When users move between devices to engage with businesses, it can be challenging for marketers to connect those sessions. This can lead to inaccurate data, misreporting attribution and missed revenue opportunities.

Cross-session device recognition enables marketers to identify users across different devices, improving marketing campaigns and delivering better experiences. This can be accomplished using deterministic and probabilistic methods. Deterministic tracking uses unique identifiers like login details to accurately follow the same user from session to session. This approach evolved as an alternative to cookie-based tracking when websites started requiring users to create accounts in order to use their services.

Recognize Devices Across Multiple Sessions Reliably

Probabilistic methods look at patterns, such as the type of device or how a person interacts with it, to make guesses about whether it’s the same user. These approaches are often less invasive and more privacy-friendly than deterministic tracking.

Regardless of which approach is used, identifying the same user across devices is essential for marketers. This is the only way to ensure that the right ads are shown to the right people at the right time.