What Is Discrepancy in Affiliate Marketing — And How to Deal with It
If you’ve ever launched a campaign, set everything up perfectly, and still saw mismatched numbers between your traffic source and the affiliate network — welcome to the world of discrepancy. It’s one of the most common pain points for media buyers and affiliate networks alike. Let’s break down what discrepancy actually is, why it happens, and — most importantly — how to minimize it.
What is Discrepancy?
In simple terms, discrepancy is the difference between the number of clicks, conversions, or revenue shown in two different systems — for example, your tracker vs. the affiliate network platform.
Let’s say your tracker reports 1,000 clicks, but the network sees only 850.
That’s a 15% click discrepancy — and yes, it’s frustrating.
The same can happen with conversions, leads, or revenue figures.
Why Does It Happen?
There are a lot of possible reasons. Here are the most common ones:
1. Tracking Pixel Errors
If a pixel doesn’t fire correctly, the conversion may not get counted by one side.
2. JS/Redirect Delays or Blocks
Some traffic (especially mobile or low-quality GEOs) might not fully load a tracking script — leading to lost data.
3. Bots, Double Clicks & Fake Traffic
Fraudulent traffic can get filtered out by the network or not be counted at all.
4. Time Zone Mismatch
Your tracker is in UTC, the network in PST — and you’re comparing the wrong slices of time.
5. Postback Issues
Broken or delayed postbacks can cause leads to be missed or duplicated on either side.
6. Hard Filters on Advertiser Side
Advertisers may reject leads due to duplicates, bad email formatting, GEO mismatch, underage users, etc. Your system may record a lead, but the advertiser won’t pay for it.
What’s an Acceptable Discrepancy?
It depends on the offer and vertical. A 3–5% discrepancy is considered normal in most cases.
Above 10% — that’s where you need to start digging.
How to Minimize Discrepancy
Here’s how experienced teams handle it:
- Sync time zones on all platforms and set reporting accordingly.
- Use direct postbacks instead of pixels when possible — server-to-server tracking is more reliable.
- Clean your traffic — avoid bots, proxy users, and suspicious sources.
- Set up fallback flows — for leads that get rejected, send them into an API cascade to monetize them elsewhere.
- Monitor stats daily and communicate with your manager — discrepancies are easier to fix when noticed early.
Real Example: Solving Discrepancy with API Cascades
One of our partners faced massive lead loss due to advertiser filters (duplicates, invalid emails, etc.). They used the Marksel Platform to route filtered leads through an API cascade — monetizing traffic that would otherwise be lost.
With time, they managed to reduce their loss rate and even increase EPC by rerouting filtered leads into highly targeted secondary flows.
🚀 Final Thought
Discrepancy isn’t going away — but it is manageable. The right tools, communication, and monetization strategy can turn this frustrating issue into a growth opportunity. At C3PA, we operate using the Marksel Platform — and we genuinely recommend it to anyone looking to get full control over their API flows and minimize discrepancy.
Thanks to smart API setups, customizable cascades, and precise traffic routing, we’ve significantly reduced discrepancy rates across multiple campaigns and improved monetization of every lead.
📩 Want to try it for yourself?
👉 Book a demo with the Marksel team at i@marksel.io
Don't let your traffic go to waste — optimize it with the right tools!