Consumers are growing increasingly aware of the risks associated with vulnerable personal information driving 48% adoption of ad blockers in the US–functionality that puts affiliate tracking at risk. In addition to affiliate tracking risks caused by ad blockers, Apple updates beginning with iOS 17 include Link Tracking Protection, which detects and blocks third-party tracking domains in Safari Private Browsing mode–a risk that may eventually include Partnerize.
Failure to implement tracking safeguards will result in:
- Inaccurate attribution. Ad blockers disrupt consistent tracking causing failure to reliably capture all transactions.
- Eroded channel value. Underreported conversions artificially lower performance metrics and cause the channel to appear less valuable than it actually is.
- Impossible partner payouts. Missed performance data prevents you from accurately rewarding partners for the value they provide.
- Inaccurate data. A distorted view of performance makes strategic decisioning and smart budget allocation impossible.
The Solution: Partnerize Custom Tracking
Partnerize is leading the charge in future-proofing your program. While our underlying infrastructure is already built to withstand ongoing browser changes, true resilience requires a complimentary solution to safeguard against evolving privacy changes and ad blockers: Custom Tracking.
Custom Tracking allows you to leverage your own brand domain to capture partner channel performance instead of relying on the standard Partnerize domain (prf.hn). By tying performance tracking directly to your brand, you circumvent hurdles caused by ad blockers and privacy protocols.
Working in conjunction with your existing tracking method, Custom Tracking:
- Mitigates ad blocker risks inhibiting affiliate tracking by tying performance tracking to your brand instead of a tracking domain that could ultimately be identified and blocked.
- Complements privacy frameworks by supporting your existing tracking solution with persistent, accurate tracking alongside strict protocols like Apple’s Link Tracking Protection.
- Secures Data Integrity regardless of ad blockers and Link Tracking Protection to support data-driven decisioning, accurate attribution and equitable partner rewards.
Choose Your Solution: Implementation Options
Partnerize provides options for implementing Custom Tracking so that you can choose the implementation method that is right for your business.
1. Reverse Proxy (Recommended). Maintain control over all inbound traffic with Reverse Proxy, the Custom Tracking setup that routes tracking requests through your own servers before passing them to Partnerize. This gives your security and tech teams maximum oversight and data management control, though it requires a bit more internal configuration.
2. Delegated DNS. Create a dedicated subdomain (e.g., shop.yourbrand.com) and delegate the DNS routing to Partnerize. It’s highly efficient, low-maintenance for your engineering team, and allows Partnerize to securely manage the tracking certificates on your behalf.
Finalizing Implementation: Partner Link Updates
Partners must also update their tracking links to point to your new brand domain. While Partnerize will put temporary redirects in place to protect traffic during the transition, redirects are not a long-term solution. While manual link updates are an option, partners using the Partnerize Tag can automate all current and future Custom Tracking link updates with a single click that toggles on Link Switcher.
Don’t let evolving privacy settings blindside your marketing performance. Learn more on the Custom Tracking Hub, or get in touch with our team to learn more about Partnerize.