Accuracy is crucial when analyzing web traffic and user behavior. Yet, discrepancies often arise between different analytics tools. A notable example is the variance in session and user numbers between Mixpanel (implemented with Vendo) and other tools such as Google Analytics. This article aims to clarify why these differences occur and how Vendo’s implementation with Mixpanel offers more accurate data.
The Role of Cookies in Data Accuracy
Cookies play a fundamental role in tracking user behavior across websites. However, not all cookies are created equal, and the type of cookie used can significantly impact the accuracy of the data collected.
1. Third-Party Cookies
Vulnerability to Deletion: Third-party cookies are set by domains other than the user is visiting. These cookies are prone to deletion by browsers, especially with privacy-focused updates like Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), which deletes cookies every seven days. Additionally, users can block all third-party cookies, leading to inflated session numbers, as each pageview without a cookie is counted as a new session.
Ad Blockers: Ad blockers block around 30% of all tracking attempts, causing underreporting of events and further inaccuracies.
2. First-Party Cookies
Retention: First-party cookies are set by the domain the user is visiting. Vendo leverages Shopify’s first-party cookies, which are more resilient to deletion. These cookies remain unless the user manually deletes their browser cookies, ensuring more consistent and accurate tracking. Note that some tools like Google Analytics set cookies as first-party cookies, but Safari and Ad Blockers still identify and block them.
Server-Side Tracking: Mixpanel, implemented with Vendo, utilizes server-side tracking, which mitigates the issues caused by client-side cookie deletion. This approach provides a more reliable dataset by using Shopify’s anonymous ID as the unique identifier for users.
The Impact on Metrics
Inflated Session Numbers: Tools relying on third-party cookies often show inflated session numbers. For instance, Apple’s ITP leads to frequent cookie deletions, causing each new pageview to start a new session. This can inflate session numbers by up to 60%.
Inflated Unique User Numbers: Due to the same cookie deletion issue, unique user counts can be inflated by up to 100% within a 30-day days. Without a persistent identifier, each visit without a cookie is counted as a new user.
Underreported Event Numbers: Event tracking is often underreported by about 10% due to ad blockers and the limitations of third-party cookies. This results in incomplete data for user actions and behaviours.
Why Vendo and Mixpanel Provide More Accurate Data
Vendo’s integration with Mixpanel circumvents these issues by using server-side tracking and first-party cookies. Here’s how:
Consistent User Identification: Vendo uses Shopify’s anonymous ID to ensure that users are consistently identified across sessions, regardless of browser or device.
Robust Data Collection: Server-side tracking is less susceptible to interference from ad blockers and privacy settings, ensuring a more complete and accurate dataset.
Better Retention of Cookies: Since Shopify’s first-party cookies are less likely to be deleted, the data remains more stable over time, reducing discrepancies with third-party cookies.
Real-World Implications
The differences between Mixpanel and other tools are more than just technical nuances—they have real-world implications for businesses:
Marketing Attribution: Accurate session and user data are critical for understanding the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Inflated or underreported numbers can lead to misguided decisions and wasted marketing spend.
User Experience: Understanding true user behaviour helps optimize the website's user experience. Inaccurate data can lead to incorrect assumptions and ineffective changes. This is particularly an issue when analysing user experience across multiple sessions, where cookie-based tracking will fail.
Business Strategy: Reliable data forms the foundation of strategic decisions. Accurate metrics help businesses understand their reach, user engagement, and overall performance more precisely.
Conclusion
The discrepancies between session and user numbers in Mixpanel implemented with Vendo versus other tools boil down to the type of cookies used and the tracking method. Vendo’s use of Shopify’s first-party cookies and server-side tracking with Mixpanel provides more accurate and reliable data, addressing the common issues of cookie deletion and ad blockers faced by other tools. This leads to better-informed business decisions and more effective marketing strategies.