolled in both during a tier transition.

Use this recipe when a flat commission rate is not enough to motivate your top performers and you want a clear promotion path that rewards affiliates for growing with you.

Who It’s For

• Growing affiliate programs that want to reward top performers without overpaying new affiliates
• Stores with established affiliate relationships where some partners consistently drive high volume
• Program managers who need a clear, motivating promotion path for their affiliates

How It Works

Every affiliate starts in the Standard tier, earning 10% on the sales they refer. As they prove themselves by hitting volume targets, consistently driving quality traffic, or meeting whatever criteria you set, you promote them to VIP by moving them into the higher-tier program. VIP affiliates earn 25% on the same kinds of sales.

The key to this recipe is the program group. Both programs are bundled together, which tells Siren that they are tiers of the same system, not independent programs. If an affiliate is in both tiers temporarily during a transition, the group ensures only one commission fires per sale. No double-dipping. The most recently triggered engagement takes priority.

You are not limited to two tiers. After applying this recipe, you can add a third or fourth tier to the group with different rates. For example, you could create a Silver tier at 15% between Standard and VIP. The group handles the mutual exclusivity regardless of how many tiers you add.

{
  "version": 1,
  "name": "Tiered Affiliate Program",
  "description": "A two-tier affiliate program with standard (10%) and VIP (25%) commission rates, managed by a program group.",
  "programs": {
    "standard": {
      "name": "Standard Affiliate",
      "description": "Earn a 10% commission on every sale you refer. Hit your targets to qualify for VIP rates.",
      "incentiveType": "saleTransactionPercentage",
      "incentiveResolverType": "newestBindingWins",
      "units": "USD",
      "status": "active",
      "incentiveAmount": 10,
      "engagementTypes": [
        { "type": "referredSiteVisit", "value": 100.0 }
      ],
      "transactionCompilers": ["includeLineItems"]
    },
    "vip": {
      "name": "VIP Affiliate",
      "description": "Earn a 25% commission on every sale you refer. Reserved for top-performing partners.",
      "incentiveType": "saleTransactionPercentage",
      "incentiveResolverType": "newestBindingWins",
      "units": "USD",
      "status": "active",
      "incentiveAmount": 25,
      "engagementTypes": [
        { "type": "referredSiteVisit", "value": 100.0 }
      ],
      "transactionCompilers": ["includeLineItems"]
    }
  },
  "programGroups": {
    "affiliateTiers": {
      "name": "Affiliate Tiers",
      "description": "Groups the Standard and VIP affiliate programs so only one tier fires per opportunity.",
      "sorter": "newestBindingWins",
      "programs": ["standard", "vip"]
    }
  }
}