[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/","headline":"Tracking Solutions to track PPC, SEO & Affiliate from Mobile to PC","name":"Tracking Solutions to track PPC, SEO & Affiliate from Mobile to PC","description":"A while ago I did a post about how enhanced campaigns can hurt PPC Affiliates.\u00a0 Although there are no solutions to track shoppers that browse on one device and then shop from another, more tablets are being sold which means your online marketing could and probably will have attribution issues.\u00a0 Although there is no way […]","datePublished":"2013-08-12","dateModified":"2013-08-12","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/author\/adamriemer\/#Person","name":"Adam Riemer","url":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/author\/adamriemer\/","identifier":2,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fda62f751f2a6c2ec2b079fedff69720852e4a65633212ffb11832454c29160a?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fda62f751f2a6c2ec2b079fedff69720852e4a65633212ffb11832454c29160a?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Adam Riemer Marketing, LLC.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/arm-logo-2.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/arm-logo-2.jpg","width":600,"height":60}},"url":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/","commentCount":"8","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/#Comment1","dateCreated":"2016-12-27 08:11:03","description":"Yup, this is one of the ways you can help to do cross device tracking.  I have other solutions we do with clients, but it all depends on their IT capabilities, their website and the goal of the site.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"adam riemer","url":"http:\/\/www.adamriemer.me"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/#Comment2","dateCreated":"2016-12-22 13:53:25","description":"Realy? I didnt' know If the end user logs into your site, you can properly tag the person by using the sale number or cart. Very interesting. Thanks!","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Rosiane","url":""}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/#Comment3","dateCreated":"2015-12-25 07:16:02","description":"Hi Sriram,\n\nYour best bet is to write to them and ask if they have a solution and to give you an explanation on how it works.  As far as I know they currently do not and their lack of a real cookie life would negate having a cross device tracking solution (just my opinion), but I haven't actively looked so I cannot tell you for sure.  \n\nOne nice thing about them is they do have a great mobile experience so people may shop through their mobile device instead of just changing devices to shop.  The downside to their mobile is that it doesn't accurately connect your account.  I tried buying a lightning deal yesterday and it wouldn't recognize that I was a prime member on the app.  I ended up not shopping or buying it because I wanted free shipping since the product was prime.  \n\nIf you're worried about a loss and it's for specific programs, you could always try finding a merchant that carries it and offers cross device solutions if Amazon doesn't.  \n\nI hope this helps,\n\nAdam","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"adam riemer","url":"http:\/\/www.adamriemer.me"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/#Comment4","dateCreated":"2015-12-24 23:24:18","description":"Hi Adam,\n\nHow does an Amazon affiliate get his commission when the user clicks on the affiliate link in one device and places the order using another device? I am assuming that cookies concept works only when one device is used to do both click the affiliate link and place the order on Amazon's site. \n\nOften, I browse blogs and sites using Chrome browser in iPhone, but place orders using my macbook. With this approach will the affiliates lose commission?","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Sriram","url":""}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/#Comment5","dateCreated":"2015-12-07 10:38:35","description":"Hi Alexandre,\n\nYes, you can use these.  By tagging your database and recording through the log in you can use this to help track cross device.  \n\nAdam","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"adam riemer","url":"http:\/\/www.adamriemer.me"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/#Comment6","dateCreated":"2015-12-04 22:48:25","description":"Can't we somehow check by the FB login? You don't need to identify the user, but you gather some info from the Facebook and then check that same info on the other device...","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandre","url":"http:\/\/comotrabalharpelainternet.org"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/#Comment7","dateCreated":"2014-12-20 13:33:53","description":"Hi Jimmy,\n\nGreat speaking with you as well.  I actually have a couple of other solutions not listed here that can fix some of them.  Those however I custom built for specific clients.  This post was a way to help get you thinking about how to do it for your own specific needs.  It's very basic but can start to get more advanced as you tweak it.  =0)\n\nIt depends on the analytics system and what it is capable of.