An affiliate link carries the creator’s identity into the store. It may be a URL with a tracking parameter, a short redirect, or a personal landing page. When a shopper clicks it, the store or the tracking tool records who sent them, usually in a cookie, and credits any order within the window to that creator.
The window is the key term, and programs differ. Shopify’s affiliate program tracks referrals for 30 days from the click (Shopify); HubSpot’s uses a 180-day cookie window (HubSpot).
Example. A creator shares a link with a 30-day window. A viewer clicks on day 1, does not buy, comes back on day 10 by typing the store address, and orders $80. The cookie is still alive, so the creator is credited and at 10 % receives $8. A second viewer clicks on day 1 and buys on day 40. No credit. Example numbers.
When brands use it. The pain this answers: “I have no idea which creator actually drove sales.” Links are the default for share-of-sales deals because the store can read them automatically. Their weakness is that short video lives in apps where links are hard to tap, cookies die when a viewer switches from phone to laptop, and in-app browsers lose the trail. That is why most brands pair links with discount codes.
The creator’s view. The FTC’s FAQ is specific: an affiliate relationship needs a clear disclosure close to the link, vague labels such as “affiliate link” or “commissionable link” are not enough, and “paid link” placed right next to it is adequate (FTC). Before agreeing, a creator should ask the window, whether the link survives the app-to-browser handoff, and whether they get a code as well.