Any customer who uses your app can now directly open a product that they see online, either through a social media ad or by searching for it online. This is called app deep linking, and it translates to more customer engagement and higher conversion rate.
What is app deep linking?
App deep linking is a technology that uses the uniform resource identifier (URI) to pass information onto a mobile device. A Shopgate deep link consists of these smart identifiers that tell a smartphone or tablet to open a specific page of your app.
An example URI, or a deep link, that works for your Shopgate mobile app looks like this:
When a smartphone or tablet receives a Shopgate deep link, it first looks for the app that is mentioned in the URI ("App Identifier"). If the app is installed on the device, the action contained in the URI will be executed.
In the example above, the deep link will tell the device to look for the app "My Awesome Shop." If this app is installed, the product "343131333133383235" will open while the coupon code "SALE" will be added to the cart.
What can I do with it?
Open a page in the app
Using a Shopgate deep link, you can open almost all the pages in your Shopgate apps. For example:
| Openpage | Path |
| Open a product detail page | $appIdentifier:// item/$productNumberHex |
| Open a category page | $appIdentifier:// category/$categoryNumberHex |
| Open a page you created at Shopgate | $appIdentifier:// page/$pageURLKey |
| Open the favorite list | $appIdentifier:// favourite_list |
| Open the cart | $appIdentifier:// cart |
| Open search results | $appIdentifier:// search?s=$searchTerm1+$searchTerm2+... |
Add a coupon to the cart
Since adding a coupon to the cart only happens in the background, this deep link will open the cart by default.
| Add Coupon | Query |
| Add a coupon to the cart | $appIdentifier:// ?coupon=$couponCode |
It is recommended to open an app page (product, category, app page, etc...) while adding a coupon to the cart. For example:
| Add Coupon + OpenPage | Path + Query |
| Open a product detail page | $appIdentifier:// item/$productNumberHex/?coupon=$couponCode |
| Open a category page |
$appIdentifier:// category/$categoryNumberHex/?coupon=$couponCode |
| Open a page you created at Shopgate |
$appIdentifier:// page/$pageURLKey/?coupon=$couponCode |
| Open the cart |
$appIdentifier:// cart/?coupon=$couponCode |
How do I configure a deep linking URI?
Find the path values
The easiest way to find the path values for a Shopgate deep link is to go to your mobile website. (Not using the Shopgate mobile website? You can still access it or find the Path Values in your Shopgate Admin.)
| actions | Configure a deep link from a link of the mobile website |
| Open a product detail page |
Please note: to get the product number of a parent product, do NOT choose any variations (size, color, etc.). To get a product number of a specific variant (eg t-shirts in size XL and color red), apply the variations, and the address field will change to the variant's product number accordingly. |
| Open a category page |   |
| Open a custom page |   |
| Search for a product |   |
I need to know more about the deep link structure.
Similar to a URL, a deep link consists of a fixed structure like this:
| app identifier |
Your shop alias at Shopgate, (such as myawesomeshop) is the unique App Identifier in your Shopgate mobile URL.
|
|
| Path |
There are 5 different Paths you can use:
|
|
| PathValue |
Some Paths (pages) use a unique value.
|
Where can I find the $productNumberHex or the $categoryNumberHex? |
| Query |
Queries can be used to add a coupon or a tracking parameter to a deep link.
|
|
* The $productNumberHex and the $categoryNumberHex are Bin2Hex converted Hex number.
Deep link examples
Using the structure and the parameters explained in the previous section, you can formulate a deep link for your own app. You can choose to use either your shop alias or your shop number at Shopgate to start the URI.
| actions | deep link |
| Open a product detail page |
my_shop_alias://item/123456789012345678/ shopgate-14821://item/123456789012345678/ |
| Open a category page |
my_shop_alias://category/123456789/ shopgate-14821://category/123456789/ |
| Open a custom page |
my_shop_alias://page/my-custom-page/ shopgate-14821://page/my-custom-page/ |
| Add a coupon to cart |
my_shop_alias://cart/?coupon=WINTER SALE shopgate-14821://cart/?coupon=WINTER SALE |
| Open the app home page |
my_shop_alias://index shopgate-14821://index |
| Open a product detail page + add a coupon to the cart |
my_shop_alias://item/123456789012345678/?coupon=WINTER SALE shopgate-14821://item/123456789012345678/?coupon=WINTER SALE |
| Open a category page + add a coupon to the cart |
my_shop_alias://category/123456789/?coupon=WINTER SALE shopgate-14821://category/12345678/?coupon=WINTER SALE |
| Open a custom page + add a coupon to the cart |
my_shop_alias://page/my-custom-page/?coupon=WINTERSALE shopgate-14821://page/my-custom-page/?coupon=WINTERSALE |
| Open a search |
my_shop_alias://search?s=men+shirt shopgate-14821://search?s=men+shirt |
How do I find the path values?
Where can I find the Bin2Hex converted $productNumberHex?
You can convert a Shopgate product number using an online Bin2Hex converter. For example, you can try this one out.
Where can I find the $pageURLKey?
You can find the $pageURLKey in your Shopgate Admin under Design → Pages .
- On this page, select a custom page from the drop-down, then click Settings on the right.
- In the text field URL Key , you will find the $pageURLKey. In most cases, this key should be similar to your page title but with no space between each word.
To learn more about custom pages, read Creating mobile pages with widgets .
Where can I find the $couponCode?
You can find the $couponCode in your Shopgate Admin under Marketing → Coupons .
On this page, you will find your coupons listed in the "Coupon list." Your $couponCode can be found in the first column.
