Flow — is the path a person takes from clicking an ad to completing the required action.
In traffic arbitrage, flow can describe both the user’s steps within an offer and the entire chain in a setup. For example: ad → pre-landing page → offer landing page → product order or paid subscription.
The more actions required from the user, the more complex the flow. For example, one offer may only require leaving a phone number, while another requires entering card details, confirming an email address, and signing up for a paid subscription.
Types of flows
By complexity, flows can roughly be divided into short and long:
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Short flow — the user completes a minimum number of actions before conversion. For example, they leave contact details or complete a simple registration.
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Long flow — there are several stages between the click and the target action. For example, registration, phone confirmation, and order payment. It is harder to complete the entire process, so the payout for such a lead is several times higher.
Affiliate programs also use terms such as SOI, DOI, CC-Submit, FTD, and others to describe a specific target action. They indicate exactly what the user must do for the conversion to be counted.
For example:
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SOI (Single Opt-In) — may involve filling out a form without additional confirmation;
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DOI (Double Opt-In) — also requires confirming the data via email or another action;
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FTD (First Time Deposit) — means making the first deposit;
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CC-Submit — entering bank card details;
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COD (Cash on Delivery) — paying for the product upon delivery.
The more steps there are in the flow, the more points there are where the user can leave without completing the process. Therefore, when choosing an offer, an affiliate marketer looks not only at the payout amount, but also at how easy it is for the user to reach the conversion.
