The challenge of tracking affiliate conversions that begin on one device (mobile click) and complete on another (desktop purchase). Scope: estimates suggest 20-40% of e-commerce conversions involve device switching. Attribution gap: standard cookie-based tracking drops the conversion trail at the device boundary, under-counting publisher influence for mobile-heavy publishers. Solutions: login-based tracking (deterministic, requires logged-in sessions on both devices); probabilistic matching (IP/fingerprint signals, 70-85% accuracy); discount code backup attribution (device-agnostic, relies on publisher-specific code applied at checkout). Mobile publisher impact: Instagram and TikTok publishers with primarily mobile audiences are most affected by cross-device attribution gaps.
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