Tracking & Attribution

How Convertly tracks clicks, sales, and attributes orders to creators

Tracking & Attribution

Convertly uses multiple methods to connect customer purchases back to the creator who drove them. This ensures creators get credit for the sales they generate.

Attribution Methods

Convertly supports three attribution methods, ranked by confidence:

Method	Confidence	How It Works
Discount Code	High	Customer uses a creator’s unique discount code at checkout. Exact match.
Tracking Cookie	Medium	Customer clicks a creator’s tracking link, which sets a first-party cookie. If they purchase within the attribution window, the sale is attributed.
UTM Parameters	Low	URL contains UTM tags linking to a creator. Used as a fallback when no cookie or code is present.

When multiple methods are present on a single order, Convertly uses the highest-confidence signal. Discount code always wins.

Tracking Links

Each creator gets a unique tracking link in the format:

https://yourstore.com?ref=CREATOR_CODE

When a visitor clicks this link:

1. Convertly’s tracking script records a click event (IP, user agent, timestamp)
2. A first-party cookie is set with the creator’s code
3. The visitor browses your store normally
4. If they place an order, the cookie is read and the order is attributed

Attribution Window

The attribution window determines how long after a click the cookie remains valid. The default is 30 days, meaning if a customer clicks a tracking link and purchases within 30 days, the creator gets credit.

You can adjust this in Settings > Tracking:

• 7 days — short window, stricter attribution
• 30 days — standard (recommended)
• 60 days — longer window for high-consideration products
• 90 days — maximum window

The attribution window only applies to cookie-based tracking. Discount code attribution has no expiry — if the code is valid and used, the sale is attributed regardless of when the click happened.

Click Statistics

The Tracking page shows real-time click data for all creators:

• Total clicks — how many times tracking links were clicked
• Unique clicks — deduplicated by IP address within 24 hours
• Click-through rate — if you are tracking impressions via the API
• Conversion rate — percentage of clicks that resulted in a purchase

Filter by creator, campaign, date range, or referral source.

How Orders Are Attributed

When Shopify sends an orders/create webhook to Convertly:

1. Check discount codes — does the order contain a code linked to a creator?
2. Check cookies — does the customer have an active tracking cookie?
3. Check UTM parameters — does the order’s landing page URL contain creator UTM tags?

If a match is found, the order is attributed and a commission record is created. If no match is found, the order is recorded but not attributed.

Ad blockers and private browsing can prevent cookies from being set. Discount codes are the most reliable attribution method because they work regardless of browser settings.