The AffiliateWP Recurring Referrals addon is a powerful feature for businesses that offer subscription-based products or services. It enables affiliate marketers to earn recurring commissions each time a subscription payment is made by a customer they referred, instead of receiving just a one-time commission for the initial sale. This addon is particularly useful for businesses with subscription models, such as SaaS products, membership sites, digital products, or any business where customers are billed regularly.

Key Features of the AffiliateWP Recurring Referrals Addon:

1. Recurring Commissions for Subscription-Based Products:
   • The Recurring Referrals addon allows affiliates to receive commissions on recurring payments for subscription-based services. If an affiliate refers a customer who subscribes to a service, the affiliate will continue earning commissions every time that customer’s subscription is renewed.
   • This means affiliates will earn a percentage or a fixed fee for every recurring payment that the referred customer makes, as long as the subscription is active.
2. Commissions on Subscription Renewals:
   • If a customer renews their subscription after the initial payment, the affiliate will continue to receive commissions for as long as the customer stays subscribed.
   • The AffiliateWP Recurring Referrals addon ensures that affiliates are rewarded long-term for their efforts, rather than just earning a commission for the initial sale.
3. Customizable Commission Structure:
   • You can configure different commission rates for initial payments and recurring payments. For example, you might choose to give affiliates a higher commission for the first payment and a lower commission for renewals.
   • Additionally, you can set up flat-rate commissions (a fixed amount) or percentage-based commissions for recurring payments, based on your business model.
4. Support for Multiple Payment Gateways:
   • The addon integrates with popular payment gateways (such as PayPal, Stripe, WooCommerce Subscriptions, Easy Digital Downloads, etc.) to track and manage recurring payments. This ensures that commissions are properly assigned to affiliates for each subscription payment processed through these gateways.
   • It works with WooCommerce Subscriptions, EDD Recurring, and other subscription tools, enabling seamless integration with your existing eCommerce setup.
5. Affiliate Notifications for Recurring Commissions:
   • Affiliates can be notified when they earn recurring commissions through the AffiliateWP Notifications Addon (if installed). For example, when a customer renews their subscription, the affiliate will receive a notification about the recurring commission they’ve earned.
   • This helps affiliates track their ongoing earnings and stay motivated to continue promoting your services.
6. Support for Subscription Upgrades and Downgrades:
   • If a customer upgrades or downgrades their subscription plan, the Recurring Referrals addon ensures that affiliates are credited with the appropriate commission based on the new subscription level. You can configure commission rates for different subscription tiers and pricing plans.
7. Tracking and Reporting for Admins:
   • As an admin, you can track and manage recurring referrals in your AffiliateWP dashboard. You can see how much each affiliate is earning from recurring commissions and monitor the performance of your affiliate program.
   • Admins can also generate reports to analyze the total recurring revenue generated by affiliates, making it easier to assess the effectiveness of your affiliate program and identify top-performing affiliates.
8. Lifetime Commissions Option:
   • You can set up lifetime recurring commissions for affiliates. This means that the affiliate will continue to earn commissions on a customer's subscription for as long as the customer remains subscribed to your service.
   • This can create a strong incentive for affiliates to not only acquire new customers but to ensure that customers remain subscribed over the long term.
9. Support for Free Trials:
   • If your subscription service includes free trial periods, the Recurring Referrals addon allows you to configure how commissions are handled when the trial ends and the customer starts paying for their subscription. This is important if you want to reward affiliates for getting users to sign up and eventually convert to paying customers after a trial.
10. Flexible Settings for Referral Duration:

• You can set up how long a referral lasts (i.e., how many times an affiliate can earn recurring commissions for a customer’s payments). You can choose whether affiliates should earn recurring commissions for the lifetime of the subscription or for a fixed period (e.g., 12 months, 24 months, etc.).

