As part of RevShare V1.35, a new cookie system has been implemented as a means for a RevSharer to get credit for a sale.
Currently, unless the Webmaster is using one of the existing automated systems out there (e.g. Prime Internet, Webstream, etc.), the Webmaster is responsible for either having a separate static page for every RevSharer for the join buttons to contain the proper RevSharer information, or had to have some custom programming done to dynamically create the join button(s) on a page.
The new cookie system makes it so that the Webmaster has to do absolutely no programming on his side. The RevSharer will place a banner on their site that will bring the potential customer to ibill for the cookie to be injected into his browser, then redirected to the Webmaster's site. When the customer clicks on the join button for either credit card or checks, ibill will look for the cookie, and automatically credit that RevSharer with the sale.
One of the biggest advantages and niceties of this cookie system is the cookie is present for 24 hours in the customer's browser. This means if the customer decides not to sign up right away, but then hit's the Webmaster's site directly at a later time, the RevSharer will still get credit for the sale. As it stands without cookies, the RevSharer would not get credit should the customer not decide to sign up right away.
CMI has also been updated to report the raw hits that a RevSharer receives through his banner. This will help the webmaster not only see which RevSharers are driving traffic, but it will allow a better understanding of raw hits to sales. The new RevShare Hits Report is located in the RevShare Statistics section of CMI accounting.
RSCookie
RSCookie is the program on our side that injects the cookie into the customer's browser, and also tallies up the raw hit for CMI reporting purposes. RSCookie can be accessed either through banners or form buttons, although I doubt anyone will be using the form button method. The example given below will only cover banners.
RSCookie expects two fields, both of which are mandatory:
RevShareID - RevShare ID that will get credit for any sales
ReturnTo - The URL the customer will be directed to...presumably the Webmaster's site
How It Works
In this scenario, we have a RevSharer (RevShare ID rs1234), who has his own site, www.revsharer.com. He is referring traffic to the Webmaster's site, www.webmaster.com. The RevSharer would place a banner on his own site that would contain code that looks something like:
<a href=http://secure.ibill.com/cgi-win/ccard/rscookie.exe?RevShareID=YourRevShareID&returnto=http://www.webmaster.com>
<img border=0 src="Location of your link image">
</a>
If
the customer were to click on that banner, the customer will be sent to ibill
(behind the scenes, the customer will not be aware that he is coming over to
ibill), the cookie will be injected that says RevSharer rs1234 is to receive
credit for any sales, then the customer will be sent to the Webmaster's site
(http://www.webmaster.com). Outside of creating banners, there is no programming
required on the part of either the RevSharer or Webmaster, which makes this
quite the attractive feature, and should make ibill's RevShare program all the
more attractive and easier to use.