TL;DR: When you share an Amazon affiliate link on Instagram or TikTok, it opens in the in app browser where shoppers are not logged in and cannot use one tap checkout, so many abandon the purchase and you lose the commission. An Amazon deeplink from OpenUp.to opens the Amazon app directly, where shoppers buy faster. Your affiliate tag is preserved, the setup is free, and no code is needed.

If you earn from Amazon affiliate links, the in app browser is quietly eating your commissions. Here is exactly how it happens and how to fix it.

Why affiliates lose sales to the in app browser?

When a follower taps your Amazon link on Instagram, it opens in Instagram's in app browser. There, the shopper is often not logged into Amazon, cannot use one tap checkout or Apple Pay, and has to type their email, password, and payment details manually. Each of those steps loses people. Many simply give up, and a give up means no commission for you, even though the shopper wanted the product enough to tap.

This matters more for affiliates than for almost anyone else, because your income is directly tied to completed purchases. A lost checkout is not a soft metric, it is lost money. And because affiliate cookies are time sensitive, a shopper who bounces and buys later through a different path may not be credited to you at all.

How Amazon's app changes the math?

Inside the Amazon app, your shopper is already logged in, with their shipping address and payment method saved. Checkout can be one or two taps. The difference between a manual login and checkout in a cramped browser, versus a one tap purchase in the app, is enormous when you multiply it across every click you send. You are not changing your content or your audience. You are removing the steps that make people quit.

The fix: an Amazon deeplink that opens the app

A deeplink sends the shopper straight into the Amazon app, where they are already logged in with their payment and shipping saved. Checkout becomes fast and familiar. More completed purchases means more commissions from the exact same traffic you were already sending.

Does it keep my affiliate tag?

Yes. OpenUp preserves your Amazon affiliate tag in the deeplink, so your commissions are tracked correctly. You do not lose attribution by using a deeplink. This is a common worry, so it is worth saying clearly: the tag travels with the link, and the sale is credited to you the same way it would be with a normal affiliate URL.

Step by step for affiliates

1. Copy your Amazon product URL, including your affiliate tag.

2. Sign up free at OpenUp.to.

3. Paste the URL and generate a deeplink.

4. Share that deeplink in your bio, posts, or stories.

Every tap now opens the Amazon app directly, with a fallback to the Amazon website for anyone who does not have the app.

Scaling up as an affiliate

If you post many product links, volume matters. The free plan is perfect for testing the approach on your best performing products. Once you see the difference, the Pro plan at $23.99 per month gives you 250 links per month, advanced analytics, and UTM parameters so you can see which posts and which products drive the most buyers. That data lets you double down on what works instead of guessing. The Premium plan at $64.99 per month removes the monthly link cap entirely if you operate at high volume.

A simple test to prove the lift

Pick one product you promote regularly. For two weeks, use your normal Amazon link and note your conversions. For the next two weeks, use an OpenUp deeplink for the same product with the same style of posts. Compare. Because the only variable you changed is the link, a rise in completed purchases is a fair signal that opening the app is recovering commissions you were losing.

Common mistakes to avoid

Do not strip your affiliate tag when copying the URL, because then no version of the link will pay you. Do not use a generic shortener that fails to open the Amazon app. And do not switch every link at once without measuring, since testing on a few products first proves the value and builds your confidence.

Why affiliate cookies make speed matter?

Affiliate commissions usually depend on a cookie that credits you for a sale within a limited window after the click. Every extra second and every extra step before checkout is a chance for that window to be wasted. When a shopper has to log in manually inside a cramped in app browser, hunt for their card, and type an address, many abandon the cart entirely, and the ones who come back later may buy through a path that does not credit you. Opening the Amazon app, where the shopper is already logged in with one tap checkout, collapses that delay. Speed is not a luxury for affiliates, it is directly tied to whether you get paid.

Beyond Amazon: other retailer apps

The same logic applies to other retailers whose apps your audience already has installed. If you promote products across several stores, you can create a deeplink for each so every shopper lands in the right app with their account ready. This matters most for high intent posts, like a product review or a deal alert, where the shopper has decided to buy and the only question is whether checkout is easy enough to finish. Removing friction at that exact moment is where deeplinks earn their keep for an affiliate.

Build a simple system

Treat your deeplinks as part of a repeatable system rather than a one off. Keep a list of your best performing products with their OpenUp deeplinks ready to paste. Add UTM parameters on the Pro plan so you can see which posts drive buyers. Review that data monthly and put more energy into the products and formats that convert. Over time this turns a vague sense of what works into a clear, data backed routine that compounds your commissions.

Protect your best content first

Not all of your affiliate posts are equal. A few products and a few formats drive most of your commissions. Start there. Put OpenUp deeplinks on your highest earning product links first, because that is where recovering even a small share of lost checkouts adds up fastest. Once those are converting better, roll the same approach out to the rest of your catalog. Prioritizing your proven winners means you feel the benefit quickly and stay motivated to finish the job.

Honesty builds an affiliate audience

A quick word on trust, since it is your real asset as an affiliate. Audiences can tell when a link experience is smooth and professional versus clunky and frustrating. Sending people into the clean, familiar Amazon app rather than a broken feeling browser quietly signals that you respect their time. Over many posts, that smoothness is part of why people keep trusting your recommendations and keep clicking your links. Good link behavior is not just a conversion tactic, it is part of the relationship.

The bottom line for affiliates

Your traffic is hard won, whether you earned it with reviews, deals, or honest recommendations. Letting a chunk of it die at the in app browser stage is throwing away money you already worked for. An Amazon deeplink keeps your affiliate tag intact, opens the app where checkout is one tap, and recovers commissions you never knew you were losing. Start free, prove it on your best products, and add UTM tracking on Pro once you want to see exactly which posts pay. It is one of the few changes that lifts income without lifting your workload.

Frequently asked questions

Will the deeplink break my affiliate tracking? No. Your affiliate tag is preserved inside the link and the sale is credited to you.

What if the shopper does not have the Amazon app? The link falls back to the Amazon website automatically, so you never lose the sale to a dead end.

Is it free to start? Yes. The free plan covers it. Paid plans start at $8.99 per month, and Pro at $23.99 per month adds UTM parameters and advanced analytics.

Does this work on TikTok as well as Instagram? Yes. The same in app browser problem exists on TikTok, and the same deeplink fixes it.

Can I track which posts drive the most sales? Yes, with UTM parameters and advanced statistics on the Pro plan and above.

Does this work for retailers other than Amazon? Yes. You can create deeplinks for other retailer apps your audience has installed, using the same steps.

Last updated: June 2026. Written by the OpenUp.to team.

Internal links: Amazon deeplinks, deeplink generator, pricing