Understanding Affiliate Deal Funnel Mechanics & Revenue Projections
How does this simulator model affiliate revenue and revenue per thousand impressions (RPM) across deal posts?
This calculator applies a linear four-step yield funnel to project affiliate deal revenue from estimated exposure. It estimates total link clicks by multiplying traffic impressions by click-through rate (CTR), predicts orders by multiplying clicks by checkout conversion rate, computes gross sales volume as orders multiplied by unit price, and calculates commission payout by multiplying gross volume by the commission percentage. Revenue per thousand impressions (Effective RPM) scales that payout against impressions using two-decimal-place truncation.
The model assumes a deterministic single-item checkout and constant conversion probabilities regardless of volume or discount depth. It does not account for multi-item cart spillover, retailer return or cancellation rates, cookie attribution windows, stockout inventory caps, or tiered affiliate rate exclusions.
Try a worked example
Starting with the default Pokémon GO Plus + preset (47,179 impressions, 3.5% CTR, 2.2% conversion rate, $54.88 price, 4.0% commission), clicking the 'Digital Card' preset updates the inputs to 64,000 impressions, $20.00 price, 5.1% CTR, 4.5% conversion, and 5.0% commission. The simulator computes Math.round(64,000 * 0.051) = 3,264 clicks, Math.round(3,264 * 0.045) = 147 orders, 147 * $20.00 = $2,940.00 gross sales volume, $2,940.00 * 0.05 = $147.00 estimated earnings, and Math.floor(($147.00 / 64,000) * 1,000 * 100) / 100 = $2.29 effective RPM.
Funnel Mathematics and Truncation
The tool computes each funnel stage sequentially using JavaScript standard math routines: clicks = Math.round(impressions * (CTR / 100)), conversions = Math.round(clicks * (conversion_rate / 100)), gross_volume = conversions * unit_price, and estimated_earnings = gross_volume * (commission_rate / 100). Both intermediate count stages round to whole integers.
Effective RPM represents revenue earned per 1,000 post impressions. The script calculates effective RPM as Math.floor((estimated_earnings / impressions) * 1000 * 100) / 100. Because it applies Math.floor rather than standard half-up rounding, results may appear one cent lower than unrounded quotients when fractions exceed 0.005.
Preset Fixtures vs. Real-World Tracking
The four presets ('Pokémon GO Plus +', 'PS5 Slim', 'Controller', 'Digital Card') provide illustrative baseline parameters rather than live-verified merchant network telemetries. Real merchant programs frequently exclude certain hardware categories or assign variable commissions based on promotional category exclusions.