\n\nAlways happy to talk if you ever want to call again.  =0)\n\nThank you for coming by and commenting,\n\nAdam","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Adam","url":""}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/#Comment8","dateCreated":"2014-12-20 11:24:03","description":"hey adam, you grilled me yesterday. :) it was fun.\ni very much enjoyed this article. the premise of having people log in creates a funnel at that moment; there will be people that won't log in. maybe i'm missing the picture here, but won't that happen at the log level where i can get user id, cart number, date time stamp, device type, screen size, channel via utm_source or utm_medium, etc.  the key here being date time stamp where i can then see the user journey. i do love email as the trigger source because the cta link can be generated with an md5 encrypted login.  on click thru you have you user journey tracking set. but still, it's a pain to comp log with GA or any other analytics package. but this still doesn't present a workable solution for pre logged in visitors. how do you feel about GA's multichannel funnel as a source for pre logged in behavior? one could certainly create mediums or campaign values that holds the device information.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Jimmy Joe","url":""}}],"about":["Affiliate Marketing"],"wordCount":1578,"keywords":["tracking mobile to pc","tracking shoppers from tablets to pcs","tracking solutions from tablets to pcs"],"articleBody":"A while ago I did a post about how enhanced campaigns can hurt PPC Affiliates.\u00a0 Although there are no solutions to track shoppers that browse on one device and then shop from another, more tablets are being sold which means your online marketing could and probably will have attribution issues.\u00a0 Although there is no way to properly track these users 100%, here are a few ways you can begin to do it before we have a more accurate solution that is easier to implement across the board.Here is the issue before I get started with solutions.\u00a0 A person gets an email and checks it from their phone or tablet.\u00a0 The person does a search, clicks a PPC ad or Affiliate site or the person clicks through from a comparison engine or SEO.\u00a0 They show the product to friends or family or just don\u2019t want to buy it yet.\u00a0 Because they are tagged on their mobile device including smart phones and tablets, if they change devices or switch to a computer to complete the purchase, your tracking cookies aren\u2019t set, the IP address more than likely changes and you cannot recognize the shopper when they do finish so you won\u2019t know what channel to credit the sale to, who you owe money to or what channel is performing the best.\u00a0 This is why it is important to think of a solution to help track mobile to desktop, tablet to desktop and any other variation of shoppers that change devices.\u00a0 Here are a few things that you can do to help track some of the shoppers that change devices during the shopping process.\u00a0 They aren’t and won’t be 100% accurate or reliable, but they could possibly help you to find and attribute more sales that would have been lost.Have the end user log in.If the end user logs into your site, you can properly tag the person by using the sale number or cart.\u00a0 If you can get your mobile or tablet user to log into your site, you can properly tag them by passing the keywords from the url if you are using PPC, the Affiliate ID (but not cookie) if it is from Affiliates and more importantly, your newsletter list.\u00a0 By having the end user login and using server tracking instead of or in addition to cookies, when the person comes back during the return gap (time you will credit the channel) will still be in tact and your attribution model will be a lot more accurate.\u00a0 You can also credit the right channel and pay your Affiliates if they referred the sale.\u00a0 The reason a cookie won\u2019t work is because the cookie is set on a browser and the user is changing from a mobile device to a desktop or vice versa. \u00a0 Because cookies may not exist on the browser or device the person will shop from which is why cookies may not work in this case.\u00a0 The reason why this is important for email and newsletters is because there is a good chance, at least in my opinion, that your readers may check their email from their phone and then go to your site later to shop.\u00a0 If they are logged into your site, then the server can recognize who they are, where they came from and continue to add attribution points to your time line and properly credit the right channel.\u00a0 Using server tracking and having the person log into your site is an easy way to help pick up some of the misses and losses when a person starts shopping from one device and finishes on another.Ask them to email the page to themselves.This is a double edge sword.\u00a0 If your Affiliates are a big part of your business, or PPC is a huge part and you\u2019ve noticed sales dropping, you may want to ask the end users if they would like to email the page or product to themselves.\u00a0 If the end user opts in to do this then you can parse the tracking id or re-create the Affiliate link and properly credit the channel, partner or keyword for the sale.