Compare Return Visits and Visit Number greater than 1

Visit Number: Each visit is assigned a visit number based on a virtual cookie. Each new visit increments this number by one. The Visit Number report does not include non-cookied visitors.

Return visits: The number of visits where visit number is greater than 1. The Return Visits report includes non-cookied visitors.

Users sometimes compare Return Visits to the sum of Visit Numbers greater than 1:

• Comparing these reports in the latest version of Adobe Analytics: Because of the ability to track non-cookied visitors, these metrics are extremely close, if not identical.
• Return Visits is greater than the sum of Visit Number < 1: The Return Visits report includes non-cookied visitors while the Visit Number report does not. Because of this, Return Visits can be higher in SiteCatalyst 14.
• Return Visits is lower than the sum of Visit Number < 1: This comparison is impossible in reporting. All circumstances where visit number < 1 are also counted in the Return Visits report.