Recurring Commissions for Referral Partners: Website vs E-Commerce, Which Pays More?

The verdict in three sentences

On a single referral, e-commerce pays more in immediate absolute value — 240,000 FCFA in commission versus 75,000 FCFA for a website — because the average deal size is four times larger. But websites generate a recurring 5% commission on monthly maintenance, a flow that compounds month after month and eventually overtakes the e-commerce payout over an 18-to-24-month horizon. The optimal choice for a referral partner therefore depends on their time horizon: maximum immediate cash via e-commerce, or a recurring income portfolio via websites.

Website vs e-commerce commission comparison

Kolonell's two founding service lines offer different commission structures, designed to reflect average deal size and contract type (one-off project vs maintenance subscription).

12-month projection for 3 referred clients

The real difference between the two service lines appears when projecting cumulative income over a full year, factoring in the recurring website flow.

This table assumes an average maintenance subscription of 75,000 FCFA/month per website client (i.e. 3,750 FCFA monthly recurring commission per client, 11,250 FCFA for 3 clients). Beyond 24 months, the website cumulative keeps growing while the e-commerce cumulative plateaus at 720,000 FCFA unless a new referral is made.

Mini case study

Fatou is a community manager in Dakar working with several local shops. Over one quarter, she refers 2 shop owners for websites (500,000 FCFA each) and 1 fashion designer for an online shop (2,000,000 FCFA). Immediate website payout: 2 x 75,000 FCFA = 150,000 FCFA. Immediate e-commerce payout: 240,000 FCFA. Immediate total: 390,000 FCFA. Both website shops subscribe to a 60,000 FCFA/month maintenance plan each: Fatou earns 5%, or 3,000 FCFA/month per site, so 6,000 FCFA/month recurring on top with no extra effort, adding up to 72,000 FCFA extra over the following year.

FAQ

Why is the e-commerce commission a lower percentage than the website one? Since the average e-commerce deal is about four times larger, a lower rate (12% versus 15%) still pays more in absolute terms while keeping the project affordable for the end client.

Is the recurring website commission guaranteed forever? It lasts as long as the end client keeps their maintenance subscription active, generally with no contractual time limit while the contract runs.

Can you earn a recurring commission on an e-commerce project? Not systematically under the standard scale, but some custom e-commerce maintenance contracts can be negotiated case by case.

Which service line should a beginner referral partner prioritize? Websites, because the sales cycle is shorter and the end client easier to convince, making it faster to build a recurring portfolio.

Should you specialize in just one service line? No, combining websites and e-commerce (or even marketplace and institutional) maximizes both immediate cash and recurring income depending on each referred prospect's profile.

Let's talk about your project. Whether you're after the immediate cash of e-commerce (12%) or the recurring income of websites (15% + 5% recurring), the Kolonell referral partner program also covers marketplace (10%) and institutional (8%). WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.