We recently worked with a client on an Adobe Analytics tracking issue in which traffic and orders recorded in Adobe Analytics dropped following the release of their new eCommerce platform. Our investigation revealed that the issue was isolated to Apple browsers, specifically Safari version 17. In this article we’ll delve into the problem, explore the cause, and discuss effective solutions.

The Problem

After the platform migration, traffic and orders from other browsers remained steady, but Safari 17 traffic plummeted. Interestingly, Safari 16 visitors were unaffected. We replicated the issue on Safari 17 and discovered that no network calls were being sent to Adobe Analytics. Further investigation confirmed that the network calls were being blocked.

Whilst the client uses Adobe Analytics as their primary web analytics reporting tool, they also have Google Analytics on their website. Interestingly, Google Analytics was experiencing an identical issue with a drop in traffic and orders recorded following the platform migration.

The Curious Case of Incognito Mode

Our testing took an unexpected turn when we found that Adobe Analytics tracking worked on Safari 17 while browsing in incognito mode. Apple frequently introduces new privacy features, and incognito mode provides increased browsing protections. But why did tracking work in incognito when it failed in regular mode?

The Role of Service Workers

To unravel the mystery, we compared the configuration of the old and new eCommerce platforms. The key difference? The new platform used service workers. But what are service workers?

Service workers are JavaScript files that run in the background, separate from the main browser thread. They enable features like offline caching, push notifications, and background sync. However, in our case, we believed they were interfering with the Adobe Analytics tracking.

The Solution

In our case, we didn’t actually need service workers for the platform to function. We tried disabling them, which resolved our issue. Whilst the root cause is not fully understood, it appeared that a combination of service workers and Safari version 17 led to the Adobe Analytics network calls being blocked.

If you are struggling with a similar issue and have the option, disable service workers altogether. Test the analytics network calls on Safari 17 after doing so, and this should resolve your tracking issue.

If disabling service workers isn’t an option for you, you should look to modify the service worker’s routing logic. Exclude impacted Adobe Analytics URLs, allowing these requests to bypass the service worker and be processed directly by the browser.

Conclusion

Troubleshooting Adobe and Google Analytics tracking issues requires a keen eye for detail and often lots of trial and error to pinpoint the problem. Unfortunately, issues like this are becoming more common as both Apple and Google continue to make changes to their browser privacy settings.

If you are experiencing any issues with your website analytics tracking, please get in touch to see how we can help!