CSV import tools, payout reports, and more with version 2.1

We are excited to share with you the release of AffiliateWP 2.1. This is a large update that includes a number of significant improvements and many smaller items that really help to bring further polish to AffiliateWP.

In total, we have introduced 11 new features and improvements and fixed 18 bugs.

CSV import for affiliate accounts

Being able to bring existing affiliate accounts into your new system powered by AffiliateWP is important for a lot of site owners. Today, with 2.1, we have introduced a tool that allows you to import affiliate accounts from a CSV file. For sites that are migrating to AffiliateWP or simply importing existing accounts from another system, this tool will be supremely helpful in getting all of your affiliate accounts entered into AffiliateWP.

This new CSV import option is located in Affiliates → Tools → Export / Import.

CSV import for referrals

Being able to import existing earnings for affiliate accounts is also highly important for many site owners, and in version 2.1 that is now possible as we have also introduced an import tool for referral records. This allows site owners to import existing referrals for new or existing affiliate accounts from other systems.

Export visits to CSV

Along with our new import tools, we have also added a new export option to enhance data portability. In 2.1 we’ve added a new option that allows site owners to export visit records from the AffiliateWP database to a CSV file, which can then be used for off-site record keeping and/or additional data analysis.

Payout reports

It is important for affiliate managers to keep an eye on their program’s performance. One way to measure the results of your efforts, and the efforts of your affiliates, is by the amount paid out to your affiliates in day, week, month, or year. In AffiliateWP 2.1, we have introduced a new Payouts tab to the Reports screen that displays accumulated payout totals.

There are a number of valuable statistics included on this screen:

• Total earnings paid out over all time
• Total earnings paid for a specified period, such as the current month
• Total earnings generated for a specified period, such as the current month
• Total number of payouts processed over all time
• The average payout amount for a specified period, such as the current month
• The average number of referrals included in each payout over all time

The Payouts tab also displays a trends graph to help you visualize the data presented. These statistics can be shown cumulatively for all affiliate accounts or for one particular affiliate’s account.

Individual affiliate reports

We have offered basic report views for individual affiliate accounts for quite some time, but in 2.1 they have been significantly improved by combining the single affiliate views with the standard report views. This means that all of the report options (Referrals, Visits, Payouts, Campaigns) are now available for each individual affiliate account, allowing affiliate program managers to easily view how well specific affiliates are performing.

Other improvements

Along with the improvements to reporting and CSV handling, there are a number of additional improvements in AffiliateWP 2.1.

• Affiliate registration form now uses HTML5 validation for form fields.
• A filter called “affwp_tracking_skip_track_visit” has been added to the visit tracking process.
• A link to the “Affiliate Area” can now be added to the WooCommerce “My Account” page.
• Debug logging has been improved throughout the plugin to make it easier to track down issues when they occur.
• Registration date and URL fields are now available when manually creating affiliate accounts.
• The URL used by the PayPal Button integration for IPN processing can now be manually overwritten with the AFFILIATEWP_PAYPAL_IPN constant.
• The Affiliates → Referrals screen now supports searching by amount and description.

Bugs fixed

Eighteen distinct bugs have been fixed in version 2.1:

• Referrals less than 1.00 using a comma decimal separator create 0.00 referral amounts.
• Strings on login/registration not being localized/translated.
• Adding a new form in Contact Form 7 overrides the previous one.
• Contact Form 7 bypasses required fields when integration enabled.
• Referral link on homepage shows WooCommerce product message when Polylang is active.
• Credit Last Referrer does not work when fallback tracking is enabled.
• Fatal error/page not found depending on affiliate link structure with WP e-Commerce.
• Affiliate links show wrong page when “Front page displays” is set in WP e-Commerce.
• Page set as front page does not show with affiliate link when using BuddyPress Docs.
• Upgrade database notice appears on fresh installs.
• Restrict Content Pro’s Prevent Account Sharing option is redirecting affiliates when logging in.
• Filtering date range/affiliate in Affiliates, Creatives, Payouts, Referrals, and Visits screens displays the entire “All” count.
• Some options rows are not being cleaned up during uninstall.
• The username is being escaped twice in affwp_get_affiliate_username().
• The Totals meta box on the Overview screen sometimes times out.
• Empty referral amounts in the Recent Referrals meta box don’t display properly.
• Rejected referrals not updated to Unpaid if associated order is completed.
• Integration code can cause fatal error if integration plugin is not activated.

Installing the update

AffiliateWP 2.1 can be installed directly from the Plugins page of your website or it can be downloaded manually from your account page.

If you have any questions or issues, please let us know by leaving a comment below or submitting a support ticket.

About the author: Pippin Williamson is the founder and CEO of Sandhills Development.

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