Yahoo unveils Conversion API to boost ad tracking accuracy

Yahoo DSP has launched its Conversion API (Yahoo CAPI), a tool designed to help advertisers streamline measurement, attribution, and optimisation across digital advertising channels.

Yahoo CAPI enables advertisers to send conversion events in real time directly to Yahoo DSP via a centralised integration, which the company says can provide more accurate insights into campaign performance.

The API incorporates Yahoo ConnectID, a platform that leverages a base of 232 million logged-in users in the United States to support addressability for advertisers.

According to Yahoo, Yahoo CAPI brings together online and offline conversion tracking within a single workflow. This approach stands in contrast to other platforms where advertisers must set up different processes for these types of conversions. The company notes that this unified system allows campaign optimisation at the product level with real-time insights, whether conversions occur in physical stores, on websites, or within apps.

Yahoo reports that use of Yahoo CAPI led to a 30-50% increase in attributed conversions in commerce media campaigns, indicating more precise measurement outcomes for advertising clients in this sector.

Advertisers have the option to analyse conversion data by integrating directly with Yahoo CAPI or by using LiveRamp, which has joined as the API's initial integration partner. Yahoo has indicated there will be further partnership integrations in the future. This setup allows for tracking the connection between offline conversions and exposures to online campaigns managed through Yahoo DSP.

Travis Clinger, Chief Connectivity & Ecosystem Officer at LiveRamp, said, "Through this solution, advertisers can easily upload their LiveRamp offline conversions on Yahoo DSP and close the loop on measurement, gaining a clearer understanding of how our online advertising efforts are driving offline sales. Amidst increasing pressures on advertisers' budgets, using a CAPI enables increased campaign effectiveness - and better insights into returns - helping advertisers to make the best use of their investments and to highlight the critical role they play."

Giovanni Gardelli, Vice President of ads data products at Yahoo, highlighted the API's role in navigating industry changes. He said, "Yahoo DSP is committed to helping advertisers navigate the evolving digital landscape with solutions that prioritise both accuracy and privacy. With the launch of Yahoo CAPI, advertisers gain more control and flexibility in how they share conversion data, ensuring optimal measurement and performance. For example, with Yahoo CAPI, a technology advertiser saw 3x more attributed conversions across different channels and devices that would have been harder to measure due to lack of cookies or advertising IDs."

The company outlined several primary features and benefits of Yahoo CAPI. The API provides an easy integration point for advertisers to send all their conversion data—whether from websites, apps, or offline sales—directly to Yahoo DSP. Advertisers can use first-party identifiers or partner integrations, such as LiveRamp, to transmit data.

Yahoo emphasises that Yahoo CAPI is privacy-centric, underpinned by Yahoo ConnectID, to ensure compliance and security for users and advertisers alike.

The integration supports optimised measurement and attribution for commerce media, enabling advertisers to automatically optimise campaigns at a granular product level, based on comprehensive online and offline conversion tracking data.