User-Centric Tracking (2): The next level

The following examples and graphics describe the operation of User Centric Tracking once again in detail. Each individual image – unless stated otherwise – shows a completed visit to the website. Under the images is the information collected by tracking while above them is the information which was additionally written into the database. The most important metrics are also given for each example.

The following abbreviations are used in the graphics:

EID: End device (Cookie ID, in Mapp Intelligence: End device Visitor ID)
CID: Customer ID (in Mapp Intelligence: Custom Visitor ID)
BID: Visitor ID (in Mapp Intelligence: Visitor ID)

Basic information about User Centric Tracking can be found in the article User Centric Tracking (1): An introduction.

Logic without providing a Customer ID

The user in our examples is Anna. Anna has three different end devices – a smartphone, a tablet and a laptop. She visits an online shopping website with all three end devices, one after the other.

Visitors: 3
Browsers, unique: 3

Anna does not register or log in for any of the visits. This means that no Customer ID is provided to Mapp via which Anna could be identified across all end devices. For this reason, each end device is recorded as an individual visitor. The Visitors metric and the Browsers, unique metric show the same number.

If no Customer ID is provided, the introduction of User Centric Tracking has no effect.

Logic when providing a Customer ID

One user with multiple end devices

Example A)

Anna visited the website using all three end devices. This time, however, she had a Customer ID "A" which she supplied at each visit

Visitors: 1
Customers, unique: 1 (with 3 Visits)
Browsers, unique: 2

Anna visits the website using her smartphone and laptop. She provides her Customer ID (CID) during two of these visits. During the first visit, her smartphone and Customer ID (CID) are tracked, and a Visitor ID (BID) is created, linked to both the smartphone (Cookie ID) and Customer ID.

On her second visit, although her laptop is new to the system, Anna is identified by her Customer ID (CID), and the visit is linked to her Visitor ID. The laptop is then internally associated with this Visitor ID (BID).

In the third visit, Anna doesn’t provide her Customer ID, but she is recognized through her laptop, so the visit is again linked to her Visitor ID (BID).

The Visitors metric, which is based on the Visitor ID, counts 1 Visitor. Thanks to the Visitor ID, all three visits are linked to the same Customer ID. The Customer ID (CID) must be provided during the first visit from any new device (e.g., the laptop).

Example B)

Visitors: 2
Customers, unique: 1 (with 2 Visits)
Browsers, unique: 2

In this example, no Customer ID (CID) is supplied during the second visit. The laptop is, however, still unknown during this visit. It can therefore not be allocated to Anna and a new Visitor ID (BID) is generated internally.
The allocation of a visit to a Visitor ID always takes place at the end of a visit and cannot be modified retroactively. The link between Anna's Visitor ID "111" and her laptop is therefore only effective beginning from the third visit.
One exception to this rule is the missing supply of a Customer ID (CID) during the first visit in general.

Example C)

Visitors: 1
Customers, unique: 1 (with 2 Visits)
Browsers, unique: 1

Anna had already visited the website once using her laptop before registering and receiving a Customer ID (CID) . Since the Visitor ID (BID) does not need to be modified retroactively and only needs to be linked to the Customer ID, both visits are allocated to Anna.

Multiple users with a single end-device

Example A)

Anna has a boyfriend – Björn. Björn is also interested in the products of the online shop and uses Anna's laptop.
Björn has his own Customer ID (CID) "B". Using this Customer ID, he can be uniquely identified during his visit even though he is using Anna's laptop.

Visitors: 2 (with 3 Visits)
Customers, unique: 2 (with 3 Visits)
Browsers, unique: 2

The third visit is therefore allocated to him and not to Anna. For his Visitor ID (BID), a number is generated which is independent of that of the Cookie ID for the laptop.
If the laptop is then used for another visit during which no Customer ID (CID) is supplied, the visit is always allocated to the most recent visitor identified by Customer ID – in this case Björn.
But what happens if Anna and Björn visit the website one immediately after the other and Björn's Customer ID (CID) is supplied before Anna's visit is concluded (after 30 minutes of inactivity)? A visit can always only be allocated to a single visitor.

Example B)

Visitors: 2 (with 3 Visits)
Customers, unique: 2 (with 3 Visits)
Browsers, unique: 1

As soon as Björn's Customer ID (CID) is supplied, Mapp recognizes that he is a new visitor and internally divides the visit into two visits (marked by the dashed line). One is allocated to Anna and the other to Björn.

Synoptical table