How to attribute conversions without cookies with Pathmonk

Step by Step: Solving Attribution Challenges with Pathmonk Intelligence

Traditional website analytics platforms like Google Analytics and Hotjar are adapting to cookie deprecation by heavily enhancing consent management features, focusing on contextual and aggregated data analysis, and trying to educate users and clients about the implications and strategies to overcome cookie deprecation. 

These efforts, however, are not enough, as marketers are losing visibility into user behavior and encountering challenges in tracking conversions across devices and platforms. This shift requires marketers to rethink their analytics strategies, prioritize user privacy and consent, and explore alternative data sources and measurement approaches to maintain effectiveness in understanding and optimizing digital marketing efforts.

Pathmonk Intelligence employs cutting-edge cookieless technology to accurately attribute conversions, mitigating the challenges posed by cookie deprecation. This is all you have to do for precise conversion attribution:

1. Check Your Buying Journey Report

Access your Pathmonk Intelligence account by logging in here.

Once logged in, navigate to the Intelligence menu located on the left sidebar, select the Buying Journey report, and go to Buying Journey Details – Converted visitors.

Within this insightful section, you’ll gain visibility into the conversions at the end of your marketing funnel, along with clear attribution of which channel or campaign contributed to each conversion. This robust report empowers you to make data-driven decisions and refine your marketing strategies for optimal performance.

Select the dates that you want to analyze. You can compare different periods to check how your conversions have evolved over time.

For a comprehensive analysis of your conversions, you can also delve into every stage of the funnel. By exploring each stage, you gain a deeper understanding of how each channel contributes to your overall conversion process. This allows you to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses at different touchpoints, enabling you to refine your marketing efforts and optimize performance across the entire customer journey.

2. Deep Dive into Acquisition Insights

This is an optional step, as you will already have all your conversion attribution information from the Buying Journey report. However, for a more comprehensive understanding of your acquisition efforts, navigate to the Acquisition report. 

Here, you’ll gain access to valuable insights extracted from our AI-powered engine. These insights delve deeper into the performance of your acquisition channels, providing actionable intelligence to further optimize your marketing strategies and maximize your ROI.

Common Attribution Challenges Faced by Marketers

Marketers often face various challenges when it comes to attribution, which refers to the process of assigning credit to the touchpoints or marketing channels that contribute to a conversion or desired outcome. Here are some common attribution challenges:

1. Multi-Channel Complexity

Customers often interact with multiple marketing channels (e.g., social media, email, search) before making a purchase. Determining which touchpoints contributed most to the conversion is challenging due to this complexity.

Marketers may struggle to accurately attribute the value of each touchpoint, potentially leading to misinformed decisions about where to allocate resources.

2. Cross-Device Tracking

People use different devices throughout their customer journey, and tracking their interactions seamlessly across devices is difficult. For example, a customer might research a product on a smartphone and later make a purchase on a laptop.

Marketers may miss the full picture of the customer journey, making it challenging to attribute conversions accurately to the right touchpoints.

3. Time Lag

The customer journey can span a significant period, and attributing conversions to the correct touchpoint over time is challenging. Marketers might attribute more value to recent touchpoints and overlook the importance of earlier interactions in influencing the customer’s decision.

4. Outdated Attribution Models

Choosing the right attribution model (first touch, last touch, linear, etc.) that aligns with business goals is challenging. Different attribution models may provide conflicting insights, making it difficult for marketers to determine the true impact of various touchpoints on the customer journey.

5. Privacy Concerns and Regulation

Increasing concerns about user privacy and regulatory changes impact data collection and tracking capabilities. Marketers may face limitations in accessing certain types of data, affecting the accuracy of attribution models and requiring compliance with evolving privacy standards.

The Limitations of Cookie-Based Attribution

Cookies, once hailed as the go-to solution for tracking user interactions and attributing conversions, operate by storing small pieces of data on a user’s browser. These data snippets, in the form of text files, retain information about a user’s activities on a website. In the context of conversion tracking, cookies play a pivotal role in linking user interactions to specific marketing touchpoints, allowing marketers to attribute conversions to the appropriate channels.

