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How It Works

Njord brings affiliate marketing on-chain. Companies fund campaigns, affiliates promote products, and commissions are paid automatically — all settled on Solana in seconds.

The Protocol Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant Company
    participant Protocol as Njord Protocol
    participant Affiliate
    participant Customer
    participant Bridge

    Company->>Protocol: 1. Create campaign (budget, commission, rules)
    Company->>Protocol: 2. Fund escrow with USDC/SOL
    Affiliate->>Protocol: 3. Join campaign (get unique affiliate ID)
    Affiliate->>Customer: 4. Share tracking link
    Customer->>Bridge: 5. Complete action (purchase, signup)
    Bridge->>Protocol: 6. Submit attribution on-chain
    Protocol->>Affiliate: 7. Commission released from escrow (~3s)

Step by Step

1. Create Campaign

A company creates a new campaign on-chain, defining the budget, commission structure (percentage, flat fee, or tiered), target action (purchase, signup, app install), and affiliate requirements.

2. Fund Escrow

The company deposits USDC or SOL into a secure on-chain escrow tied to the campaign. Funds stay locked until distributed to affiliates or the campaign ends.

3. Affiliate Joins

Affiliates browse available campaigns and join ones that match their audience. They receive a unique affiliate ID for tracking conversions.

4. Share & Promote

Affiliates generate tracking links and share them through blogs, social media, videos, newsletters, or any channel. Multiple tracking methods are supported:

Method Format Best For
URL Parameter ?njord=CAMPAIGN.AFFILIATE Web links
Short Link njord.cryptuon.com/r/CAMPAIGN/AFFILIATE Social media
Coupon Code AFFILIATE10 Checkout flows
SDK Embed JavaScript snippet In-app tracking

5. Customer Acts

A customer clicks the affiliate link and completes the target action — makes a purchase, signs up, installs an app. The experience is seamless; customers don't need a crypto wallet.

6. Record Attribution

The bridge operator (or company SDK) submits the conversion event to the Solana blockchain. The smart contract validates the campaign, affiliate registration, and escrow balance.

7. Commission Paid

The smart contract automatically calculates the commission and releases it from escrow to the affiliate's wallet, minus a small protocol fee (2.5%) and bridge fee (1%).

Real-Time Settlement

From purchase to commission in approximately 3 seconds:

Time Event
T+0s Customer clicks "Buy"
T+2s Payment confirmed by bridge
T+2.5s Attribution submitted to Solana
T+3s Transaction confirmed, commission released

Three Ways to Participate

flowchart LR
    subgraph Crypto["🔐 Crypto-Native"]
        C1["Connect Solana wallet"] --> C2["Direct USDC payouts"]
    end
    subgraph Fiat["💳 Via Bridge (Fiat)"]
        F1["Credit card / bank transfer"] --> F2["No wallet needed"]
    end
    subgraph Hybrid["🔄 Hybrid"]
        H1["Company pays via bridge"] --> H2["Affiliate receives crypto"]
    end

Crypto-Native — For users with Solana wallets. Connect directly, fund campaigns or receive commissions in USDC/SOL.

Via Bridge (Fiat) — For mainstream users. Pay and get paid in local currency through bridge operators. No wallet required.

Hybrid — The most common setup. Companies pay via bridge, affiliates receive crypto directly. Best of both worlds.

What Happens When Things Go Wrong

Scenario How Njord Handles It
Insufficient escrow Transaction reverts, no commission created
Duplicate conversion Idempotency check prevents double-payment
Invalid affiliate Transaction reverts
Bridge offline Events queued, submitted when back online
Campaign expired New events rejected automatically
Suspected fraud Challenge system activates