Cross-Device Tracking: How MAID-to-HEM Data Linkage Powers Identity Resolution

Unacast

Published on:

March 13, 2025

Last updated:

May 12, 2025

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What is Cross-Device Tracking?

Cross-device tracking works by identifying and linking multiple devices a person uses. For advertisers, this is important because consumers interact with brands across multiple devices, from smartphones, tablets, laptops, and even TVs. Piecing together fragments of online behavior from each device is critical for delivering relevant ads and measuring campaign performance accurately.

What is an Example of Cross-Device Tracking for Advertising? Most of us have probably experienced cross-device tracking in some way. Here is an example: someone browses for running shoes on their smartphone but doesn’t make a purchase. That evening, they get a targeted ad from one of the brands on their phone. The next day, they see another ad for the brand’s shoes and decide to buy them on their laptop. This ad experience is seamless because the advertiser recognizes the user across both devices. But it also accurately attributes the research and first ad delivered on the phone to the purchase made on the laptop.

What Are the Benefits of Cross-Device Tracking for Advertisers?

Given that consumers use so many connected devices today, advertisers can struggle to reach a user across all their devices, leading to underperforming campaigns, wasted budget, and poor interpretations of attribution. This is precisely why cross-device targeting is so essential in today’s marketing landscape.

Improved Audience Targeting – Helps advertisers recognize the same user across multiple devices, ensuring more accurate ad delivery and reducing wasted impressions.
Better Attribution & Measurement – Enables tracking of user interactions across devices, giving a clearer picture of the customer journey and improving ROI analysis.
Enhanced Personalization – Allows for more consistent and relevant messaging across a user's devices, creating a seamless ad experience that increases engagement and conversions.

How Does Location Data Help?

Location data is an essential layer of cross-device tracking because it connects digital and real-world behavior. It helps with two approaches to matching devices to a user: deterministic and probabilistic matching.

Deterministic tracking links devices using known identifiers, such as Anonymous Mobile ID (MAID), geolocation, and anonymized emails (HEMs), all of which have a high level of accuracy. On the other hand, probabilistic tracking analyzes patterns like frequently used IP addresses, device types, and behavioral signals to infer connections between devices. While not as precise, probabilistic tracking allows for broader reach and scale. Both probabilistic and deterministic connections are essential for advertisers to have accuracy and scale for their campaigns.

Conclusion:

Cross-device tracking is a crucial tool for advertisers looking to navigate today’s multi-device consumer journey. By connecting users’ digital footprints across smartphones, laptops, and other devices, advertisers can deliver more relevant ads, improve attribution accuracy, and enhance personalization. As technology advances, data sources like location data will improve cross-device strategies, making ad campaigns more precise and impactful.

Want to learn a bit more about how Unacast helps with cross-device tracking? Check out our Data Linkages release page!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Discover how analyzing real-world movement patterns can reveal valuable trends in customer behavior, optimize business operations, and enhance strategic decision-making.

What is site selection and why is it important?

Site selection is the strategic process by which businesses identify, evaluate, and choose optimal locations for their operations. This process is paramount as the location of a business directly influences factors such as accessibility, visibility, profitability, and market longevity. For retailers, the right site can mean higher customer footfall and increased sales. In real estate, a well-selected site can promise lucrative returns on investment and tenant stability. Financial service firms leverage site selection to position their branches or ATMs in high-demand areas. Essentially, site selection plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success and growth of a business by aligning its physical presence with market opportunities and demands.

How does location intelligence enhance site selection?

Location intelligence refers to the harnessing of geospatial data to derive actionable insights, which can significantly enhance the site selection process. By analyzing data like consumer demographics, foot traffic patterns, competitor locations, trade area data, and more, businesses can make more informed decisions about where to establish or expand their operations. Location intelligence allows for a deeper understanding of market dynamics, revealing hidden opportunities or potential pitfalls. For instance, retailers can identify gaps in the market, real estate professionals can forecast property value trends, and financial service providers can assess areas with high customer demand. Advanced tools, like those offered by Unacast, further refine these insights by leveraging AI and machine learning, enabling more precise and timely decision-making.

What challenges do businesses face in the site selection process?

Unacast provides invaluable support to businesses during the site selection process through its advanced location data and analytics software, all powered and refined by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies. The company offers a suite of products designed to deliver accurate, actionable, and comprehensive location intelligence. This data proves crucial for businesses looking to understand consumer behavior, analyze traffic patterns, evaluate competitor locations, and much more. With Unacast’s robust tools, businesses in retail, real estate, and financial services can derive insightful information necessary for making strategic, informed site selection decisions. The platform not only provides reliable data but also ensures it is readily actionable for businesses, whether they are looking to open a new store, invest in property, or expand their financial services to new locations.

What types of location data are crucial for informed site selection?

Demographic data offers insights into the age, income, and lifestyle of people in a particular area, helping businesses understand their potential customer base. Foot traffic data provides information on the number of people visiting a location, which is crucial for retailers to estimate the store's potential popularity and for real estate professionals to assess an area's vibrancy and demand. Geographic Information System (GIS) data helps in visualizing and analyzing geographical details, supporting companies in identifying accessible and strategically located sites. Understanding the proximity to competitors, accessibility, and the socio-economic profile of the surrounding areas is also vital. Unacast’s platform aggregates and analyzes these various data types, providing a holistic view that significantly empowers businesses in their site selection endeavors.