While cookies have been a stalwart companion in the marketer’s toolkit, they are not without their limitations. Privacy concerns have led to increased restrictions on third-party cookie usage, and users are becoming more proactive in managing and blocking cookies altogether. Moreover, cookies fall short in tracking cross-device interactions, leaving gaps in the understanding of the complete customer journey. Additionally, the transient nature of cookies poses challenges in accurately attributing delayed conversions or interactions that span extended periods.

Recognizing the evolving landscape and the constraints of cookie-based attribution, there is a compelling need for alternative methods that can provide more accurate and comprehensive insights. As privacy regulations tighten and consumer expectations shift, marketers must explore innovative solutions that not only respect user privacy but also adapt to the intricacies of contemporary online behaviors. 

It is in this context that Pathmonk Intelligence emerges as a transformative force, offering a new paradigm for conversion attribution that transcends the limitations of traditional cookie-based approaches. In the following sections, we will delve into the distinctive features of Pathmonk Intelligence and guide you through the steps to revolutionize your approach to conversion attribution.

Pathmonk Intelligence: The Solution for Attributing Conversions without Cookies

Pathmonk Intelligence stands out as a solution for attributing conversions without relying on cookies by employing a series of innovative features designed to navigate the challenges posed by the increasing emphasis on user privacy and cross-device usage patterns. This platform addresses key marketing challenges through its unique approach, offering several benefits and features:

• Privacy Compliance: By operating entirely without cookies, it ensures compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA. This shift towards privacy-first approaches helps businesses respect users’ rights while still gathering valuable data​​.
• User-Friendly and Simplified Analytics: The platform is designed as a user-friendly alternative to complex analytics tools, eliminating the need for coding or technical expertise, which makes it accessible for marketers to gain insights without a steep learning curve​​​​.
• Precise Attribution Modeling: Utilizing AI-powered algorithms, Pathmonk Intelligence offers precise attribution modeling, enabling marketers to accurately attribute conversions to the correct channels and campaigns and understand how they perform at every stage of the sales funnel, thus optimizing marketing efforts for improved ROI​​​​.
• Automated Behavior Analysis and Real-Time Insights: It automates the process of behavior analysis, saving time and cutting through technical overhead. The platform also provides real-time analysis of user interactions, allowing for timely and accurate data that is invaluable for dynamic user behaviors​​​​.
• Cross-Device Tracking and Attribution: Pathmonk Intelligence leverages advanced machine learning algorithms for effective cross-device tracking, recognizing patterns in user behavior across multiple devices and ensuring seamless user experiences​​.
• Multi-Channel Funnel Analysis: It enables a comprehensive analysis of multi-channel funnels, providing insights into the contributions of different marketing channels and interactions to conversions. This facilitates optimized budget allocation and strategy refinement​​.
• Simplified Integration and Customizable Data Configuration: The platform offers a straightforward onboarding and installation process, with a customizable data collection setting to align with specific business goals​​​​​​.
• Support for a Wide Range of Websites: Pathmonk Intelligence is suitable for various types of websites, including e-commerce, lead generation, and informational sites, making it a versatile tool for different business needs.

Pathmonk’s AI-driven platform simplifies the complex process of understanding visitor behavior, predicting future actions, and personalizing visitor journeys to drive results. By focusing on actionable insights and clear data interpretation, it enhances lead generation and provides comprehensive insights for effective qualification

How to Add Pathmonk Intelligence to Your Marketing Strategy

Step 1: Set Up your Pathmonk Intelligence Account

If you want a hands-on test of how Pathmonk Intelligence works and what it can do for you, sign up for a free Demo. This hands-on experience will provide you with valuable insights into how Pathmonk Intelligence can work to your advantage. 

Alternatively, you can directly start your journey with Pathmonk Intelligence by signing up for an account.