How Apple’s iOS Privacy Changes Are Reshaping Affiliate Marketing Strategies for Marketers

Do you remember the days when you could track every click, impression, and every user behaviour across the web with accuracy? Well, Apple just hit a reset button on that.

As an affiliate marketer or performance marketer, you have undoubtedly been shaken by Apple’s iOS privacy changes, particularly App Tracking Transparency (ATT) and its expanding list of user-first privacy features. The entire affiliate ecosystem is being disrupted by these changes, which go beyond simple technical adjustments. Everything is being redefined, from targeting and campaign optimisation to monitoring and attribution.

It’s not all bad news, either. There may be a lot of opportunities in the new adjustments if you’re prepared to change course and adapt. Let’s examine the current situation, its significance, and how you can modify your affiliate marketing tactics to not just endure but also prosper in the post-iOS privacy era.

What Changed with iOS?

With iOS 14.5, Apple implemented App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which mandates that apps obtain user consent before sharing user data with other apps and websites. Now, users are presented with the straightforward pop-up, “Allow App to Track Your Activity?” It should come as no surprise that most users select “Ask App Not to Track.”

What does that signify? It implies that unless the user gives their express agreement, device identifiers such as the IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers), which were previously required for tracking conversions and user behaviour, are no longer allowed. The majority don’t, spoiler alert.

It didn’t end there, either. With Mail Privacy Protection, iCloud Private Relay, and SKAdNetwork, a privacy-friendly (although constrained) mobile attribution solution, Apple doubled down on privacy. This has altered the rules of the game for performance marketers, particularly if you’re managing affiliates or executing sponsored ads through mobile-heavy platforms.

The Fallout: How This Impacts Affiliate Marketing

So, what does all this mean for affiliate marketers? In one word: adaptation.

Here’s a closer look at the ripple effects:

1. Tracking and Attribution Are No Longer Straightforward

Prior to iOS upgrades, it was simple to measure user behaviour over several sessions and attribute conversions using third-party cookies or pixel tracking. A significant portion of this data vanished after ATT, making it more difficult to determine which affiliate led the transaction, who clicked, and who converted.

Both last-click and multi-touch attribution are impacted by this, particularly in verticals that are mobile-focused, like apps, gaming, and dating.

2. Retargeting Has Taken a Hit

In the past, retargeting served as the foundation for many affiliate campaigns. Using behavioural data, marketers would create unique audiences and re-engage users online. However, retargeting on iOS is now far less successful due to the absence of IDFA and the fall of cookie-based targeting.

Therefore, instead of depending solely on precision retargeting, affiliates should invest more in top-of-funnel methods and contextual targeting to engage new users.

3. Data Gaps Are Forcing Marketers to Rethink Optimization

Data is instrumental in campaign optimization. Granular performance measurements, such as which ad version performed best or which publisher produced high-quality leads, are now hazy or nonexistent due to Apple’s modifications.

A/B testing has become more challenging as a result, and marketers are sometimes going blind. The outcome? It is more difficult to track ROIs and manage budgets effectively.

The Shift: What Smart Affiliate Marketers Are Doing Differently

Not all of the news is bad. The most astute performance marketers are already coming up with new tactics and workarounds that support Apple’s privacy-first policy.

Here’s how to maintain your lead:

1. Transitioning Toward First-Party Data

First-party data, such as phone numbers, emails, and direct user interaction, has become extremely valuable. Astute affiliates are developing landing sites that directly collect this information by means of quizzes, lead magnets, or gated content—and then follow up with email or SMS to nurture those leads.

In this manner, you control the connection and don’t need outside platforms to connect with your audience.

2. Embracing Server-Side Tracking

Server-side tracking is gaining traction as an alternative to browser-based methods. Bypassing iOS’s browser restrictions, it enables you to send event data straight from your server to websites like Facebook, Google Ads, or affiliate tracking services.

Although it requires additional setup work, it provides superior performance insights and cleaner attribution.

3. Prioritizing Contextual Targeting Over Behavioral

Contextual targeting has become popular again as behavioural monitoring has weakened. This entails displaying advertisements according to the website’s or app’s content (rather than the user’s behaviour).

For instance, promoting health products on fitness-related material or putting skincare affiliate links on a beauty site are examples of resurfacing. Old school? Perhaps. Successful? Of course.

4. Testing SKAdNetwork and Privacy-Safe Attribution Tools

Although its granularity is restricted, Apple’s SKAdNetwork is nevertheless helpful for affiliate marketing mobile apps. In the meanwhile, a number of affiliate networks are spending money on attribution models that respect privacy, whether they use probabilistic modelling, predictive analytics, or aggregated data.

It’s worthwhile to invest in tracking solutions that are compatible with SKAdNetwork if you’re working with mobile-heavy offers or advertising apps.

The Role of Affiliate Networks: Why You Need the Right Partner

The days of affiliate marketing being plug-and-play are over. To successfully navigate the post-iOS landscape, you need partners who are knowledgeable about it and can provide resources, advice, and assistance. Premium affiliate networks are useful in this situation.

Seek out networks that:

• Provide sophisticated postback integrations or server-to-server (S2S) tracking.
• Use privacy-compliant attribution to support campaigns that prioritise mobile.
• Offer audience insights, fraud detection, and real-time analytics.
• Assist you in expanding the sources of your traffic beyond Google and Facebook.

How vCommission Is Helping Affiliate Marketers Thrive in the Post-iOS Era

Traditional affiliate tracking and targeting may have been disrupted by Apple’s iOS privacy rules, but performance marketers are known for their ability to quickly adjust. Your success in this new era depends on selecting the appropriate technologies, data strategies, and partners who genuinely understand the changing situation.

vCommission, being one of the leading affiliate networks in India, has been actively assisting affiliates in making the shift to a privacy-first marketing environment.

We don’t just offer campaigns, we offer solutions:

• For improved attribution in settings without cookies and with IDFA restrictions, use S2S (server-to-server) postback tracking.
• Mobile ads that respect privacy and adhere to GDPR and iOS guidelines.
• Dashboards for real-time data, so you can never guess the source of your conversions.
• Above all, consulting support that guides you through new targeting techniques, monitoring technologies, and verticals in a world where the old rules are no longer relevant.

To put it briefly, vCommission isn’t merely responding to Apple’s upgrades; rather, we are developing alongside them, providing affiliate marketers like you with the technology, data transparency, and advice they need to remain competitive.

Therefore, embrace the change rather than fight it. Realign your efforts with more intelligent, privacy-first affiliate methods, rethink your targeting, and reimagine your tracking. 

If you’re ready to future-proof your affiliate marketing strategies, vCommission is the right place to be. Sign up now and start building campaigns that are built for the privacy-first era.