DocumentationAnalyticsImplementation Guide

Visitor identification using the Adobe Analytics tag extension

Last update: Fri Oct 17 2025 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

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The Adobe Analytics tag extension provides allows you to implement AppMeasurement using a tag management interface. Since this tag extension is essentially AppMeasurement under the hood, it offers similar methods to identify visitors and requires a separate tag extension for the Visitor ID Service.

To use the Visitor ID Service using the Adobe Analytics tag extension, include the Experience Cloud ID Service tag extension in your tag property.

  1. Log in to experience.adobe.com using your Adobe ID credentials.
  2. Navigate to Data Collection > Tags.
  3. Locate the desired tag property.
  4. Navigate to Extensions, then select the Catalog tab.
  5. Locate the Experience Cloud ID Service extension, then select Install.

The tag extension automatically obtains your IMS org ID, so no additional configuration is necessary.

IMPORTANT
Adobe advises against using this method to identify visitors.

If your organization does not use the Visitor ID Service tag extension, the Adobe Analytics tag extension uses its own form of visitor identification. When a visitor arrives to your site for the first time, the extension checks for a s_vi cookie. This cookie is set at the domain matching SSL Tracking Server (for HTTPS) or Tracking Server (for HTTP) when configuring the tag extension.

  • If you participate in the Managed certificate program, your tracking server would typically be a first-party domain, making s_vi cookies first-party.
  • If you do not participate in the Managed certificate program, tracking server is typically a subdomain of adobedc.net, omtrdc.net, or 2o7.net, making the s_vi cookie a third-party cookie. Due to modern browser privacy practices, third-party cookies are rejected by most browsers. Once rejected, AppMeasurement attempts to set a first-party fallback cookie (fid) instead.

If you correctly set SSL Tracking Server, then no further visitor identification measures are required.

IMPORTANT
Adobe advises against using this method to identify visitors.

Using the Visitor ID variable allows your organization complete independent control identifying visitors. If you set Visitor ID using a data element, note the following limitations:

  • Every hit must contain the same Visitor ID value to be counted as a single visitor.

    • Any hits that omit the Visitor ID data element automatically attempt to use another visitor identification method, treating them as a separate visitor.
    • Any hits that contain a different Visitor ID value from a previous hit are treated as a separate visitor.
    • Adobe does not offer any way to stitch hits using different visitor IDs together.

  • Shared audiences, Analytics for Target, and Customer attributes are not supported with visitors identified using Visitor ID.

See visitorID for implementation instructions using this variable.

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