Pepperjam

Overview

Pepperjam, now operating under the Partnerize brand, connects merchants with affiliate publishers through a performance marketing network. The platform facilitates commission-based referral tracking, allowing publishers to earn revenue when their referred traffic converts on merchant websites. Its tracking infrastructure operates across both publisher and merchant domains to attribute conversions accurately.

What This Script Does

Pepperjam's tracking scripts load from domains including t.pepperjam.com and cdn.pepperjam.com. On publisher sites, click-tracking scripts append affiliate identifiers to outbound links, tagging referred users with click IDs stored in URL parameters.

On merchant sites, a conversion pixel or JavaScript tag fires on order confirmation pages. This script reads affiliate click IDs from URL parameters or cookies, then transmits conversion data—including order value, transaction ID, and product details—to Pepperjam's servers for commission attribution.

The scripts set cookies such as _pjn with expiration windows typically ranging from 30 to 90 days, depending on the merchant's affiliate program configuration. These cookies store the referring affiliate's click ID, enabling attribution even when the conversion occurs in a later session. Network requests include the visitor's IP address, user agent, and referrer information.

Consent & Compliance

Pepperjam's tracking cookies serve a marketing purpose under GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive. Affiliate tracking cookies are not strictly necessary for the website's core functionality—they exist to attribute sales to marketing partners and calculate commissions. Under the ePrivacy Directive, prior consent is required before setting these cookies.

Under GDPR, the processing involves cross-site tracking with cookie-based identifiers, which constitutes personal data processing requiring a lawful basis. Consent under Article 6(1)(a) is the appropriate basis since the tracking serves the commercial interests of the site operator and its affiliate network, not the end user.

Under CCPA, the sharing of click identifiers and conversion data with Pepperjam's network may constitute a "sale" of personal information if the affiliate network uses this data beyond the direct transaction context. A "Do Not Sell" mechanism should account for affiliate tracking.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Yes.

Pepperjam sets persistent affiliate tracking cookies that follow users across sessions to attribute conversions to marketing partners. This is third-party marketing tracking that requires explicit consent under GDPR and ePrivacy regulations. The website functions normally without these scripts; only affiliate commission attribution is affected.