Identity

When you finish, a purchase that arrives from Stripe, Shopify, Whop, RevenueCat, or Superwall resolves to the browser session that clicked the ad.

The four identifiers

Every event carries all four, so they’re not alternatives to choose between.

Wire field	Value	In the interface
`visitor_id`	The anonymous browser ID, format `anon_<uuid>`	`distinct id` column
`user_id`	The ID you pass to `identify()`. `null` before that	`user_id` on the detail row
`distinct_id`	The `user_id` once identified, otherwise the `visitor_id`	Not shown
`session_id`	Format `sess_<uuid>`. New after 60 idle minutes	Not shown

visitor_id stays anonymous after identify(). It never becomes the user_id.

Use visitor_id in server-side and webhook work. Every revenue source keys off it. Use distinct id when you tell someone where to look in Events or Users.

Call identify at a verified moment

Call identify() after signup, after login, and after an account switch. Pass your immutable internal ID, not an email address.

datalyr.identify('usr_4821', {
  email: '[email protected]',
  plan: 'pro'
})

usr_4821 is the identity. email and plan are traits. A trait can change without breaking the identity. Passing a different user_id runs reset() first, so two people on one browser never merge.

Call reset() on logout. Without it, the next person on a shared device inherits the previous account’s identity, and their conversions attribute to the wrong campaign.

Use alias() only when you know two IDs belong to one person. Never join two identities from an IP address, a device fingerprint, or a name.

How a webhook conversion finds the visitor

Each revenue source carries the visitor_id in a different field. Set the field, or the conversion arrives with revenue and no campaign to credit.

Source	Field that carries the `visitor_id`	Fallback identity when it is absent
Stripe	`metadata.visitor_id`, or `client_reference_id` on a Payment Link	`stripe_<customer_id>`
Shopify	The order note attribute `_datalyr_visitor_id`	`shopify_<customer_id>`
Whop	Optional metadata, matching email, or Whop Events context	`whop_<person_or_user_id>`
RevenueCat	`subscriber_attributes.datalyr_id.value`	`revenuecat_<original_app_user_id>`
Superwall	`data.userAttributes.datalyr_id`	`superwall_<original_app_user_id>`

A fallback identity still records the revenue. Whop Events context can add a campaign without linking the full website journey.

The email bridge

When no visitor_id reaches the webhook, Datalyr resolves the buyer by email address.

Property	Value
Lookup window	90 days before the conversion
Indexed identifier types	`email`, `user_id`, `external_id`
Ranking	A touch carrying a click ID always beats a newer touch carrying only UTMs
Click IDs ranked	`fbclid`, `gclid`, `ttclid`, `gbraid`, `wbraid`, `oppref`, `sclid`, `msclkid`, `twclid`, `li_fat_id`, `epik`, `dclid`

The bridge needs an email on both ends, so turn on Auto Identify to let the web session carry one, or call identify() with an email trait yourself.

Settings that change identity

Settings → Identity & Attribution holds five toggles. Each one takes about 5 minutes to reach live browsers, and none of them needs a snippet edit.

Toggle	Default	Effect
`Auto-capture email`	On, and off for a sensitive vertical	Captures an email from form submits and from Shopify, then calls `identify()`
`Stamp cart attributes`	Off unless the snippet sets `data-platform="shopify"`	Writes `_datalyr_visitor_id` and the Meta click IDs into the Shopify cart
`Respect GPC`	On	Stops tracking for a browser sending Global Privacy Control
`Respect DNT`	Off	Stops tracking for a browser sending Do Not Track
`Strict mode`	Off	Forces Auto Identify off and applies the most conservative collection

A workspace flagged as a health vertical defaults Auto Identify and cart attributes to off. See Health and wellness redaction.

Verify

Open your site in a private window.
Sign up with a test email address.
Open Users and search for the user_id you passed.
Confirm the profile lists the anonymous pageviews from before the signup.
Complete a test purchase.
Open Conversions and confirm the row carries a campaign, not direct.

When it does not work

Symptom	Cause	Fix
The user has no pre-signup pageviews	`reset()` runs on every page load.	Call `reset()` on logout only.
The conversion identity reads `stripe_cus_…` or `shopify_…`	No `visitor_id` reached the webhook.	Send the field from the table above. See Stripe or Shopify.
The conversion has an identity but no campaign	The visit that clicked the ad carried no click ID.	Confirm your ad URLs keep `gclid` and `fbclid`. Check Settings → Filters for a rule dropping them.
Two people share one profile	`reset()` is missing on logout, or `alias()` joined two real people.	Add `reset()`. Stop calling `alias()` on a guess.
The email bridge finds nothing	Neither end has an email.	Turn on `Auto-capture email`, or pass `email` to `identify()`.

Web SDK: the full signature of every identity method.
Conversion delivery: send the resolved conversion to an ad platform.
Cross-domain tracking: carry identity across a checkout host.

Get started

Installation

Revenue

Using Datalyr

Advanced

Integrations

Account & billing

Troubleshooting

The four identifiers

Call identify at a verified moment

How a webhook conversion finds the visitor

The email bridge

Settings that change identity

Verify

When it does not work

Next

​The four identifiers

​Call identify at a verified moment

​How a webhook conversion finds the visitor

​The email bridge

​Settings that change identity

​Verify

​When it does not work

​Next

The four identifiers

Call identify at a verified moment

How a webhook conversion finds the visitor

The email bridge

Settings that change identity

Verify

When it does not work

Next