Creating and Configuring Links That Go to Your App Pages – SHOPLINE Help Center

Smart links and deep links connect websites or marketing campaigns to your store app. When customers click these links in emails, SMS, or ads, they are directed straight to a predetermined app page, simplifying their journey and enhancing conversion rates.

This guide elucidates the key distinctions between smart links and deep links and provides instructions on creating them to maximize your store sales.

Note: Before you begin, make sure you have the Shopper App - Mobile App Builder plugin installed from the SHOPLINE App Store.

Smart Links vs. Deep Links

Selecting the most effective link type is essential for your marketing strategy. This section explores the functionalities of smart links and deep links, helping you decide which works best for your needs.

Smart Links

App Installed: Clicking a smart link takes customers directly to the designated page within your app.
No App Installed: Smart links can be configured to do two things:
- Redirect to App Store/Google Play: Customers are directed to the app’s download page. Upon installation and opening the app, they land on the designated page.
- Redirect to Website: Clicking the link opens the designated webpage directly in the customer's browser.

Note: Tracking parameters generated by Smart Link, including UTM parameters, advertising platform click IDs, and custom parameters, are passed directly to advertising and attribution platforms (such as Firebase and AppsFlyer). This enables more accurate tracking of traffic sources and conversion performance across advertising, social media, email, SMS, and other marketing campaigns.

Deep Links

App Installed: Clicking a deep link takes customers directly to the designated page within your app.
App Not Installed: Deep links have no effect if the app isn't installed.

Supported Redirect Pages

Below are the destinations available for your deep links and smart links. Choose the one that best aligns with your marketing strategy.

App homepage
Collection list page
Product details page
Search results page
Website page
Shopping bag page
Wishlist page
My account page
Custom page (supported only for Deep Links)

Note: Product details page links support SKU parameters. If a link contains a specific SKU, customers are directed to the corresponding product details page with that SKU automatically selected. If the SKU does not exist or cannot be resolved, the product details page is displayed with the default product selection.

Creating Smart Links

To create a smart link, follow these steps:

Go to Shopper App > App Linking in your admin panel. Install Shopper App if you haven’t already.
Select Smart Link and click Create a new link.

On the link creation page, provide the following information:

Campaign name: Give your smart link a descriptive name for easy reference. Up to 50 characters are allowed.
Page type: Select one of the 8 supported page types: Homepage, Collection list pages, Product details pages, Search results pages, Website pages, Shopping bag, Wishlist, or My account. Then complete the required configuration based on the selected page type.
Destination for users who don't have the app installed: Select where customers are directed if they do not have the Shopper App installed.
- App Store / Google Play: Customers are directed to the App Store or Google Play download page after clicking the Smart Link. After installing and opening the Shopper App, they are taken to the selected page.
- Corresponding page of website: Customers are directed to the corresponding website page in their browser after clicking the Smart Link.

Tracking parameter (optional): Enable Tracking parameter if you want to measure the performance of your Smart Link, then enter the UTM parameters as needed: Source, Medium, Campaign, Term, and Content.

Note: Each tracking parameter can contain up to 100 characters and supports only letters, numbers, hyphens (-), underscores (_), and periods (.). The total length of the generated link must be less than 512 characters. Otherwise, the link cannot be saved.

Click Create to generate your smart link.

View the generated results in the Overview panel on the right. After the Smart Link is created, you can also copy the Deep Link, Mapped website URL, and Smart Link for immediate use.

All created Smart Links are listed under the Smart Link tab, where you can view, manage, and edit them as needed.

Smart Link Generation Rules

The system automatically generates a Smart Link based on the Web → App launch rule configured for the selected page type and the destination selected for users who do not have the Shopper App installed.

Note: For detailed instructions on configuring the Web → App opening rules, see "Setting Up Web → App Opening Rules."

If the selected page type has a Web → App launch rule configured and Destination for users who don't have the app installed is set to Corresponding page of website, the system generates a Mapped website URL.
If the selected page type does not have a Web → App launch rule configured, or Destination for users who don't have the app installed is set to App Store / Google Play, the system generates a Smart Link (app custom link).

Note:

The Mapped website URL is automatically generated based on the current domain and page path. It is updated automatically whenever the domain or page path changes.
The Smart Link is automatically generated based on the Web → App launch rule and page path. It is updated automatically whenever the launch rule or page path changes.
The Mapped website URL and Smart Link are read-only and cannot be edited manually.
If the link is already being used in advertising or marketing campaigns, avoid changing the domain, page path, or Web → App launch rule after publishing. Doing so may affect existing link behavior or attribution data.

Creating Deep Links

To create a deep link, follow these steps:

Go to Shopper App > App Linking in your admin panel. Install Shopper App if you haven’t already.
Select Deep Link and click Create a new link.
On the link creation page, provide the following information:
- Campaign name: Give your deep link a descriptive name for easy reference. Up to 50 characters are allowed.
- Page type: Select one of the 9 supported page types: Homepage, Collection list pages, Product details pages, Search results pages, Website pages, Shopping bag, Wishlist, My account, or Custom page. Then complete the required configuration based on the selected page type.
- Tracking parameter (optional): Enable Tracking parameter if you want to track the performance of your Deep Link, then enter the UTM parameters as needed: Source, Medium, Campaign, Term, and Content.
Click Create to generate your deep link.

View the generated Deep Link in the Overview panel on the right. After the Deep Link is created, you can copy it directly for immediate use.

All your created deep links are conveniently listed in a dashboard under the Deep Link tab. Here, you can easily view, manage, and edit them as needed.