Create an Event Type

Event types define what impact.com tracks and pays partners for, such as a sale, lead, or app install.

Important: Creating an event type involves technical configuration, including tracking and attribution settings. If you need help at any point, contact support.

1

Access event types

1. From the top navigation bar, select [User profile] → Settings.
2. On the right, under Tracking, select Event Types.
3. In the upper-right corner, select Create Event Type.

2

Name and identify the event type

1. On the Create Event Type screen, enter a name for the event type in the Name field.
2. From the Type [Drop-down menu], select the event type you want to track, for example, Online Sale.

   • [Check] Mark this event type as shared if it applies. Learn more about shared event types.
   • [Check] Share with Advocate is checked by default. Clear it if you don't want this event type shared with Advocate.
3. Optionally, enter a Code that identifies this event type in conversion data, useful when a third party sends the data. It substitutes for the EventTypeId (e.g. INSTALL for event type 1234) and supports multiple comma-separated values.

3

Set tracking and return behavior

Note: Tracking methods don't apply to the Page Visit event type.

1. Under Tracking Method, select how you want to track the conversion event:

Pixel Tracking (recommended)

The recommended conversion reporting method for online actions is pixel tracking, which involves placing the JavaScript tracking code on your conversion confirmation page. Refer to step 7 to complete this tracking configuration.

Non-Pixel Tracking (advanced)

Conversion data is sent via API or via FTP/sFTP upload. Server-to-server tracking is more reliable, and while API conversions can be sent in real time, FTP/sFTP uploads are processed in batches every 15 minutes.

4

1. Under Returns Processing, select the method for processing any reversals:

• Process returns using the Pending Payouts screen: Reverse actions directly in the UI.
• Automate returns processing (advanced): Use the API or batch modification method to reverse an action.

5

Configure advanced settings (optional)

1. Enable Probabilistic Attribution: By default, Probabilistic Attribution is only enabled for App Install events where you can't make an exact ID-based match. This method attributes a conversion when a unique identifier isn't available.
2. Crediting Logic: Select the method for when to credit partners when a conversion happens:

   • [Radio button] Last click crediting for all insertion orders using this event type
   • [Radio button] Custom crediting rules and priorities (advanced):

     • Select which Crediting Rules apply: Last click, First click, and Last to cart are checked by default.
     • With First click checked, set the Lookback window — a value and unit (e.g., minute(s)), up to a maximum of 180 days.
     • Under Crediting Priority, drag the rows in the table to set the order in which credit is applied across your selected crediting rules.
3. General: Configure more general tracking settings:

   • Partner Tracking Pixel: Allow partners to fire tracking pixels for this event type, which allows them to pull this data directly from your website to record and attribute the conversion in their own system independently. This method is only supported for JavaScript conversions. Advise partners to use postbacks instead.
   • Analytic Event: This event should be excluded from any template terms and used for reporting purposes only. To ensure this event shows up in the events funnel report, you'll need to enable Funnel Reporting and set the column labels and order in the next step.
   • Open-Ended Locking: Disables the automatic locking period, keeping conversions pending until they're manually approved, modified, or reversed via web services or batch file uploads. Refer to open-ended locking for more information.
4. Funnel Reporting: Enable funnel reporting to view the number of conversions (based on the referral date) for each funnel level you have assigned to your event types. The column order determines the order this action appears in the events funnel report.
5. Action Type: Indicate if this event type is a parent or child action:

   • Parent action type: The first event in the customer journey, e.g., a free trial sign-up, app install, lead submission, or registration. It captures the customer ID that ties the chain together.
   • Child action type: A subsequent event linked back to the parent. It uses the same customer ID to attribute itself to whichever partner drove the original parent action. When selected, choose its parent from the drop-down menu listing all event types; the child action isn't validated until the parent is complete. For example, you might set Free Trial as the parent and Paid Subscription as the child. When a customer converts to paid, the platform looks up the matching customer ID from the free-trial event to credit the correct partner.
6. Order ID Duplication: Set the period to check for order ID duplications, configurable from 0 to 365 days; specifying 0 days turns the duplication check off.
7. Client Cost (Applicable to agencies): The cost charged by an Agency to a Brand, on top of the total payout cost. Choose how to charge the client:

   • A percentage on top of media spend
   • A percentage of sales revenue
   • A fixed CPA per conversion
8. Customer Status Mapping: Add value mapping to distinguish between your existing customers, customers who've never shopped with you before, frequent customers, etc. This information is useful in reporting when viewing your program's new-customer acquisition rate or its number of frequent purchasers. Refer to Configure Customer Status Mapping for more information.

6

Save the event type

1. Select Save.

• Before relying on your new event type in production, test and validate it to confirm the event type is correctly implemented.

7

Add your tracking code (Pixel Tracking only)

1. Add the Universal Tracking Tag (UTT) snippet

The UTT must already be installed on every page of your site, including the confirmation or Thank you page, before you add the trackConversion snippet. On that page, place trackConversion after the UTT snippet, since it depends on the tracking library the UTT loads.

<script type="text/javascript">
(function(a,b,c,d,e,f,g){
  e['ire_o']=c;
  e[c]=e[c]||function(){(e[c].a=e[c].a||[]).push(arguments)};
  f=d.createElement(b);
  g=d.getElementsByTagName(b)[0];
  f.async=1;
  f.src=a;
  g.parentNode.insertBefore(f,g);
})(
  'https://utt.impactcdn.com/YOUR-TAG-ID.js', // Replace with your own Universal Tracking Tag URL — copy it from Settings > Tracking > General > Universal Tracking Tag. Do not edit anything else in this function.
  'script','ire',document,window
);

ire('identify', {
  customerid: '', // Insert the current customer's unique ID. Leave blank for anonymous/logged-out visitors.
  customeremail: '' // Insert the customer's email, SHA-1 hashed. Leave blank if unavailable.
});
</script>

1. Install the trackConversion tag based on your event type

The trackConversion tag reports a conversion back to impact.com when a customer completes the action your event type tracks, for example, submitting a lead form or completing a purchase. Add it to the page that confirms the action (such as an order confirmation or Thank you page), placing it after the Universal Tracking Tag, and passing your event type's tracker ID and the relevant order and customer data. Replace <YOUR_TRACKER_ID> with your own event type's tracker ID.

Online sale event

<script>
  ire('trackConversion', <YOUR_TRACKER_ID>, {
    orderId: "Order Id here",
    customProfileId: "UUID here",
    customerId: "Customer Id here",
    customerEmail: "SHA1 Hash of Customer's Email",
    customerStatus: "Customer Status here",
    currencyCode: "USD",
    orderPromoCode: "Promo Code here",
    orderDiscount: 15.00,
    items: [
      {
        subTotal: 28.00,
        category: "Product Category 1",
        sku: "sku-11111",
        quantity: 2,
        name: "Product Name 1"
      },
      {
        subTotal: 99.00,
        category: "Product Category 2",
        sku: "sku-22222",
        quantity: 3,
        name: "Product Name 2"
      }
    ]
  }, {
    verifySiteDefinitionMatch: true
  });
</script>

Online lead event

<script type="text/javascript">
ire('trackConversion', <YOUR_TRACKER_ID>, {
    orderId: "Order Id here",
	customerId: "Customer Id here",
	customerEmail: "SHA1 Email Address here"
         }, {
       verifySiteDefinitionMatch:true
    });
</script>