We spoke to Giles Hunt, Chief Technology Officer at Optimise, for our Cracking Tracking: Network Q&A.
In one sentence, what makes your tracking so good?
We deliver versatility and reliability through our Universal Tracking, Server to Server (S2S) Tracking and multiple integrations backed by first party data with a flexible data layer.
Now explain to me how it works as if I’m a five-year-old…
We work with our friends to put special tags on their websites. These special tags help us see when people visit or do things like ask for prices or buy stuff. Then, we can discover which friend sent the person to the store and give them a prize for bringing in a customer.
How are we going to get rid of third-party cookies from the affiliate channel once and for all?
Optimise uses first party cookies for tracking and has done for several years. We have worked very closely with our Advertisers to ensure that third-party cookies are not in use in any part of the tracked Affiliate journey, or conversion validation process. We also ensure that any new advertisers do not implement tracking that uses third-party cookies.
What should best-in-class tracking do?
Tracking has become a complex landscape but at its core, it’s about accurately and reliably tracked events and conversions, ensuring that Partners are reliably rewarded for all customers they refer to our Advertisers and that customer satisfaction is maintained at a high level by ensuring that conversions from cashback Affiliates are reliably tracked. However, it’s important not to forget mobile app tracking, consent and the ability segment Commissions with extended basket data.
Tell us some of the work you’re doing to push its adoption.
We work very closely with new advertisers to ensure they implement our most reliable tracking solution. Our tracking is very easy to implement, and we provide support and documentation to assist Advertisers during the implementation process. We constantly monitor our tracking data to identify any possible issues and we have worked extensively with our existing Advertisers to upgrade their tracking to our newest technology.
App tracking tends to get overlooked. What are you doing to make sure it doesn’t?
We actively promote and work with Advertisers to implement App Tracking and integrating into their existing stack. We ensure transparency for Partners by showing where App Tracking is enabled.
There’s so much confusion about tracking because every network uses different terms. Is it essentially all the same?
Fundamentally all tracking is there to achieve the same goal. At Optimise we work closely with our Advertisers and provide them with the tools to maximise the data that they track ensuring they the answers they’re looking for.
What does the future of affiliate tracking look like?
Server to Server tracking will continue to become the go-to solution for conversion tracking. Simpler integrations with one-click setups where possible will make this easier and drive quicker adoption. Flexible integrations and easily accessible data for measuring and delivering ROI are key. Optimise is committed to continual innovation in Tracking.
Thank you to Giles, if you have any questions or would like to get in touch, please email him.
