Online Marketing ROI Tracking via User Identifier Mediation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current online marketing systems lack the ability to effectively track which advertisements lead to sales, making it difficult for advertisers to determine the return on investment (ROI) due to anonymous customer interactions and lack of association between user responses and purchases.
Innovation Solution
A system that associates customer contact information with a user identifier linked to online marketing interactions, allowing for post-purchase correlation and calculation of ROI by tracking user identifiers and advertisement interactions, even when contact information is provided at different times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If user tracking is implemented using basic IP addresses or device identification numbers, then user anonymity is maintained, but the ability to associate purchases with specific advertisements is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a user identifier (UID) as an intermediary element that bridges the gap between anonymous user interactions and identifiable purchase data. The UID is stored in cookies on user devices and serves as a mediator that can be associated with both advertisement interactions and purchase transactions without requiring direct collection of sensitive contact information at each stage
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by establishing user identifier associations with contact information in advance, before purchases occur. The patent creates a lookup table that pre-associates UIDs with contact information during user interactions with advertisements, enabling later correlation with purchases without requiring real-time information collection at the point of sale
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive user information is collected during ad viewing, then purchase attribution accuracy is improved, but user privacy and anonymity are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the information collection process into distinct phases: first collecting minimal identifying information (UID from cookies) during ad interactions, then separately associating this UID with contact information in a lookup table, and finally correlating with purchase data. This segmentation allows precise measurement without requiring all information to be collected simultaneously or directly from users at each stage
Solution Approach 2:
The lookup table serves as an intermediary data structure that stores the association between user identifiers and contact information. This intermediary allows the system to match purchases with advertisements through the UID without requiring direct access to or collection of sensitive contact information at the point of purchase attribution
3Quantity of substance
If redirect tracking systems are used to record user responses, then some advertising data is captured, but the connection between advertisements and final purchases cannot be established
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous tracking by maintaining user identifier associations throughout the entire customer journey from advertisement interaction through to purchase. The system continuously monitors and records the UID across multiple touchpoints and maintains the association with the lookup table, ensuring unbroken tracking continuity that enables definitive linkage between advertisements and final purchases
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop by receiving purchase information containing UIDs, matching these UIDs against the lookup table to identify associated contact information, and then using this feedback to attribute purchases to specific advertisements. This feedback mechanism closes the loop between advertising interactions and purchase outcomes, enabling accurate ROI calculation
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed systems and methods aid advertisers in improving the calculation of the return on investment (ROI) for online marketing. The systems and methods allow advertisers to calculate the ROI of the online marketing of one or a plurality of advertisements by tracking the user identifier of the user devices used to interact with online marketing materials (e.g., online advertisement) and then, once a purchase is made, reconciling which marketing materials the customer interacted leading up to the purchase.