You’ve set up your funnel, connected all the tracking, launched the traffic — but wait, why are your numbers way off between platforms?
   If you’ve ever seen a big difference between what your tracker reports and what the affiliate network shows… welcome to the not-so-fun world of discrepancy.
   It’s annoying, it messes with your data, and if not managed right — it costs you money. Let’s break down where it comes from, how to reduce it, and what smart teams are doing to keep it under control.

What is discrepancy, anyway?
   In affiliate marketing, discrepancy means a mismatch between what you and your partners are seeing in the numbers — clicks, conversions, leads, or revenue.
Example:
Your tracker shows 1,200 clicks.
The network shows 1,000.

   That’s a 16.6% click discrepancy — and that gap could cost you insights, performance, or payouts.
The same logic applies to leads, sales, or revenue metrics.

Why does discrepancy happen?
It’s not one thing — it’s usually a mix. Here are the main culprits:
   Tracking Glitches
Pixels not firing. JavaScript blocked. Redirects lost in the void. It happens — especially on slow connections or lower-quality devices.
   Traffic Filters
Some platforms filter out bot clicks, VPNs, or flagged IPs. Your side may count them; the network won’t.
   Time Zone Differences
If your system runs on UTC and the network is in EST, your daily stats may never align unless synced properly.
   Postback Issues
If the postback breaks, delays, or is misconfigured, some conversions might never show up.
   Lead Rejections on Advertiser Side
Even if a lead is recorded on your end, the advertiser might reject it due to duplicate data, incorrect info, or geo restrictions. That’s where a lot of hidden discrepancy lives.

How much is "normal"?
Most networks accept 3–5% discrepancy as standard. It happens. But once you’re seeing 10% or more, it’s a red flag — time to investigate.

How to reduce discrepancy (smartly)
No, you won’t remove it completely. But here’s how high-performing teams keep it under control:
✅ Sync time zones across platforms
✅ Use S2S tracking (postbacks) instead of client-side pixels
✅ Pre-filter your traffic to avoid fake clicks or bots
✅ Add fallback monetization, like smart API cascades
✅ Track and compare stats daily, not once a week
✅ Stay in touch with your manager — they see things you might miss

Turning rejected leads into revenue
   Let’s talk about solutions.
One of the biggest wins we’ve seen is using API-based cascades to reroute leads that don’t get accepted by the first advertiser. Instead of losing them — you monetize them further down the funnel.

Through the Marksel Platform, we've been able to implement smart cascades, test flow performance, and dramatically reduce the percentage of discrepancy by capturing more value per user — even when the lead wasn’t accepted in the initial step.

Our recommendation
   If discrepancy is eating into your ROI — don’t just accept it.
We at Grantoro work on the Marksel Platform because it gives us the flexibility and control we need for smart API setups, customized flows, and data-backed optimization.

We genuinely recommend it to media buyers and affiliate teams who want tighter control over their funnel logic and a smarter way to handle rejected or filtered traffic.
📩 Want to see how it works?
👉 Book a demo with the Marksel team at i@marksel.io
Don’t let those “missing” leads go to waste — route them, monetize them, and make your tracking finally make sense.