Promo-code attribution

Promo-code attribution assigns a conversion to a specific creator based on the discount code redeemed at checkout. It is the simplest first-party attribution surface and the one finance teams trust first because it lives in the order itself.

Strengths

• Survives cookie blocking.
• Reconciles directly against order data — no inferred joins.
• Works across devices and channels.

Weaknesses

• Captures only discount-motivated conversions.
• Leaks when codes are shared in public (mitigated by single-use codes or rate limits).
• Doesn't capture full-price purchases driven by the creator (use tag + QR for that).

A serious creator-commerce attribution stack runs all three surfaces — tag, QR, and promo — and reconciles between them.