Within an affiliate program, the commission base is the reference point used to determine the affiliate’s compensation, based on a specific commission rate. Generally, this base corresponds to the entire order placed by the buyer referred to the site by the affiliate. However, it can also encompass all purchases made over a given period, or even be limited to a specific product category. In the early days of affiliate marketing, compensation calculations were sometimes based solely on the acquisition of the promoted product through the link. These strict conditions, detrimental to affiliates, have gradually given way to increased competition among industry players.