How do I handle the "cookieless future" as an affiliate marketer relying on third-party tracking?

All answers to this question.

You need to prioritize networks that offer Server-to-Server (S2S) tracking or "Postback" URLs. These methods don't rely on the user's browser storage (cookies) but instead send the click ID directly to the advertiser's server. When a sale happens, the advertiser's server tells the affiliate network's server directly. This is much more robust against ad-blockers and privacy updates. Also, start building an email list now. If you can get a user to subscribe, you can use your own first-party data to track their journey across devices, which is the only way to stay 100% accurate in the future.

   Answered 2025-06-10 by Jennifer Miller

Have you noticed any discrepancy in your reporting between mobile and desktop lately, or has the drop in tracking accuracy been uniform across all devices?

   Answered 2025-06-25 by Kevin Adams

• It’s way worse on iOS, Kevin. Ever since the App Tracking Transparency update, my Apple-based traffic conversions have plummeted by nearly 40%. It seems like I'm doing the work but not getting the credit. I'm hoping moving to S2S tracking will bridge that gap, as it bypasses many of the client-side restrictions that Apple has implemented.

     Commented 2025-07-05 by Jason Lee

Direct-to-brand partnerships are also a great solution. They usually have better first-party tracking setups than the massive "all-in-one" affiliate networks.

   Answered 2025-07-18 by Melissa Young

• I agree with Melissa. Private programs often invest more in their tech stack because they aren't managing 10,000 different advertisers on one platform.

     Commented 2025-07-25 by Ryan Mitchell