Tracking User Journeys in Funnels with Different IDs

David A. · 2025-09-08T02:01:03.713Z

How can I track a user through a funnel if the same distinct id is not used throughout the whole way? What I want to do exactly is a user with a different user_id and creator_id applies to a job, the job poster with their own user_id then approves or declines the applicant which sends an event with the creator_id as a field. I want to track this in a funnel

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kapa.ai
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Please stand by David A. as I search the knowledge base. I normally take about 15 seconds or so. 👋
Feel free to ask a follow-up question once I've answered by mentioning me with @kapa.ai
kapa.ai
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Short answer: You can’t stitch different users together in one funnel unless the same distinct_id is used across the steps. Funnels follow a single user (distinct_id) through the steps; if steps are done by different parties (applicant vs. job poster) with different distinct_ids, they will be counted as separate users and won’t convert in the same funnel (that’s by design) (Identity Management Overview, Funnels FAQ).What you can do instead: - Use Group Analytics to analyze conversion at a shared entity level (e.g., job/creator/account). If both applicant and poster events include the same group identifier (like creator_id or job_id) and you’ve set up that property as a Group Key, you can build a funnel “by group” to see conversion at the job/creator level rather than per user (Group Analytics). - If you still need a user-level funnel that spans pre-/post-login for the same person, ensure the same identity via ID Merge so events carry a consistent distinct_id. With the Simplified ID Merge API, send $device_id for anonymous events, call identify() to set $user_id on login, and Mixpanel will merge them; note merges can take up to 24 hours to reflect in all reports (Identifying Users (Simplified), Funnels FAQ).Given your scenario (applicant applies, poster approves/declines): - Create a Group (e.g., group key = creator_id or job_id). - Ensure both “Apply” and “Approve/Decline” events include that group key so they attribute to the same group. - Build the funnel and switch the “Users” selector to that Group to measure conversion across the two different users but the same shared entity (Group Analytics).
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David A.
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kapa.ai in the group analytics docs it says to find "Analyze Uniques" in the users tab. I don't see it, was it moved?
kapa.ai
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Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! 📚
kapa.ai
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It’s still referenced in the Group Analytics docs as “Analyze Uniques by,” which is the dropdown used to switch from user-level to a group key on the Users page. The docs say: go to Users, click the “Analyze Uniques by” dropdown above the query builder, then select your group identifier; group profiles will populate the Users report (Group Analytics overview). If you don’t see it: - Ensure Group Analytics is enabled on your project (it’s an add-on for Growth/Enterprise) (Group Analytics overview). - Verify you have at least one group key configured in Project Settings; events must include that group key as an event property to attribute to groups (Group Analytics FAQ). - On any report, you can also switch aggregation from Users to a Group via the “Users” dropdown within the metric and select your group key (Change the Group Identifier in a Report).
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.

kapa.ai
APP
·
·
Please stand by David A. as I search the knowledge base. I normally take about 15 seconds or so. 👋
Feel free to ask a follow-up question once I've answered by mentioning me with @kapa.ai
kapa.ai
APP
·
·
Short answer: You can’t stitch different users together in one funnel unless the same distinct_id is used across the steps. Funnels follow a single user (distinct_id) through the steps; if steps are done by different parties (applicant vs. job poster) with different distinct_ids, they will be counted as separate users and won’t convert in the same funnel (that’s by design) (Identity Management Overview, Funnels FAQ).What you can do instead: - Use Group Analytics to analyze conversion at a shared entity level (e.g., job/creator/account). If both applicant and poster events include the same group identifier (like creator_id or job_id) and you’ve set up that property as a Group Key, you can build a funnel “by group” to see conversion at the job/creator level rather than per user (Group Analytics). - If you still need a user-level funnel that spans pre-/post-login for the same person, ensure the same identity via ID Merge so events carry a consistent distinct_id. With the Simplified ID Merge API, send $device_id for anonymous events, call identify() to set $user_id on login, and Mixpanel will merge them; note merges can take up to 24 hours to reflect in all reports (Identifying Users (Simplified), Funnels FAQ).Given your scenario (applicant applies, poster approves/declines): - Create a Group (e.g., group key = creator_id or job_id). - Ensure both “Apply” and “Approve/Decline” events include that group key so they attribute to the same group. - Build the funnel and switch the “Users” selector to that Group to measure conversion across the two different users but the same shared entity (Group Analytics).
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.
David A.
·
·
kapa.ai in the group analytics docs it says to find "Analyze Uniques" in the users tab. I don't see it, was it moved?
kapa.ai
APP
·
·
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! 📚
kapa.ai
APP
·
·
It’s still referenced in the Group Analytics docs as “Analyze Uniques by,” which is the dropdown used to switch from user-level to a group key on the Users page. The docs say: go to Users, click the “Analyze Uniques by” dropdown above the query builder, then select your group identifier; group profiles will populate the Users report (Group Analytics overview). If you don’t see it: - Ensure Group Analytics is enabled on your project (it’s an add-on for Growth/Enterprise) (Group Analytics overview). - Verify you have at least one group key configured in Project Settings; events must include that group key as an event property to attribute to groups (Group Analytics FAQ). - On any report, you can also switch aggregation from Users to a Group via the “Users” dropdown within the metric and select your group key (Change the Group Identifier in a Report).
kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let me know how I did by reacting below.
ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.