How FMTC Processes Affiliate Deals

Affiliate deal processing is the backbone of accurate coupon and promotion data in affiliate marketing. Behind every clean, reliable deal feed is a complex system that collects, standardizes, and distributes data from multiple sources. Publishers evaluating affiliate deal data can also use our Enterprise Coupon Feed QA Guide to understand the validation and quality checks to look for in a deal feed.

In this post, we’ll break down how FMTC processes affiliate deals from aggregation to normalization so publishers and partners can access consistent, high-quality data at scale.

Data Aggregation and Normalization

Before processing individual deals, FMTC needs to aggregate and ‘normalize’ the incoming data.  Our code plays a pivotal role in bringing in all the information from different affiliate sources. These sources often handle information differently, with distinct authentication methods, field names, categories, and output formulas. This can introduce complexities when pulling in deals from merchants operating on various affiliate networks.

FMTC resolves these challenges and ensures that you receive your deals in the same format with the same type of information, regardless of where the deals come from. Our technology allows us to:

• Detect key deal attributes like start dates, end dates, prices, deal types, and merchant details
• Identify and correct issues related to formats and links
• Screen coupon codes for validity, with hands-on review from our Data Processing Team
• Organize deals into categories, refined by our Data Processing Team for accuracy
• Update  existing deals that have been modified
• Automatically pull expired deals from your live feed
• Format links to include an affiliate ID

Technology helps FMTC aggregate, normalize, organize, and manage incoming affiliate data. Deals then move through our queue system, where our Data Processing Team performs hands-on processing and validation.

After the aggregation and normalization are complete, the deals make their way to our queue system, where our Data Processing Team will process them. Different queues are used to categorize data based on the type of processing required. Some of these queues include:

Main Queue

All incoming network deals are filtered into this queue. Deals with a coupon code are directed here for validation, ensuring each code is tested and the proper discount is applied. Each code is timestamped for transparency. For some deals, you don’t need to enter a coupon code at checkout. For example, a deal offering $20 off when you spend $50 or more will be automatically applied to your cart.  We will check the validity of these deals before approving them, including reaching out to programs if important information is missing or if landing pages are not working.

Change Queue

When our system detects a deal change, such as an update to the tracking link or the label, the deal is sent to this queue to be verified before the deal is updated.

Review Queue

Deals processed before their start date are double-checked by Data Processing Team to make sure everything is working properly, including the affiliate URLs and the coupon code. This is useful in preparation for a big event, such as Black Friday, so that we can make all deals available as fast as possible.

Evergreen Queue

Deals without an expiration date are revalidated by the Data Processing Team every three months. Deals with issues (through either a broken link or an invalid coupon code) will be removed from our system. Merchants should schedule regular maintenance on ongoing deals to ensure the most up-to-date information is provided.

Quality Assurance

At FMTC, we take quality assurance seriously. Our Data Processing Team conducts rigorous testing for accuracy and efficiency. If there is ever an issue when testing deals, such as invalid coupon codes or a bad landing page, we have a special hold queue. This queue is used to temporarily store deals while our team members contact program managers to address the issues. Once the deal is fixed or the right information is received, we  process the deals as usual.

To avoid having a deal put on hold, confirm that all data and links include essential information, such as start dates, expiration dates, codes, and terms. If FMTC contacts you about an issue with a deal, we kindly ask that you respond to our inquiry promptly. Any deal that cannot be validated will not be processed until we can properly vet the deal.

We have implemented several procedures to ensure that our deals are accurate and up to date. Our Data Processing Team uses hands-on testing and validation, supported by technology that helps identify changes and manage deal data throughout the processing workflow. We also have a committed Data Processing Team that monitors our feeds 24/7. You can be confident that your deals will be tested for accuracy and processed efficiently by our team.

These validation processes help support the cleaner, standardized affiliate deal data available through FMTC’s Deal Feed.

FMTC’s Best Practices: Dos and Don’ts

Below is a list of Dos and Don’ts from FMTC’s own Data Processing Team for creating content that converts:

Do

• Always maintain an evergreen homepage link in the network.
• Enter coupon codes only in the network’s Coupon Code field.
• Include free-shipping offers.
• Create one concise text link per promotion—not banner-only offers.
• Add accurate start and end dates to every offer, including evergreen promotions.
• Make sure a merchant logo is uploaded to the network. 

Don’t

• Leave start or end dates blank.
• Include coupon codes in offer names or descriptions.
• Remove your homepage link.
• Create multiple text links for the same offer.
• Restrict access to offers—restricted offers cannot be pulled into FMTC.