What happens to visit count when user moves from mobile app to browser?

[rupaljain2408]

Hi All, 

We have adobe analytics implemented in our website and also our mobile application. Within mobile application, we have many links for our own website, which user can click and it opens in the in-app browser. We have implemented appendToUrl function to add MCID information in opening url, so a new visitor id is not generated when user moves to web page, it uses mcid from mobile app. 

Question here is - Visitor is same but does the visit number increments/changes in this transition and back to mobile app? 

My assumption is that it should not, but our reports depict different story. If someone has experienced or knows about the logic, please let me know. 

Thank you

Regards,

Rupal

[nilotpal]

Hi @rupaljain2408,

A visit always ties to a time period, so you know whether to count a new visit if the same person returns to your site. If the following basic conditions are met, a new visit starts:

• 30 minutes of inactivity
• 12 hours of continuous activity
• 2500 hits for the same user
• 100 hits in 100 seconds

However, if any of the following happens, a new visit will be counted:

• Clears their cache mid-session and continues browsing your site
• Leaves your site open in a tab for longer than 30 minutes, then continues browsing
• Opens a different browser and navigates to your site on the same computer
• The same person browsing your site on different devices

Switching from mobile app to web browser is the same as changing browsers on the device. Hence, we can expect the visit number to change. However, since the MID is overwritten on transitioning from app to web and the original MID is maintained, the visit number should not change. 

Hope this is helpful.

Ref doc: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/analytics/components/metrics/visits.html?lang=en#behavior-th...

[rupaljain2408]

Hi @nilotpal ,

Thank you for your answer. I understand your point that switching from mobile app to web browser would be same as changing browsers on the device, but our app open the website inside in-app browser, and not the default web browser application of device. 

Does that matter? or will always create new visit when user is moving back and forth from app to web and vice versa. Some of our common functionalities are only in web, hence user has to navigate between mobile and in-app browser many times. 

[leocwlau]

Are you able to check if it is consistently counting the app and web visits as two different visits even if appendToUrl is used, or has it just happened occasionally? Please note that you need to have Experience Cloud ID Service on your website to accept the mcid passed in.

I also experience disconnection from app to web before even with appendToUrl used and it was due to some misconfiguration of the Experience Cloud ID Service. Unfortunately, I can't remember which variable but you may try to check on 'cookieDomain' and 'overwriteCrossDomainMCIDAndAID'.

[rupaljain2408]

Hi @leocwlau ,

Thank you for responding. 

It is a consistent behaviour. We do have ECID service in our website to accept mcid being passed. AppendtoURL also work perfectly fine, since we checked in debugger, visitor's mcid remains consistent in this movement. 

But I am unsure about the count of visits that visitor is making while moving back and forth. If it increases each time user moves from app to web and vice versa, then it's an issue for us unfortunately.

[leocwlau]

Using the appendToUrl function and ECI service, the app and web parts should be tracked as one visit so there should only be one visitor and visit counted.

Wondering how is your report telling a different story.

[rupaljain2408]

Ok, I will try to check it again, may be by some other way.

Thanks

[Alexis_Cazes_ · Accepted solution]

The key in your explanation is appendToUrl, this will pass the MID from app to browser so there should not be any changes in the visit as same Visitor ID is present.

Simple way to validate this is to extract a data feed and check visitor ids columns to check they are the same, also if you check visit_num and visit_page_num (post version) and finally this one should indicate that it is a new visit.

new_visit

Flag that determines if the current hit is a new visit. Set by Adobe servers after 30 minutes of visit inactivity.

tinyint unsigned

[rupaljain2408]

@Alexis_Cazes_  , thanks ! I was under the same impression. But I will validate also as you suggested.