An affiliate link is the unique URL your publishers share to earn commissions. When a merchant clicks it and installs your app, PartnerJam attributes the install to the publisher — and any future subscription charges become their commission.
What an affiliate link looks like
Each publisher gets a unique link per app:
The key identifies the publisher, so every click traces back to the right person — even when multiple publishers are promoting the same app.
The flow, end to end
A merchant clicks the publisher's affiliate link.
PartnerJam records the click and redirects the merchant to your Shopify App Store listing.
The merchant installs your app the standard way.
Your app loads our tracking code, which tells PartnerJam the install happened and matches it to the publisher.
Subscription and usage-based charges flow through as commission, subject to the grace period.
Clicks and installs appear in your dashboard within minutes. See How often are the metrics updated for the full timing breakdown.
Why the tracking code matters
The App Store redirect is only half the mechanism. Without the tracking code in your app, PartnerJam can't tell which install belongs to which publisher, and no commissions will be attributed.
The code:
Is a few lines of JavaScript, loaded asynchronously.
Has zero impact on performance metrics like LCP.
Runs once per install — no ongoing overhead.
Integration steps are in our GitHub docs.
Install tracking is the minimum requirement for commissions to work. Until it's in place, affiliate clicks will still redirect merchants to the App Store, but installs won't be attributed to your publishers.
Why we redirect to the App Store
Routing merchants straight to your Shopify App Store listing — rather than to a custom install page — is intentional:
Familiar install flow. Merchants see the standard Shopify UI they already trust, so conversion stays high.
Discount feature support. Publishers can trade part of their commission for a merchant-facing discount, which meaningfully lifts install rates.
Cookie-independent attribution. Installs are matched via your app's tracking code, not via browser cookies that can be blocked or cleared.
The only prerequisite is the one-time tracking code implementation.