3rd Party Referral vs. Google Analytics

[Caprice]

I've been making sales listed as referred by '3rd party' - yet on google analytics it shows the source as 'direct'.  I understand things Z advertises stuff for us - and they are considered a 3rd party...but wouldn't that show on GA as "google cpc"  ???   Or, if itwas from someone's pinterest or other site - it would the referring party.

Any ideas what these sales are?

[J32Design · Accepted solution]

While it may show a customers visit as direct on the day of purchase, doesn't mean the customer didn't come previously through an email or an ad where they picked up a cookie. Referral cookies last for 45 days according to https://www.zazzle.com/sell/affiliates

Which means your customers could have picked up a cookie anytime in the past 45 days, which will then show as a 3rdparty sale.

[Caprice]

Ah - I see.  That makes sense now.  Thanks.

[Caprice]

Wait - one more question. 😝  So..if someone gets a cookie from clicking on an a link I post to Twitter for my product but doesn't buy it - then goes back to Z in a few days and buys a totally different item, I still would get a referral for whatever they bought?  I still don't really know how this damm thing works, lol.

[J32Design]

Correct!

[shellifitz]

I am pretty sure if your traffic says it comes from "Google cpc" that stands for "cost per click"  and so it is a paid advertisement, most likely from Zazzle but not necessarily.  It is not out of the question that professional affiliates would also pay for Google ads.  

[Caprice]

Yes - and boy am I thankful for those "google cpc's"!  I just couldn't work out how something that appeared on GA as "direct" was being shown as a 3rd party sale in Z.  J32's scenario above seems to explain it?

[shellifitz]

@Caprice Zazzle has always shown as 3rd party sales in our earnings reports.  I have been able to tell that by checking my sale notifications in my emails.  They have tracking codes that sometimes say tc=EMC Sale confirmation, among others that are obviously Zazzle email campaigns where they have attached thier own referral id and when you find that sale report in your earnings page it will say 3rd party.  Personally I don't think they should be marked as a 3rd party since they are also the 1st party but anyway... 

BTW every email Zazzle sends out has their referral id attached. 

[Caprice]

I guess they consider themselves 3rd party bc they paid for the ad?  I dunno. *shrugs*   I still can't figure out how the fine points work.  And that new promoter program?  Forget it!  Might as well be Greek to me! 😝

[ColsCreations]

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I've been making sales listed as referred by '3rd party' - yet on google analytics it shows the source as 'direct'. 

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I don't understand this. Royalty History only shows the date of the order, where it shipped to, and what was ordered. And whether referrer was Self, 3rd party, or None. How are you able to tie a specific sale to a specific visit reported on GA? I don't use GA, the few times I've looked at it I found it far too overwhelming to want to get involved with worrying about so I am genuinely curious where you find the data that connects X visit to X sale.

[Caprice]

Google analytics shows a 'confirmation' page that the person visited during the sale.  I'm (relatively) new - without the  mountain of daily activity like some of the veterans here.  If I get a sale from SusieQ in Idaho...and only 1 person with activity (in GA) from Idaho - I'm making the reasonable assumption it's the same sale.