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Shopify attribution

How to attribute Shopify sales to affiliates without third-party cookies

Key attribution to the affiliate link and confirm the order from Shopify's server-side webhooks, so it does not depend on third-party cookies.

Published · Last reviewed

Written by Attribloom Engineering · Reviewed by Attribloom Product · Last reviewed

Third-party cookies are going away

Affiliate programs have long relied on third-party cookies to remember which link a shopper clicked. Browsers now block or limit those cookies, which makes cookie-based affiliate tracking increasingly unreliable, especially across the days between a click and a purchase.

Use Shopify's server-side webhooks

Shopify emits signed paid-order webhooks from its own servers when a sale completes. Those events are authoritative and do not depend on anything in the shopper's browser. Attribloom credits a validated affiliate discount code or the referral preserved in Shopify note attributes, so attribution survives third-party cookie loss.

From there, the commission is applied to the post-discount merchandise subtotal in the store's currency, excluding tax and shipping, and reversed if the order is later refunded.

Sources and verification

Primary documentation last checked on 2026-07-14. Each source below links the exact page and its own last-checked date.

Next steps

Frequently asked

Is web attribution harder than App Store attribution?

No. Web checkout attribution is far simpler because the platform emits a server-side order event. The App Store case is the hard one, which is why native StoreKit attribution is the bigger differentiator.

In the glossary

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