Overview
Affiliate metrics track sales generated through TikTok's affiliate and creator programs, along with the commissions you pay. Dashboardly tracks all affiliate commission types. These commissions are operating expenses that reduce your Operating Profit.
Metrics
Affiliate Sales
- What it shows: The total revenue from orders attributed to affiliate or creator links.
- Formula: Sum of sales revenue from affiliate-attributed orders
- Where you see it: Dashboard, Profit & Loss, Sales & Profit
- Important notes: This is the revenue generated through affiliate channels, not the commission expense. It helps you understand how much of your total sales come from affiliates versus organic traffic.
Affiliate Sales Commission (Creator Commission)
- What it shows: The commission paid to TikTok creators who promoted your products and drove sales.
- Formula: Pulled from TikTok fee data (
affiliate_commission_amount) - Where you see it: Profit & Loss (within Affiliate Expenses breakdown), Sales & Profit
- Important notes: This is an expense that reduces your profit. TikTok creators earn this commission when customers buy through their videos, livestreams, or showcase links. The commission rate is set by you when creating affiliate partnerships.
Affiliate Ads Commission
- What it shows: Commission attributed to ad-driven affiliate sales.
- Formula: Pulled from TikTok fee data (
affiliate_ads_commission_amount) - Where you see it: Profit & Loss (within Affiliate Expenses breakdown)
- Important notes: This tracks commissions on sales where both an affiliate link and a paid ad were involved. It helps you understand the overlap between your affiliate and advertising channels.
Affiliate Orders / Units
- What it shows: The number of orders and units sold through affiliate channels.
- Formula: Count of orders and sum of units from affiliate-attributed sales
- Where you see it: Profit & Loss
- Important notes: These counts are broken down by commission type (creator sales vs ads-attributed) on the Profit & Loss page. They help you evaluate the volume of your affiliate program, not just the dollar value.
How These Metrics Connect
Affiliate metrics fit into the profit picture as follows:
- Affiliate Sales is included in your total Revenue (it is not extra revenue)
- Affiliate Sales Commission + Affiliate Ads Commission combine into Affiliate Expenses
- Affiliate Expenses are subtracted when calculating Operating Profit
On the Profit & Loss page, you can see the full breakdown: how much revenue affiliates generated, how much commission you paid, and the order/unit volumes for each type.
Common Questions
Why do Affiliate Sales show as zero even though I have affiliate orders?
Check whether the commissions are classified as "partner" commissions rather than "creator" commissions. TikTok has two separate commission types, and they may appear in different fields. Both are tracked by Dashboardly. If all affiliate data shows zero, your shop data may need to be re-imported to pick up the affiliate commission fields.
How do creator commissions work?
Creator commissions go to individual TikTok content creators (influencers, livestreamers) who promote your products. These are expenses for you and flow through TikTok's affiliate system.
Are affiliate commissions already included in Fees & Taxes?
No. Affiliate commissions are tracked separately from platform Fees & Taxes. On the Profit & Loss page, you will see them as distinct line items under the Operating Profit section.
Why do my affiliate numbers seem off after a refund?
When an affiliate sale is refunded, TikTok returns the commission to you. Dashboardly handles the sign correctly: the original sale has a negative commission (expense), and the refund reversal has a positive commission (returned). These net out over the refund period.
How do affiliate metrics relate to Ad Spend?
Affiliate commissions and Ad Spend are separate costs. Affiliate commissions are performance-based (you pay only when a sale happens), while Ad Spend is what you invest in TikTok Ads campaigns regardless of sales outcome. Both are deducted from your profit, but at different stages -- affiliate commissions in Operating Profit, and Ad Spend in Net Profit.