What is the significance of tracking cross-device conversions on Yahoo! Japan and how does it impact budget allocation?

Tracking cross-device conversions on Yahoo! Japan is significant because it provides a more accurate understanding of the customer journey and the true impact of advertising efforts, ultimately informing more effective budget allocation. Japanese users often interact with brands across multiple devices (smartphone, tablet, desktop) before making a purchase. A user might initially discover a product on their smartphone while commuting, research it further on their tablet at home, and finally make the purchase on their desktop. Without cross-device conversion tracking, the conversion would only be attributed to the desktop interaction, underestimating the influence of the smartphone and tablet ads. This can lead to misinformed budget allocation, where mobile campaigns are undervalued and desktop campaigns are overvalued. Cross-device tracking reveals the full customer journey. For example, if cross-device data shows that many users start their journey on mobile but convert on desktop, it suggests mobile ads are effective at generating initial awareness and interest. This justifies allocating more budget to mobile campaigns to capture those early-stage users. Similarly, if most conversions start and end on mobile, it validates the importance of mobile optimization. Accurately attributing conversions across devices leads to more efficient budget allocation, improved ROI, and better campaign performance. Failure to track cross-device conversions provides a distorted view and suboptimal budget allocation.