This Little Known Feature Can Turn Your Followers Into Buyers

Great content and compelling messaging are key to a strong affiliate strategy. But those are just the first steps. To get your audience to buy the products you’re linking to, you have to make it easy for them. 

Which is why this little-known feature called App-to-App Linking can help convert your followers into shoppers.

What is App-To-App Linking?

App-to-App Linking, also known as “universal linking,” refers to sharing a link in one app (like a social media app) that takes users who click the link to another app (like a retailers’ app). 

When it comes to your affiliate links, this means that you can link to products in your social media posts, and that link will take your followers to a product in a retailer’s app. For example, you can put an affiliate link in your TapTo.Shop profile that, when clicked, brings your followers to your favorite Amazon sweatshirt in their installed Amazon app. 

And now, Collective Voice supports App-to-App Linking for many retailers!

Deep Linking vs. App-to-App Linking

If you’ve heard of the term “deep linking,” you may be wondering if App-to-App Linking is the same thing. In a sense, App-to-App Linking is a form of deep linking. 

Deep linking refers to the ability to drive a clickable link to a specific page, product, or section, in a mobile web browser or within an app, and Collective Voice supports deep linking for all our retailers. 

App-to-App Linking, however, refers to the ability to send a user, via a link, specifically to a page in a retailer’s app.

How App-to-App Linking Helps You Earn More

You might be wondering, “how does this help me?” Well, App-to-App Linking helps you earn more from your affiliate efforts by ensuring a smoother user journey for your audience. Links are optimized and verified to drive your shoppers to the exact spot you intend, reducing any friction. 

Retailer apps are designed for an easy mobile shopping and checkout experience. Once your shoppers are in the retailer’s app, they’re more likely to keep browsing, which increases engagement and sales potential. In fact, conversion rates from mobile apps are three times higher than mobile sites. Similarly, customers spend more money in retailer apps, as average order values are 10% higher in mobile apps than on mobile sites. And more money spent = more affiliate earnings for you!

At Collective Voice, we’ve seen the benefits of App-to-App Linking firsthand; Creators linking to Target products saw a 155% increase in conversions when Target began supporting App-to-App Linking! 

And all of this leads to more money in your pocket from your affiliate efforts.

How Collective Voice Supports App-to-App Linking

Collective Voice supports App-to-App Linking through our Shoppable Content Tools for select retailers. 

Our Shoppable Content Tools—including Looks, Widgets, Collections, and TapTo.Shop—can help you create engaging, polished-looking affiliate content that drives mobile shoppers into retailer apps. If a retailer has enabled App-to-App Linking, your Collective Voice link will be converted into an in-app link, which will take the shopper to a link in a retailer’s app (if the shopper has the app downloaded). 

When you share links from supported retailers using our shoppable content tools, you’ll enjoy these advantages:

• Drive users directly into retailer’s shopping app, driving a more seamless shopping experience
• Sharing product links all in one place, creating a more expansive browsing and shopping experience 
• Track clicks, sales, and commissions that are driven in the retailer app so you can learn more from your data

So what are you waiting for? Check out the supported retailers here.

Please note: For the most optimized shopping experience, Collective Voice aims to drive Creators’ affiliate links directly into the associated retailer app. However, not all Collective Voice retailers have enabled App-to-App Linking. Additionally, for text-based links or URL short links, only certain retailers support App-to-App Linking functionality.