Can advertisers track cross-device conversions in Bing Ads?

Yes, Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) allows advertisers to track cross-device conversions, which is important for understanding how users interact with ads across multiple devices (e.g., mobile, desktop, tablet) before completing a conversion.

Here's how cross-device conversion tracking works in Bing Ads:

1. Cross-Device Conversion Tracking with UET
Bing Ads uses Universal Event Tracking (UET) tags to track user behavior across devices. UET tags are placed on your website and track actions like page views, purchases, or form submissions. When users click on an ad, a cookie is placed on their browser. This cookie helps track their activity across different devices if they are signed into the same Microsoft account (e.g., via their Microsoft email address or a linked Microsoft service like Xbox or Office).

2. Data Matching for Cross-Device Attribution
First-party Data: If a user clicks an ad on one device (e.g., a mobile phone) but later converts on a different device (e.g., desktop), Bing Ads can match the user's actions between devices using the data stored in their Microsoft account. This allows Bing Ads to attribute the conversion to the original ad click, even if the user switched devices in the process.

Signed-in Users: Cross-device conversion tracking works best when users are signed into a Microsoft account or another linked service, because this allows Microsoft to track user behavior across devices and sessions. If a user is not signed in, cross-device tracking may be limited, and conversions might not be attributed accurately.

3. Attribution Models
Bing Ads uses different attribution models to assign credit for conversions. This includes last-click, first-click, and other models like time decay or linear attribution. Cross-device tracking helps Bing Ads provide a more accurate attribution model by ensuring conversions are credited to the correct touchpoint, even if a user completes the conversion on a different device than the one they originally clicked on the ad from.

4. Reporting Cross-Device Conversions
Once cross-device conversions are tracked, you can view and analyze this data within the Bing Ads interface. This helps you understand how different devices contribute to conversions, and optimize campaigns accordingly.

You can view cross-device conversions in Bing Ads through:

Conversion Tracking Reports: These reports provide insights into how conversions are distributed across different devices and can help identify patterns in user behavior.

Device Segmentation: You can segment your conversion data by device type to see how well your ads perform on mobile, desktop, and tablet.

5. Cross-Device Tracking Limitations
While Bing Ads provides cross-device conversion tracking, it is important to note some limitations:

User Login Requirement: For accurate cross-device tracking, users need to be signed into their Microsoft account or a linked service. If users are not logged in, the system may not be able to accurately track their behavior across devices.

Cookie Limitations: Users who clear cookies or use private browsing may not be tracked across devices or sessions, which could result in discrepancies in cross-device attribution.

6. Optimization for Cross-Device Conversions
To make the most out of cross-device tracking and attribution, advertisers can:

Monitor Device-Specific Campaigns: Adjust bids for different devices based on conversion performance. For example, if you see a lot of conversions coming from mobile devices, you may want to increase bids for mobile traffic.

Use Remarketing: Implement remarketing campaigns to re-engage users who have interacted with your ads on one device but haven't converted. This is especially useful in a cross-device context.

Adjust Attribution Models: Experiment with different attribution models to see how credit is being assigned across devices, and adjust your strategy to focus on the most valuable touchpoints.

Conclusion
Yes, Bing Ads does support cross-device conversion tracking. By using UET tags and leveraging signed-in user data, Bing Ads can help track and attribute conversions across different devices. This allows advertisers to optimize their campaigns based on a more holistic view of user behavior, regardless of which device the user used at the time of conversion.