Method and System for Online Conversion Attribution

Abstract

A system for online conversion attribution. The system includes a short uniform resource locator (URL) service programmed to, in response to receiving a short URL from a device: provide a cookie that includes a short URL ID to the device, and provide a short URL descriptor including the short URL ID to a user mapping service. The system further includes the user mapping service programmed to receive the short URL descriptor, receive a social media descriptor including a social media ID, map the short URL ID to the social media ID using the short URL descriptor and the social media descriptor, and attribute, using the mapping, a conversion on a website accessed using the device based upon receipt of the short URL ID from the device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 at least one computer processor; and   a memory configured to store instructions that are executable by the at least one computer processor to:
 provide, for incorporation into a first webpage of a set of webpages associated with a second system, the first webpage displayable on a web browser application executing on a user device, browser-executable code for detecting a first user activity associated with the first webpage; 
 receive, from a second application executing on the user device and upon user interaction of a user of the user device with the second application, an indication of user selection of a short uniform resource locator (URL) address; 
 generate a first descriptor including a user identifier for the user and the short URL address; 
 receive, from the web browser application executing on the user device, a request for the short URL address; 
 generate:
 a cookie including a short URL identifier (ID) associated with the short URL address; and 
 a second descriptor including the short URL ID and the short URL address; 
 
 resolve the short URL address to a corresponding long URL address, wherein the long URL address is associated with the set of webpages including the first webpage incorporating the browser-executable code; 
 transmit the long URL and the cookie to the web browser application on the user device; 
 receive, from the web browser application, when the web browser application loads the first webpage and upon detection of the first user activity on the first webpage at the user device, the short URL ID upon extraction of the short URL ID by the browser-executable code from the cookie on the user device; 
 associate the second descriptor with the detected first user activity based on matching the extracted short URL ID with the short URL ID of the second descriptor; and 
 associate the first descriptor with the detected first user activity based on matching the short URL address of the first descriptor with the short URL address of the second descriptor. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first descriptor further includes a first timestamp associated with the received indication of the user selection of the short URL address. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the second descriptor further includes a second timestamp associated with the received request for the short URL address. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the associating the first descriptor with the detected first user activity is further based on the difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp being within a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the predetermined threshold is one day or less. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the predetermined threshold is at least one day. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the browser-executable code is a tracking pixel code that is configurable to specify the first user activity. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the first user activity includes one or more of a user purchase, an order confirmation, the first webpage loading on the web browser application, or a form submission. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first descriptor and the second descriptor constitute a first pair of descriptors, and wherein the memory is further configured to store instructions that are executable by the at least one computer processor to associate a second pair of descriptors with detected second user activity. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first descriptor and the second descriptor constitute a first pair of descriptors, and wherein the memory is further configured to store instructions that are executable by the at least one computer processor to:
 evaluate a second pair of descriptors against detected second user activity; and   deem the second pair of descriptors as not associable with the detected second user activity.   
     
     
         11 . A method, comprising:
 providing, for incorporation into a first webpage of a set of webpages associated with a second system, the first webpage displayable on a web browser application executing on a user device, browser-executable code for detecting a first user activity associated with the first webpage;   receiving, from a second application executing on the user device and upon user interaction of a user of the user device with the second application, an indication of user selection of a short uniform resource locator (URL) address;   generating a first descriptor including a user identifier for the user and the short URL address;   receiving, from the web browser application executing on the user device, a request for the short URL address;   generating:
 a cookie including a short URL identifier (ID) associated with the short URL address; and 
 a second descriptor including the short URL ID and the short URL address; 
   resolving the short URL address to a corresponding long URL address, wherein the long URL address is associated with the set of webpages including the first webpage incorporating the browser-executable code;   transmitting the long URL and the cookie to the web browser application on the user device;   receiving, from the web browser application, when the web browser application loads the first webpage and upon detection of the first user activity on the first webpage at the user device, the short URL ID upon extraction of the short URL ID by the browser-executable code from the cookie on the user device;   associating the second descriptor with the detected first user activity based on matching the extracted short URL ID with the short URL ID of the second descriptor; and   associating the first descriptor with the detected first user activity based on matching the short URL address of the first descriptor with the short URL address of the second descriptor.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the first descriptor further includes a first timestamp associated with the received indication of the user selection of the short URL address. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the second descriptor further includes a second timestamp associated with the received request for the short URL address. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the associating the first descriptor with the detected first user activity is further based on the difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp being within a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the browser-executable code is a tracking pixel code that is configurable to specify the first user activity. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first user activity includes one or more of a user purchase, an order confirmation, the first webpage loading on the web browser application, or a form submission. 
     
     
         17 . A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed causes a processor to:
 provide, for incorporation into a first webpage of a set of webpages associated with a second system, the first webpage displayable on a web browser application executing on a user device, browser-executable code for detecting a first user activity associated with the first webpage;   receive, from a second application executing on the user device and upon user interaction of a user of the user device with the second application, an indication of user selection of a short uniform resource locator (URL) address;   generate a first descriptor including a user identifier for the user and the short URL address;   receive, from the web browser application executing on the user device, a request for the short URL address;   generate:
 a cookie including a short URL identifier (ID) associated with the short URL address; and 
 a second descriptor including the short URL ID and the short URL address; 
   resolve the short URL address to a corresponding long URL address, wherein the long URL address is associated with the set of webpages including the first webpage incorporating the browser-executable code;   transmit the long URL and the cookie to the web browser application on the user device;   receive, from the web browser application, when the web browser application loads the first webpage and upon detection of the first user activity on the first webpage at the user device, the short URL ID upon extraction of the short URL ID by the browser-executable code from the cookie on the user device;   associate the second descriptor with the detected first user activity based on matching the extracted short URL ID with the short URL ID of the second descriptor; and   associate the first descriptor with the detected first user activity based on matching the short URL address of the first descriptor with the short URL address of the second descriptor.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the first descriptor further includes a first timestamp associated with the received indication of the user selection of the short URL address, and wherein the second descriptor further includes a second timestamp associated with the received request for the short URL address. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the associating the first descriptor with the detected first user activity is further based on the difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp being within a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the browser-executable code is a tracking pixel code that is configurable to specify the first user activity.