The document discusses Adobe Analytics and cross-device identification strategies implemented by Debenhams to unify customer views across various digital touchpoints. It highlights the use of the s.visitorid feature to link customer interactions while addressing challenges such as fragmented data and the necessity of proper tagging and QA. The presentation also covers alternative solutions for cross-device tracking and customer information enrichment through tools like Tealium.

1. Adobe Analytics &
Cross-Device Identification
Konstantinos Papadopoulos
Analytics Implementation Manager
E-Commerce, Debenhams

2. Feature: s.visitorID
• Used to overwrite anonymous & randomly generated visitor identifier
(i.e. s_vi cookie) with proprietary business IDs
• Reference:
https://marketing.adobe.com/resources/help/en_US/sc/implement/x
device_connecting.html
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

3. Fragmented Customer View
Desktop at home
• Paid Search
• Affiliate
Mobile on the go
• Email
• Natural Search
Desktop at work
• Direct
• Purchase
How do we properly identify and attribute all these interactions?
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

4. Unified Customer View
Desktop at home
• Paid Search
• Affiliate
Mobile on the go
• Email
• Natural Search
Desktop at work
• Direct
• Purchase
s.visitorID enables tying all hits and visits
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

5. Usual/default implementations
• Anonymized customers
• Mainly behavioural information
• Fragmented across multiple devices
and sites
• Optionally store customer IDs to
eVars/props; further information as
classifications
• Visitors are still considered 2 distinct
unique visitors as far as Adobe is
concerned
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

6. Opportunities
• CRM/Email IDs
• passed as URL query string parameters on
email campaigns and subsequently
captured
• Back-end IDs
• Exposed onto the data layer on customer
login or during the checkout
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

7. “What Adam and Jan said”
• Adam Greco - 2014: Authenticated-only Report Suite
• http://analyticsdemystified.com/adobe-analytics/linking-authenticated-visitors-across-
devices-sitecatalyst/
• Jan Exner - 2014: Authenticated-only Report Suite along with paid marketing
channels or other success metrics
• https://webanalyticsfordevelopers.com/2014/03/11/cross-device-linking-what-adam-said/
• Alternatives/Complementary solutions:
• Adobe Workbench
• requires Adobe Premium
• Adobe Marketing Cloud Visitor ID service
• more suitable for cross-domain tracking and share information across different Adobe solutions
• Offline processing and visit tying
• Resource intensive
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

8. Debenhams case
1. Authenticated-only Report Suite through VISTA rules (Adam)
2. Transferring paid marketing channels to the authenticated RS (Jan)
But also:
3. Transferring Natural Search and Direct
4. Handling multiple customer authentications (multiple customer IDs)
per browser session
5. Enrich customer information through Tealium Audience Stream
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

9. Solution – Implementation
Hit #
1st hit - No Customer ID
available
2nd hit – Customer ID
available
3rd hit – Customer ID available
Default RS
- Default hit
- Store marketing channel details and referral information
(ie cookies)
- Customer ID into prop
- Original Campaign into prop
- Original referral into prop
- Permanently store ID to browser so it is available to
subsequent hits (visitor cookie)
- Customer ID into prop
Authenticated RS
No hit
- Customer ID copied to s.visitorID
by VISTA rule #2
- Original referral into s.referral by VISTA rule #3
- Original campaign into s.campaign by processing rules
- Customer ID copied to s.visitorID by VISTA rule #3
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams
Session Start
Session Start
Hit copied by VISTA rule #1
Hit copied by VISTA rule #1

10. Solution – Reporting
Sale (£45)
Authenticate
(XYZ)
Product ViewLanding PageSale (£60)
Authenticate:
(ID XYZ)
Product ViewLanding Page
Paid Search Anonymous Anonymous Sale Email Anonymous Anonymous Sale
Email (XYZ) Sale (XYZ)
Paid Search
(XYZ)
Sale (XYZ)
1st visit – Desktop Device 2nd visit – Mobile Device
2 anonymous customers. Separate customer value, isolated or fragmented behaviour
1 identified & unique customer. Cross-device customer value
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams
Copied by VISTA rule Copied by VISTA rule
Transferred by
tagging
Transferred by
tagging

11. Points to watch
• A lot of custom tagging & thorough QA required
• Session cookies: used to identify visit & authentication status. Always set a explicit cookie expiration.
Browsers that restore sessions (“continue where you left before”), restore also session cookies.
• Marketing Channels: natural search detection rules are evaluated as the hit is received and before
processing/VISTA rules. Extra customization required just for the Auth RS.
• One-off cost for VISTA rules deployment
• Secondary server calls cost
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

12. Volume of visitors
• True Unique Visitors
after deduplication
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams
Default Unique
Visitors
reported by
Adobe
Unique Visitors
with identifier
(not deduplicated)
True Unique
visitors after
deduplication

13. Volume of visitors - Comparison
Main Report Suite Authenticated Report Suite
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams
x * 3 / 15 z * 10 / 15

14. Sale (£45)
Internal
Search
Product
View
Landing
Page
Sale (£60)
Basket
Page
Product
View
Landing
Page
Entry prodView scView Order Entry prodView se37 Order
Enhanced reporting - eVars
• eVars with no expiration become more useful
Visit-based eVar Visit-based eVar
Visitor-based eVar
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

15. Enhanced reporting - Workspace
Visitor Fallout - Main RS Visitor Fallout - Authenticated RS
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

16. Enhanced reporting – Calc. Metrics
• Calculated metrics with Reporting
Window Participation become more
useful
• Metrics allocation:
http://analyticsdemystified.com/adobe-
analytics/different-flavors-success-
events-part-2/
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams

17. Customer Information Enrichment
- Not just reporting
Anonymous Customer
Generic anonymous online
behaviour
Authenticated Customer
Back-end ID: XYZ
Join previously identified
behaviour from other
devices
Tealium Audience Stream
Back-end ID: XYZ
Gender
Offline activity
Loyalty Card Holder
Age group
(…other customer meta-
data)
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams
This presentation focused on Adobe Analytics and reporting. But big part of data orchestration takes place in Tealium which in turn can feed
marketing tools, Audience Stream and act as joining point with offline sources.

18. Questions and Feedback
Connect at:
• https://measure.slack.com/ - konstantinos.pap
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/papadopoulosk/
Digital Analytics - E-Commerce - Debenhams