Despite best efforts, you may see discrepancies in metrics reported by AdRoll and various third-party sources, such as Google Analytics, Shopify, or other ecommerce platforms. The reason for the discrepancies will vary based on each tool and what information they access. AdRoll reports on trackable traffic, whereas another source may report on both trackable and non-trackable traffic.
Here are a couple common causes of reporting discrepancies between AdRoll and third-party tools.
Safari Browsers
Each browser handles third-party tracking differently. Safari has Intelligent Tracking Prevention technology, which restricts all third-party tracking. This impacts all pixel-based tools, which includes AdRoll. Google Analytics and many ecommerce tools use first-party tracking and therefore may not face the same restrictions. This creates a discrepancy between the traffic and conversions reported between tools.
Offline, Marketplace, and Third-Party Checkouts
If your business tracks offline conversions (e.g. POS system), sells on marketplaces like Amazon, or uses a third-party checkout provider, AdRoll cannot by default access those channels. If your offline and marketplace conversion metrics are connected to your ecommerce store or analytics tool, you may see discrepancies with AdRoll.
By default, AdRoll only reports on conversions we can track that happened on your own website. This is true across our campaign dashboard and total conversion reporting within the attribution dashboard.