What is the difference between time last seen and time last session?
SOLVE
1 Accepted solution
What is the difference between time last seen and time last session?
SOLVE
Q: Hi, when looking at a report for my contacts i want to know what date they last visited the website. There are two contact properties which provide this: 1. Time last seen; 2. Time of last session. What is the difference between these two properties? They appear to be showing the same data/date.
A: At first glance, Time last seen and Time of last session would seem anonymous based on the fact that when HubSpot automatically sets these properties the result is frequently the same. However, there is a major distinction between them.
Time last seen: the last time and date the contact has VIEWED A PAGE on your website. This is automatically set by HubSpot for each contact.
Time of last session: the last time and date the contact VISITED your website. This is automatically set by HubSpot for each contact.
- see HubSpot's default contact properties
Typically, a SESSION begins when a visitor arrives on your website. If they bounce, both their Time of last session AND Time last seen will be the same. However, what if they remain on your site and view multiple pages? Their Time of last session AND Time last seen will differ. The Time last seen will be later/after the Time of last session. Get it?
Example Scenario (where Time of last session <> Time last seen):
Charlie couldn't get a date for New Year's Eve, so he decides to work instead. (poor Charlie)
Charlie visits our website on 31-Dec-2019, 11:59pm to download gated content. We're not very good marketers, so our lead capture form has a bazillion fields and takes Charlie a full minute to complete. Charlie hits submit on 1-Jan-2020, 12:00am which correctly redirects him to a Thank You Page.
Charlie's Time of last session = 31-Dec-2019, 11:59pm
Charlie's Time last seen = 1-Jan-2020, 12:00am
This scenario emphasizes the dramatic difference multiple page views (during a single session) can make between the Time of last session and Time last seen default HubSpot contact properties.
What is the difference between time last seen and time last session?
SOLVE
Q: Hi, when looking at a report for my contacts i want to know what date they last visited the website. There are two contact properties which provide this: 1. Time last seen; 2. Time of last session. What is the difference between these two properties? They appear to be showing the same data/date.
A: At first glance, Time last seen and Time of last session would seem anonymous based on the fact that when HubSpot automatically sets these properties the result is frequently the same. However, there is a major distinction between them.
Time last seen: the last time and date the contact has VIEWED A PAGE on your website. This is automatically set by HubSpot for each contact.
Time of last session: the last time and date the contact VISITED your website. This is automatically set by HubSpot for each contact.
- see HubSpot's default contact properties
Typically, a SESSION begins when a visitor arrives on your website. If they bounce, both their Time of last session AND Time last seen will be the same. However, what if they remain on your site and view multiple pages? Their Time of last session AND Time last seen will differ. The Time last seen will be later/after the Time of last session. Get it?
Example Scenario (where Time of last session <> Time last seen):
Charlie couldn't get a date for New Year's Eve, so he decides to work instead. (poor Charlie)
Charlie visits our website on 31-Dec-2019, 11:59pm to download gated content. We're not very good marketers, so our lead capture form has a bazillion fields and takes Charlie a full minute to complete. Charlie hits submit on 1-Jan-2020, 12:00am which correctly redirects him to a Thank You Page.
Charlie's Time of last session = 31-Dec-2019, 11:59pm
Charlie's Time last seen = 1-Jan-2020, 12:00am
This scenario emphasizes the dramatic difference multiple page views (during a single session) can make between the Time of last session and Time last seen default HubSpot contact properties.
