System and method for tracking user identity and/or activity across multiple websites

An apparatus for tracking a user and the user's activities on a telecommunications network, the apparatus comprising:

• a user tracking server operative to:
• in response to the user accessing a first webpage from a first website on a server different from the user tracking server, and the first webpage includes a plurality of links, each link directed to a webpage of a different website, and a further link to a first invisible tracking image or tracking script that invokes the user tracking server to set a session cookie which includes a user tracking identifier (ID) on the user's computer and/or web browser;
• store tracking data for the user including the user tracking ID in a database associated with the user tracking server;
• in response to the user accessing a second webpage on a second website of one of the different websites and the second webpage includes transaction data for the user , and a second further link to a second invisible tracking image and/or tracking script that invokes the tracking server to retrieve the user tracking ID from the session cookie and associate the user tracking ID with transaction data obtained from the second webpage;
• and
• report the user tracking data including the user tracking ID, accessing of the first webpage, accessing of the second webpage, and the transaction data from the second website to a server of the first website.

A computer program product comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:
• in response to a user accessing a first web page with a web browser and the first webpage from a first website different from the computing device and the first webpage includes a link to an invisible tracking image or tracking script that references the computing device, setting a session cookie on a user's computer and/or the web browser with loading of the link, and the session cookie includes a user tracking identifier (ID);
• storing the user tracking ID and tracking data for the user in a database;
• in response to the user accessing a second webpage from a second website in the web browser, and the second webpage comprises a confirmation webpage that includes transaction data for the user and a second link to a second invisible tracking image or tracking script that references the computing device, obtaining the transaction data from the second webpage, retrieving the user tracking ID from the session cookie, associating the user tracking ID retrieved from the cookie with the transaction data obtained from the second webpage, and reporting the user tracking data to a server of the first website in real-time;
• and
• wherein the computing device, the first website and the second website are maintained by different parties.

A system for tracking a user and the user's activities on a telecommunications network, the system comprising:

• one or more tracking servers configured to:
• set a session cookie including a user tracking identifier (ID) on an end user device in response to the end user device accessing a webpage of a first web server, the webpage including a first clear pixel tracking image or tracking script which references the one or more tracking servers;
• store a record of the user tracking ID in a database;
• retrieve the user tracking ID from the session cookie in response to the end user device accessing a confirmation webpage of a second web server, the confirmation webpage confirming the completion of a designated activity and including:
• a second clear pixel tracking image or tracking script which references the one or more tracking servers;
• and
• transaction details which include a transaction amount, wherein the confirmation webpage displays the transaction amount;
• and
• report the transaction details and the user tracking ID to the first web server in real-time;
• wherein the webpage of the first web server includes a plurality of links, each link to a different web server, and each different web server includes at least one web page with the second invisible tracking image or tracking script.