Offline conversion
An offline conversion is a conversion that happened outside the tracked web or app session - an in-store purchase, a CRM deal closed by sales, a phone order - reported to the ad platform through a server channel instead of a browser pixel. The browser never witnessed the event, so no pixel configuration can capture it; only a system that knows about the sale can report it.
Which platforms accept them and how
| Platform | Channel | Window / notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | Conversions API offline events, offline event sets, CSV upload | 62 days from the conversion, against 7 days for regular web events |
| In-Store/Offline conversions through the API, or an offline conversions file uploaded in Ads Manager with no development work | One of three supported conversion kinds: web, in-app, in-store/offline | |
action_source: PHYSICAL_STORE on a server event | Physical-store events should not carry device identifiers | |
| Snapchat | Offline events through the Conversions API | Server-to-server, like web and app events |
The delivery mechanism is the same server-side family as any other conversion: a CRM, a point-of-sale export, or a tracker postback formats the event and posts it to the platform's API. The conversions API pattern does not change for offline events - what changes is the source of truth and, on Meta, the delivery window.
Why offline events need their own pipeline
An offline conversion is born late - the ad click happened on Monday, the deal closed on Thursday, the CRM export runs weekly - and it carries no browser context, so match keys are what tie it back to the click. The extended windows exist precisely for this lag: Meta's 62 days acknowledge that CRM pipelines batch. The wiring for lead and CRM delivery is covered in the Meta CAPI offline conversions guide.