The 4 attribution methods every creator program needs

## Why attribution matters

An ambassador program is only as good as its attribution. If a creator shares your product and the sale doesn't get credited to them, they stop sharing. It's that simple.

Most affiliate apps rely on one attribution method: the discount code. That works until a customer forgets to use it, or buys through a different channel, or lands on your site days later.

Convertly uses 4 attribution methods, ranked by confidence:

1. Discount code at checkout (HIGH confidence)

When a customer enters a creator's discount code at checkout, Convertly looks it up against the DiscountCode table and attributes the sale immediately. This is the highest-confidence attribution because the customer explicitly used the code.

Pros: Near-perfect accuracy, no cookies needed. Cons: Customer has to remember and enter the code.

2. Tracking link cookie (MEDIUM confidence)

When a customer clicks a creator's tracking link (like `go.yourbrand.com/jane`), Convertly sets a `_cc_ref` cookie with a 30-day expiration. If that same customer buys anything within 30 days — even without entering a code — the sale is attributed.

The cookie travels through Shopify's checkout via `attributes[_cc_ref]` and lands in the order's `note_attributes`. Our webhook handler reads it and matches the sale to the creator.

Pros: Works even if the customer forgets the discount code. Cons: Requires cookies (can be blocked by privacy browsers).

3. UTM parameters (LOW confidence)

If a customer lands on your site with UTM parameters (`utm_source=convertly&utm_campaign=jane`), Convertly captures them from Shopify's `landing_site` field and uses them as a fallback attribution signal.

Pros: Works even without cookies. Cons: UTMs get stripped by some platforms, and accuracy is lower.

4. Storefront visit (LOW confidence)

Every creator gets a hosted storefront at `yourbrand.com/a/creators/jane`. When a customer visits that storefront, we set the same `_cc_ref` cookie. If they browse to the main store and buy, the sale is still attributed.

We also parse Shopify's `landing_site_ref` field for `/a/creators/{slug}` paths as a final fallback, so even if the cookie is blocked, we can still credit the creator.

Pros: Works for window-shoppers who browse the storefront without clicking a specific link. Cons: Lowest confidence — requires the customer to actually visit the storefront.

Which method wins?

Convertly evaluates all 4 methods in priority order. The first one that matches wins. If multiple methods would attribute to different creators, the higher-confidence method wins.

For the brand, this means:

• Commissions are credited even when customers forget codes
• Creators don't lose sales to untracked checkout
• Disputes are easier to resolve because you can see which method attributed the sale

Seeing it in action

Every attributed order in Convertly shows the method used (e.g. `DISCOUNT_CODE`, `COOKIE`, `UTM`, `STOREFRONT_VISIT`) in the Earnings page. This transparency builds trust with creators — they can see exactly how each sale was tracked.

Setting it up

If you're a Convertly customer, all 4 methods are enabled by default. You don't have to do anything. If you're on another affiliate platform and only using discount codes, you're losing an estimated 30-40% of your attributable sales.

[Install Convertly](/install) to see the difference.