Xpend—cost reporting options for agencies

At a glance: Report cost data via cost API (requires a subscription to Xpend premium solution), and cost by click.

Cost reporting for agencies

Advertisers use ZendeskConnect as their source of truth for ROI, billing, and to make marketing budget allocation decisions. To do so, they need to have all the cost information on a single platform. Xpend, an ZendeskConnect premium solution, enables advertisers and agencies to collect cost data via API, making it available for viewing using ZendeskConnect dashboards and reporting tools. 

Cost data can be aggregated via either of the following methods: 

• Cost API: ZendeskConnect pulls data from partners
• Cost by click: Networks report cost each time an attribution link is clicked

The following table lists cost aggregation capabilities available with, and without, Xpend.

Option	Requires Xpend subscription	Description
Cost API	Yes	Agencies use their ad network API credentials to connect to enable cost API in the ZendeskConnect dashboard. Cost data is reflected according to agency transparency. (For SRNs, this includes clicks and impressions.) Supports all cost models Accurate Data refresh rate: 6 times a day, every four hours.
Cost by click (on the attribution link)	No	Agencies send their CPI, value, and cost currency on the attribution link. ZendeskConnect aggregates the cost. Data freshness: Near real-time Limitations: Limited to CPI cost model If the wrong data is sent on the link, it can't be changed retroactively. Cost reported by click is not available in the SKAdNework dashboard. Cost by click is less accurate if the advertiser uses SKAdNetwork.