Benefits of Using AffiliateWP Recurring Referrals:

1. Long-Term Affiliate Engagement:
   • Recurring commissions encourage affiliates to focus on long-term customer acquisition rather than just one-time sales. Affiliates are motivated to promote services or products that result in continuous revenue, which can increase the number of high-quality leads and customers.
2. Increased Affiliate Motivation:
   • The promise of ongoing commissions for each renewal payment incentivizes affiliates to actively engage with customers and encourage them to stay subscribed to your service. This can lead to higher affiliate performance and lower churn rates.
3. Better Customer Retention:
   • Because affiliates are incentivized to ensure that customers remain subscribed, you may experience improved customer retention rates. Affiliates may go the extra mile to support customers and remind them about the benefits of renewing their subscriptions.
4. Customizable Payment Options:
   • With flexible commission settings, you can experiment with different commission structures to find what works best for your business and affiliates. Whether you want to give a higher commission for the first month, pay affiliates a fixed amount per month, or offer lifetime commissions, AffiliateWP Recurring Referrals gives you the flexibility to choose the right strategy.
5. Seamless Integration with Subscription Models:
   • If you run a subscription-based business (e.g., SaaS, memberships, recurring digital products), this addon allows you to integrate affiliate marketing with your recurring revenue model seamlessly. It ensures that affiliates are rewarded in a way that aligns with your business's subscription structure.
6. Growth of Subscription Revenue:
   • The addition of recurring affiliate commissions can significantly contribute to the growth of your subscription revenue. Affiliates will have a direct interest in promoting your service to their audience, ensuring that they continue earning commissions from the recurring payments made by the customers they refer.

How to Set Up AffiliateWP Recurring Referrals:

1. Install AffiliateWP and the Recurring Referrals Addon:
   • First, you need to have AffiliateWP installed and activated on your WordPress website. Then, download and activate the Recurring Referrals Addon from the AffiliateWP Addons page.
2. Configure Recurring Referral Settings:
   • Go to AffiliateWP > Settings > Recurring Referrals to enable and configure recurring referral options. Here, you can:
     • Set commission rates for recurring payments.
     • Define how long recurring commissions last.
     • Customize the number of times an affiliate can earn commissions for a given customer.
     • Set up commission rates for subscription upgrades, downgrades, and any other specific events.
3. Set Up Payment Gateway Integration:
   • The Recurring Referrals addon integrates with popular payment gateways and subscription tools (like WooCommerce Subscriptions, Easy Digital Downloads Recurring, Stripe, PayPal, etc.). Ensure that your subscription platform is compatible and that payments are being properly tracked.
4. Test Recurring Commissions:
   • After configuring the settings, it’s essential to test the recurring commissions setup to ensure that affiliates are properly credited for subscription renewals. Create test subscriptions and observe whether affiliates earn commissions for recurring payments.
5. Notify Affiliates:
   • If you have the AffiliateWP Notifications Addon installed, you can configure it to send push or email notifications to affiliates when they earn recurring commissions. This keeps affiliates informed about their ongoing earnings.
6. Track Recurring Referrals:
   • Admins can track recurring commissions in the AffiliateWP dashboard, under the Referrals section. You can also generate reports to see the total value of recurring commissions, how much each affiliate is earning, and the performance of the recurring referral program.

Best Practices for AffiliateWP Recurring Referrals:

1. Promote Long-Term Value to Affiliates:
   • Make sure your affiliates know about the recurring commissions potential. Highlight the long-term value of referring customers to subscription-based services and incentivize affiliates to focus on customer retention.
2. Offer Incentives for Subscription Renewals:
   • Provide bonus rewards or extra commissions for affiliates who maintain customers who remain subscribed for longer periods, such as for 1-year anniversaries or milestones.
3. Provide Clear Terms and Communication:
   • Make sure affiliates understand how recurring commissions work. Clearly communicate the terms in your affiliate agreements and in the AffiliateWP dashboard, so they know what to expect and how they can maximize their earnings.
4. Monitor Subscription and Affiliate Performance:
   • Regularly monitor both affiliate performance and customer retention to identify trends. You can adjust commission rates or promotional materials to help affiliates achieve better results.
5. Use Recurring Referrals to Incentivize High-Quality Referrals:
   • Use the recurring referral program to reward affiliates for high-quality, long-term customers. Focus on providing value to customers and supporting affiliates in maintaining their subscriptions.

Conclusion:

The AffiliateWP Recurring Referrals Addon is a vital tool for businesses with subscription-based models who want to incentivize their affiliates to focus on long-term customer acquisition and retention. By allowing affiliates to earn ongoing commissions for subscription renewals,