Guides · For shops and brands
How do I track the sales creators bring to my online shop?
To track creator sales, give each creator two identifiers: their own affiliate link and discount code. The link attributes clicks and purchases within the cookie window, the period your programme counts after a click. The code also catches purchases without a click, such as after a device switch. UTM parameters show the visits in your analytics, and the order number ties it all together. If a platform is one partner in your programme, you need its breakdown by creator.
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Link, code, UTM or asking: what each method catches and misses
| Method | Measures | What it misses |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliate link | clicks and purchases per partner | purchases after the cookie window or a device switch and, depending on setup, purchases without consent |
| Discount code | orders with the code, even without a click | where the sale came from, once the code lands on voucher sites |
| UTM parameters | visits by source and campaign, with purchase tracking also revenue | purchases without a prior click and, depending on setup, visits without consent |
| Post-purchase question | creators that buyers name themselves | voluntary answers, often incomplete |
If your affiliate programme or analytics stores the click in the browser, for example in a cookie, attribution depends on that browser. It ends with the cookie window and is lost when someone deletes their cookies or later orders on another device. The code is not affected, because it is part of the order.
Under § 25(1) TDDDG, the German law on privacy in digital services, storing information on a user’s device or accessing it is only allowed if the user has consented on the basis of clear and comprehensive information. Paragraph 2 lists exceptions, for example where it is strictly necessary for a digital service the user has expressly requested. So it depends on your setup if purchases without consent are missing from your numbers.
How to set up tracking for each creator
- Give every creator their own partner link from your programme and their own discount code with an expiry date. One shared code for everyone only shows you the total.
- Add UTM parameters, tags that name the source and campaign, to the destination URL of every link, following a fixed pattern: utm_source for the platform, utm_medium for the channel, utm_campaign for the promotion and utm_content for the creator’s short code. According to Google Analytics Help, the first three should always be there, and utm_content is meant to tell creatives apart.
- Keep all values lowercase and consistent. Google Analytics is case sensitive: according to its help pages, “Meta” and “meta” are two different values, and a different spelling ends up in a separate row of the report.
- Test every link with a click before launch: does the product page load with the parameters, and does the visit appear in the Traffic acquisition report with source, medium and campaign? According to Google’s help pages, that report only shows revenue if your purchase event sends value and currency.
- Pass the order number to your analytics as the transaction ID and use it to match link sales, code orders and shop data. According to Google’s help pages, the ID must be unique for each order and must not contain anything that could identify individual buyers.
- Decide before launch what counts when an order has both a link and a code, and if a code without a click earns commission.
- Analyse full months by order date, only once cancellations and returns are settled, and count revenue net of VAT and shipping.
Link pattern per creator to copy
Creator: [name or short code] Partner link: [from your programme, pointing to your product page] utm_source: [instagram / tiktok / youtube] utm_medium: affiliate utm_campaign: [promotion-year, for example black-friday-2026] utm_content: [creator-short-code, lowercase, no special characters] Destination URL: [your product page]?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=black-friday-2026&utm_content=creator-a Discount code: [SHORTCODE + discount], valid until [date] Link and code on the same order: [the link / the code] counts
Worked example: three creators, one month, link and code
| Creator | Purchases via link | Code without click | Total orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 38 | 6 | 44 |
| B | 4 | 21 | 25 |
| C | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Say three creators each link to you in October with their own partner link and their own code. Your affiliate programme reports 54 purchases via the links, and your shop shows the three codes were used 41 times. Added up, that makes 95. Match both lists by order number and you get 81 orders, because 14 orders had both a link and a code on the same purchase. From those you still deduct cancellations and returns.
In the affiliate programme B looks weak, but with the code B comes second. That can mean B’s audience orders later on a laptop, or that the code is on a voucher site. Check in your analytics which sources the orders with that code came from before you change any terms. C is the other way round: the code was only used together with the link and brought no order the link didn’t already have.
What no method shows you
Someone who watches a story, doesn’t click and opens your shop directly two days later shows up neither in your affiliate programme nor under your UTM parameters. You can catch some of these sales with the creator’s code or a post-purchase question such as “How did you hear about us?” with a free text field. Only a test with a control group shows if these sales are additional or would have happened anyway.
You can also only measure creators who actually post. An affiliate programme or a platform where creators can pick your products makes them available, but that doesn’t mean anyone features them. Many partners in a programme never become active, and the creators in highest demand rarely post without a reason. So the real work comes before measuring: getting many creators to post at the same time and then seeing who actually sells. Expect a short list at your first review.
When a platform is just one partner in your programme
If you work with a platform through which many creators link to you, it usually appears under a single name in your programme’s partner overview. Clicks and sales per creator, totalled for a period, usually only come from the platform itself.
Without those numbers you stay on one commission rate for everyone, however much they sell, and you can’t tell whom to keep with better terms. So ask for a breakdown by creator, covering the same period as your own reports, by order date and including cancellations and returns.
How it works on wyrld
With wyrld Boost you provide a campaign budget, agree before launch what the payout is based on, for example purchases, clicks, watch time or reach, and decide in which shops people buy. A campaign is designed for many creators at once. Creators decide for themselves if they take part, so the number is not fixed in advance. wyrld measures clicks through the links and purchases as far as your shop reports them, and creators upload watch time and reach from their own stats. After the campaign you see which creator delivered which results. Creators label their campaign videos as advertising.
If you run an affiliate programme with one of the major networks, wyrld appears in it as a single partner. The brand and shop subscription shows you every day which creators behind it feature your products, who drives clicks and, as far as your shop reports purchases, who sells. You can agree your own terms with the creators who sell.
Your products are connected through an existing affiliate programme, through which creators can usually already pick them, or directly with wyrld. Prices for the subscription and Boost are available on request. We are happy to talk through what fits you first: the connection, the subscription or a Boost campaign.
Frequently asked questions.
Should I track influencers with affiliate links or discount codes?
For tracking, use both. The link records clicks and purchases within the cookie window, and the code also catches purchases without a click, such as after a device switch. For commission, decide in advance what applies when an order has both, for example only the link. Otherwise you may end up paying for the same sale twice.
Which UTM parameters should I use for influencer links?
According to Google Analytics Help, every link should carry utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign, that is source, medium and campaign. utm_content is meant to tell creatives apart and works well for a short code per creator. Keep all values lowercase and consistent, because Google treats “Meta” and “meta” as two different values. The visits then appear in the Traffic acquisition report.
How do I track sales when people watch a story but don’t click?
Usually not through the link or UTM parameters, because both need a click. You can see some of these sales through the creator’s discount code or a post-purchase question such as “How did you hear about us?”. Only a test with a control group shows if a campaign brings additional sales overall.
Why does my affiliate programme show one partner instead of individual creators?
Because platforms usually join your programme with one account and pay the creators behind it themselves. Clicks and sales per creator, totalled for a period, are usually only fully known to the platform, so ask it for that breakdown.
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Sources
This page explains tracking methods in general and is not legal or data protection advice. The worked example is made up. The Google Analytics details come from its help pages, read on 22 October 2026, and may change. What your shop may run without consent is a question for your data protection adviser. Accessed on :