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Kin: Order & Push Attribution

Kin app

This article applies to the Kin app (now part of Reactiv). If your app was built with Reactiv, see the Reactiv support docs instead.

This article explains how Kin decides that an order came from your app, and how sales are credited to push notifications.

How app orders are identified​

Kin checks two signals, in this order:

  1. A kinn_session_id custom attribute on the order. This is the strongest signal.
  2. A referral parameter added when the app loads your store's pages:
?ref=kinn_<session id>

If the URL already has a ref value, the Kin value is added after it.

Shopify saves the referral parameter as the referral code in the order's customer journey. After an order is placed:

  • If the shopper visited once before buying, the referral code from that visit is used.
  • If the shopper visited more than once, the referral code from the last visit is used (last touch).
  • If that referral code starts with kinn_, the order counts as an app order and is linked to the app session it came from.

Orders Kin attributes are tagged Kinn Mobile App in Shopify. Signed-in shoppers can also be tagged Kinn App User.

Timing​

Shopify usually adds customer journey data to an order within about 20 minutes. Kin metrics are calculated daily, so app orders normally appear on your dashboard the next day.

How push notification sales are attributed​

An order is credited to a push notification when the shopper's email or device matches that notification, and before the order they either:

  • tapped that notification within the past 7 days, or
  • received that notification within the past 24 hours.

The order can be an app order or another Shopify order for that shopper. If more than one notification matches, the most recent one is used. Inbox taps are not used for this match.

Because of the 7-day window, a campaign's attributed sales are finalized 7 days after it's sent.

FAQ​

Why do I see ref=kinn_... in my URLs or in Shopify's referral data? That's the Kin attribution tag. It's expected and doesn't affect the shopper.

Can I remove the ref parameter in a redirect or theme script? No. If the parameter is removed before Shopify records the visit, those orders won't be counted as app orders.

Why don't my app orders match Shopify's sales channel report? Checkout runs through your Shopify checkout, so Shopify may report some app orders under your online store rather than the Kin sales channel. Kin analytics use the referral code instead, which catches app orders regardless of the sales channel.

Why are today's app orders missing? App orders appear after the daily calculation runs, usually by the next morning.

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