In the Wild West of digital marketing, where influencers reign and affiliate links abound, one company is tackling a problem hidden in plain sight: up to a third of partner marketing spending is lost to misattributed conversions.

PartnerCentric, led by industry maverick Stephanie Harris, is not just exposing commission poaching — it’s rewriting the rules of the game.

With its FUSE Incrementality™ platform and new Conversion Origination feature, this performance-based marketing company is changing how brands approach their marketing strategies.

In an exclusive interview with Net Influencer, Stephanie breaks down PartnerCentric’s data-driven approach, which uses technology to optimize brand spending while ensuring creators receive due credit and compensation for their contributions.

A Vision for Flexible Work

Stephanie’s journey began shortly after college when she launched Scholastic’s affiliate marketing program. 

In 2006, she joined Schaaf Consulting as its first employee and rose to CEO in 2015.

“My passion for partnership marketing began right after college,” Stephanie recalls. “That experience ignited my enthusiasm for the industry and set the stage for my career.”

In 2017, she acquired the company and rebranded it as PartnerCentric, driven by her vision for a more flexible workplace. 

“As a mother of four and CEO, I understood firsthand the critical need for a work environment that supports both professional aspirations and personal responsibilities,” she tells us. 

“I saw a massive portion of the workforce struggling to find balance, and I knew remote work was the answer for many,” she adds.

PartnerCentric, a woman-owned and led marketing agency, specializes in helping global advertisers navigate the complex ecosystem of digital marketing partners. 

The company leverages proprietary technology to deliver data-driven strategies and results.

Stephanie highlights the company’s technological edge: “I recognized early on that partnership marketing was lagging behind other digital marketing channels in technology utilization.” 

“To address this, we’ve invested considerable time, money, and resources into our technology stack,” Stephanie adds.

Focus on innovation, combined with a remote-first culture and an entrepreneurial spirit, distinguishes PartnerCentric in the competitive market.

Redefining ROI

PartnerCentric’s business model involves creating strategic alliances with various partners, including publishers, influencers, content creators, and marketplace affiliates.

“Partner marketing stands out because it is performance-based,” Stephanie explains. “Unlike traditional advertising, which involves paying for visibility without guaranteed outcomes, partners are compensated based on the results they drive, such as sales or leads.”

This performance-based approach ensures a higher return on investment for clients and fosters a collaborative environment. 

Stephanie notes that influencers and content creators increasingly embrace this model, blurring the lines between partner marketing and the creator economy.

PartnerCentric’s proprietary technology, including the FUSE Incrementality™ platform and its new Conversion Origination feature, is central to its offering. 

Image: PartnerCentric’s FUSE Incrementality™ dashboard

This technology addresses a significant industry challenge: commission poaching, where some partners claim credit for conversions they didn’t initiate.

“Our new Conversion Origination feature within FUSE Incrementality™ is a game-changer in partner marketing,” Stephanie states. “By accurately identifying the true drivers of product discovery and sales, our platform ensures that commissions go to the rightful partners.”

The technology provides clients with detailed data on the true drivers of conversions, enabling them to optimize partner recruitment, ensure fair reward distribution, and refine marketing campaigns. 

“This approach guarantees fair and equitable compensation, resulting in cost savings and optimized marketing performance for our clients,” Stephanie emphasizes the tech’s impact.

PartnerCentric’s client teams analyze this data and offer actionable recommendations, helping clients make data-driven decisions and improve overall campaign performance. 

Integrating Conversion Origination with FUSE Precision, the company’s commission orchestration technology, further streamlines the process.

“This seamless integration eliminates guesswork,” Stephanie explains, “allowing marketers to focus on forward-looking strategies and efficient spending rather than dealing with wasted spend.”

From Poaching to Precision

PartnerCentric’s innovative Conversion Origination feature has already yielded significant results for clients. 

During beta testing, the technology revealed startling insights into marketing spend efficiency.

“Clients discovered an average of 26% of their partner marketing spend was lost to ‘commission poaching,’ with some cases as high as 33%,” Stephanie reports. 

The impact was “dramatic” for clients utilizing FUSE Precision alongside this feature. “They reduced this poaching to just 1%,” Stephanie states.

The reclaimed budget allows clients to reinvest in partners who drive sales and aid in early product discovery, enhancing overall marketing strategy effectiveness.

Beyond optimizing client spend, PartnerCentric aims to address income disparities in the creator economy. 

“We are committed to leveling the playing field for influencers and creators,” Stephanie tells us. “By leveraging our Conversion Origination feature and FUSE Precision technology, we ensure that those who drive product discovery and sales receive fair compensation.”

She continues, “Our goal is to help successful creators turn their passion into full-time careers while simultaneously creating more marketing efficiency for our clients.”

According to the industry veteran, this approach benefits established influencers and supports emerging ones, creating a win-win for both creators and brands.

Data-Driven Decision Making

PartnerCentric’s experience and technological innovations provide brands and marketers with insights to optimize their partner marketing strategies.

Stephanie advises, “First, acknowledge that ‘commission poaching’ is a real issue affecting your marketing efficiency.” 

The entrepreneur is against broad generalizations, stressing the importance of granular insights. “Automate these insights to streamline your workflow, allowing more focus on growth,” she adds.

Stephanie notes the critical role of data in shaping effective strategies. She illustrates this with a case study involving a collectibles and action figure client. 

“We tapped FUSE Incrementality™ and FUSE technology to overhaul their affiliate marketing approach,” Stephanie shares. “FUSE Incrementality™ provided key incrementality measurements to identify new, impactful affiliate partnerships and untapped market opportunities.”

The technology’s insights challenged the client’s initial beliefs about their customer base. 

“While initially the client believed their program only resonated with existing customers, FUSE technology identified specific influencers who would have a higher potential to successfully attract new customers,” Stephanie reveals.

This data-driven approach led to more informed decisions about influencer partnerships and a revitalized affiliate marketing program. 

“By addressing misattribution in sales and engagements, we could accurately attribute new customer acquisitions, leading to more informed, strategic decisions about new and ongoing influencer partnerships,” Stephanie concludes.

The Convergence of Creators and Partners

Stephanie sees the convergence of the creator and partner economies as a transformative force in digital marketing  “as influencers and content creators continue to embrace performance-based compensation models.” 

She believes this development reflects a growing recognition of creators’ value in brand strategies. 

“[PartnerCentric] plays a crucial role by providing the technology and insights necessary to ensure fair compensation for creators who drive real value,” Stephanie states. 

She adds that the company’s Conversion Origination feature and FUSE Precision technology are key tools in this effort, helping to identify and reward the true drivers of product discovery and sales.

Looking ahead, Stephanie anticipates a more integrated marketing approach. 

“As the creator and partner economies continue to merge, we anticipate a more integrated approach where creators are seen as essential partners,” she predicts.

Innovation in Action

Stephanie offers valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: “Do what you love and love what you do. Passion drives success.” 

She stresses the importance of integrity and continuous improvement: “Don’t cut corners; integrity matters. Always be open to feedback and criticism; it’s essential for growth.”

Eyes on the horizon, Stephanie is enthusiastic about PartnerCentric’s upcoming innovations. 

“We’re expanding our talented team and proprietary tech into new partnership marketing arenas,” she tells us. 

These developments include enhancing work with influencers and creators, expanding into multi-channel retail relationships, and transforming affiliate marketing to operate more like programmatic channels.

“These projects represent exciting growth opportunities for us and our clients, and we’re eager to see their impact,” Stephanie says.