Order sync strategies

Reliable order sync is the foundation of accurate attribution and payout confidence.

Recommended Hybrid Model

Use both:

• Real-time webhook processing for low-latency updates.
• Scheduled reconciliation for recovery and completeness.

Real-Time Webhooks

Listen to order creation, payment, update, and refund events.

Benefits:

• Near real-time attribution.
• Fast affiliate visibility.

Requirements:

• Public endpoint availability.
• Signature verification.
• Retry-safe idempotent handlers.

Scheduled Reconciliation

Run daily or hourly jobs that compare source orders to attribution records.

Use reconciliation to:

• Recover from missed webhooks.
• Apply late refunds or order edits.
• Detect mismatches before payouts finalize.

State and Timing Strategy

1. Create conversion in pending state when order qualifies.
2. Move to approved after return/dispute window.
3. Move to paid after payout execution.

Handling Refunds and Chargebacks

• Issue negative adjustments linked to original order IDs.
• Keep reason codes and timestamps for auditability.
• Notify affiliates when adjustments affect balance.

Data Integrity Checklist

• Dedupe by external order identifier.
• Store store_id, affiliate_id, and order_id together.
• Keep immutable event history for replay and audit.

Operational Recommendation

Finalize commissions only after a buffer window that reflects your refund policy.