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Assessing affiliate marketing vendors: a UK checklist
A UK checklist for assessing affiliate marketing vendors, with candidate platforms, contract evidence, tracking tests, disclosure checks and consistent scoring.
What to take away
- A Manchester retailer choosing between three networks should score each vendor on the same rubric, not on the polish of the sales deck.
- Ask for tracking evidence, a client reference and a data processing agreement before any pilot starts.
- Check how the vendor handles disclosure rules, because the Advertising Standards Authority treats affiliate content as advertising.
- Request a written fee schedule covering setup, minimum fees and overage charges, and compare the actual quotes rather than just the headline commission rate.
- Keep a written record of what you checked, so the decision survives a change of marketing lead.
Examples to put through this process include Awin, CJ Affiliate, impact.com, Partnerize, Rakuten Advertising and Tradedoubler. These are candidates, not endorsements: compare each against the same evidence and check its current services and contract terms for your programme.
Start with the commercial basics
Due diligence begins with the contract, not the platform tour. Request the last two years of audited accounts or, for a private company, filed accounts. Check the company's filing history on the Companies House register, and confirm that the legal entity name matches the invoice and the data processing terms.
Commercial basics to verify
- Last two years of audited accounts
- Filed accounts from Companies House
- Legal entity name matches invoice
- Data processing terms confirmed
- Written exit plan for tracking links
- Written exit plan for historical data
Ask what happens to your tracking links and historical data if the contract ends. A vendor that cannot answer in writing is a risk you carry into every campaign.
The Office for National Statistics reported that retail sales volumes across Great Britain rose by 1.7% in January 2025 compared with the previous month. A vendor may cite figures like this as market context, but it is not proof of its own performance; ask for tracked sales evidence from clients like you.
Test the tracking before you trust it
Attribution errors cost money quietly. Ask for a sandbox account and run a test transaction through your own checkout. Check whether the vendor records the click, the order and the cancellation correctly.
Tracking test sequence
- Request a sandbox account
- Run a test transaction through your checkout
- Check click is recorded correctly
- Check order is recorded correctly
- Check cancellation is recorded correctly
- Request a sample reconciliation report
Request a sample reconciliation report. It should show clicks, orders, approved commissions and reversals in one view. If the vendor cannot produce one, you will be rebuilding it yourself.
For a wider view of how platforms compare on these operational points, the affiliate marketing tools and supplier guide for 2027 sets out the questions worth asking at each stage.
Check compliance and disclosure
The Advertising Standards Authority publishes guidance on affiliate marketing disclosure. CAP Code rule 2.1 requires marketing communications to be obviously identifiable as such. Ask the vendor how its publisher onboarding supports compliance with that rule.
Compliance and disclosure checks
- ASA guidance on affiliate disclosure
- Affiliate content obviously identifiable as advertising
- Publisher onboarding enforces disclosure
- VAT treatment for Northern Ireland to EU sales
- Commission and invoice structure reviewed
If your programme sells goods into the EU from Northern Ireland, VAT treatment can differ. GOV.UK explains how to report and pay VAT on distance sales; HMRC VAT Notice 725, The single market, is also relevant to trade in goods between Northern Ireland and the EU. Confirm the reporting route for your specific sales.
Review data protection and security
Ask for the vendor's data processing agreement, sub-processor list and breach notification timeline. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the UK's data protection regulator. Check the vendor's role under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018; where it processes personal data on your behalf, ensure the agreement includes the required processor terms.
Check access controls. Who inside the vendor can see your customer data, and how is that access logged? A short written answer is enough at this stage.
If you are comparing shortlisted platforms in more detail, affiliate marketing software selection in England walks through the technical checks that sit alongside this commercial review.
Score every vendor the same way
Use a simple rubric so the comparison is defensible. Score each line from one to five and weight the categories to suit your programme.
| Category | What to check | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial | Pricing, minimum fees, exit terms | 20% |
| Tracking | Test transaction accuracy, reconciliation | 25% |
| Compliance | Disclosure enforcement, publisher vetting | 20% |
| Data protection | DPA, sub-processors, breach process | 15% |
| Support | Response times, named contact, onboarding | 10% |
| Roadmap | Release history, integration plans | 10% |
A vendor scoring below three on tracking should not proceed to pilot, whatever the commercial terms look like.
Documents to request before signing
- Filed accounts or audited financials for the last two years.
- A sample reconciliation report showing reversals.
- The data processing agreement and sub-processor list.
- Two client references, ideally from retailers of a similar size.
- A written exit plan covering data export and link migration.
Common questions
How long should vendor due diligence take?
For a mid-market retailer, two to four weeks is typical. Most of that time goes on the tracking test and reference calls, not the paperwork.
Do I need a pilot before signing a full contract?
Yes, where the vendor offers one. A thirty-day pilot on a single campaign gives you real tracking data at low cost.
What if the vendor refuses to share a data processing agreement?
Treat that as a failing score. You cannot lawfully process customer data without agreed terms, so the conversation ends there.
Should commission rate decide the shortlist?
No. A low rate on unreliable tracking costs more than a higher rate with clean attribution, because you pay twice for the same sale.
