We’ve never had more ways to discover new products, content, and services. TikTok inspires your dinner. YouTube recommends your next holiday. ChatGPT gives you the summary of it all — no need to scroll, search, or click through ads.
But while discovery is evolving rapidly, our ability to understand what users actually do is quietly fading.
Third-party cookies, mobile ad IDs, and cross-platform tracking — traditional tools we've relied upon — are vanishing. App Tracking Transparency (ATT) opt-in rates dropped from 73% to around 25% by 2024. Google’s advertising IDs (GAID) are facing deprecation. Third-party cookies will account for less than 1% of web traffic by 2026.Understanding the journey from inspiration to action is more valuable than ever — not just for marketers, but for product teams, researchers, and strategists striving to create better digital experiences.
Modern user journeys don’t follow a neat funnel anymore. They skip, repeat, and blur across platforms. Here’s what these journeys may look like:
That entire path happens in minutes, across different apps, some with zero shared tracking infrastructure.
We’re not just talking about a shift in devices or channels. This is a fundamental reordering of how discovery, decision, and purchase unfold. And that means measurement needs to catch up.
As these cross-app journeys become more complex, our ability to follow them is eroding. Meanwhile, users are increasingly relying on private browsing, in-app web views, and AI assistants, leaving fewer visible traces than ever.
This isn’t just a technical problem. It’s a strategic blindspot. When you can’t see the steps users are taking — or even which platform they’re on — you risk optimising based on assumptions, not reality.
In my work analysing behavioural data across mobile journeys, I’ve seen how real-life patterns break the mould of what most dashboards capture. Examples that continue to fascinate me:
When you can see cross-app behaviour — not just isolated events — you start to understand intent.
We’re entering an era where users control their own discovery: AI tools, private browsers, and in-app browsing all reduce traditional data signals. But people are still making decisions. They’re still buying, searching, switching apps. And if we can map those journeys — not just track the endpoints — we can gain better insight into the “why,” not just the “what.” This opens up bigger questions:
The measurement industry is facing a turning point. The traditional tools may be fading, but the need to understand real user behaviour is only growing. The organisations that invest in mapping and interpreting the full journey — not just the last click — will have the edge. Because in this new landscape, it’s not just about where users go.
It’s about how they get there — and what that tells us about what matters most.
Craig Parker is a Product Manager at RealityMine, where he leads the development of mobile app and web measurement solutions. With over a decade of experience spanning project delivery, UX optimisation, and data-driven SaaS products, Craig specialises in turning behavioural insights into strategic value. He’s especially interested in how emerging technologies like AI are reshaping user journeys across the app ecosystem.
