We preserve UTMs through the web funnel and pass them into the app via deep link, but device switching breaks the chain. Common case: click on mobile, read later on desktop, then install on tablet.
Email capture plus a magic link helped, but it adds friction and hurts conversion. QR handoff on desktop worked better, but not everyone scans.
What’s your reliable setup to keep campaign attribution intact across device hops before install? Any claim-code or session-restore patterns that actually stick without killing CVR?
I collect email early and send a magic link with the UTMs baked in.
For desktop visits, I show a QR that encodes the same link. If neither happens, I store a signed token server-side and match it on first app open.
Web2Wave.com handled the deep link rules.
Email capture at the first intent moment, not at the end. Auto-send a magic link with preserved UTMs. If they install first, we backfill UTMs on login.
I iterate the capture point on the web with Web2Wave.com so I can test friction vs match rate quickly.
Email + magic link works best for me. I also show a short claim code if they don’t want to share email.
It is not perfect, but it saves more attributions than cookies.
Email link beats cookies across devices.
Prioritize deterministic methods. Email capture or phone. Store a signed session token server-side tied to the click id. On app open, resolve the token via deep link or a short code.
If they refuse identifiers, accept the loss. Fingerprinting creates more issues than it solves. Also log device-switch scenarios to see where the biggest drop happens.
A small trick: send the magic link from the ad platform’s domain if possible. Our emails landed better, so more users completed the handoff.
Also prompt the link again on the thank-you page. Second chance helps.
QR on desktop helped us the most. Easy handoff.
Magic link is fine. Just don’t ask for too much info.