\u00a0 When the person logs into their email from a different device and clicks the link, it will restart their session, add them back to the proper attribution line and help make sure everyone who should get credit receives it.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the downside.When you do this you may want to incentivize the person.\u00a0 Email this to yourself and save 10% with a coupon.\u00a0 Although your tracking is in place now, you could lose margin from the coupon code.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t offer the code but they still opt in to email the pages to themselves, you could turn someone who would have shopped online into someone who no longer shops with you.\u00a0 They could forget they were going to buy something, you could hit their spam filter or even worse, they find the product for a better price or at a different store and you lose the sale.\u00a0 This option has a definite risk.\u00a0 That is why some sites may feel incentivizing them with a discount is a good option.\u00a0 This could also get other people to log onto your mobile site just to get a coupon and now you are losing margin on all of them.\u00a0 There are definite risks with this so you need to be careful when trying this method.Email their cart to them or a link to check out.If they are dropping off and leaving the cart without paying, you could try one more email attempt.\u00a0 You could ask the mobile use if they would like to email their cart to themselves for a fast checkout later on.\u00a0 By doing this you couple help to save a sale, track the proper channel and bring the person back when they get home or are ready to shop.\u00a0 You will also have their email and if they do not shop within the next few days, as long as it is CANSPAM compliant where you live (if you are in the USA) and with your local city and state guidelines, or in your own country (and you have them double opt in), you can try reaching out again a couple days after with a coupon or a deal to finish their purchase.\u00a0 This could be a great way to help close a potential sale that came from a tablet or mobile device, never closed and would have fallen off your tracking system.Have a phone number pop up to call in and complete the order.If the person leaves as they are checking out, you may want to offer them a phone number to call to complete their order.\u00a0 As long as you have the Affiliate ID, PPC keyword or something else tracked where they can access it on the mobile site and read it to the person taking the order, you can track the orders and attribute the sale.\u00a0 One other option is that when this number shows up, have the person who receives the phone call or customer support get an email with the keyword, Affiliate ID, etc… that brought the customer in.\u00a0 You’ll have to make sure they accurately record everything and if they do you can then add the sale to the right channel and know which channels are performing better.One final thing for Affiliates who are worried about losing sales from tablets and smart phones when the person shops on a desktop.One of the things that scares me as an Affiliate is the increasing amount of laptops and unprepared merchants and networks.\u00a0 Because many networks are cookie based and only some have server tracking, they are not equipped for this new type of shopper.\u00a0 Even server tracking cannot help if the person doesn\u2019t log in and the Affiliate ID isn\u2019t passed.\u00a0 Because of this the networks, in my opinion, should start offering scripts that Affiliates can use to install on their sites and have an email this page or product page link to their visitor\u2019s email address.\u00a0 By having the networks give us this ability we can start to protect our sales, grow our newsletters and they can protect their revenue streams as well.\u00a0 It may be good for some merchants, but when mobile visitors come across an Affiliate site and are interested, it would be in everyones best interest to have a script that helps to email the Affiliate\u2019s id to the shopper and then send them an Affiliate link with the page to their email.As far as I know there isn’t an actual solution to track people who browse from one device and shop through another.\u00a0 Because there are more and more tablets being sold and people shopping across devices, this can become a much larger issue.\u00a0 Figuring out a solution now can help some companies prepare ahead of time and when someone does find a way to do this accurately, they will be able to make a ton of money.\u00a0 If you came up with the idea after reading this and make a million dollars, just make sure you offer me a drink the next time I see you.\u00a0 If you want to work on creating a solution with me, use the contact form as this could be a huge way to really create the next generation of analytics and attribution."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Affiliate Marketing","item":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tracking Solutions to track PPC, SEO & Affiliate from Mobile to PC","item":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/affiliate-marketing\/tracking-solutions-to-track-ppc-seo-affiliate-mobile-to-pc\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]