Facebook announced the launch of cross-device reporting for ads, giving advertisers the ability to see how people are moving across mobile apps and the web before they convert.

You can access cross-device conversions and campaigns via Edit Columns in Facebook Ad Reports. You’ll see “Cross-Device” on the left-hand side.

“Imagine seeing an ad for a product on your mobile phone while in line at the bank,” Facebook says in a blog post. “Do you immediately make a purchase on your phone? Probably not. But perhaps you go back to your office later that day and buy on your desktop computer. Such cross-device conversions are becoming increasingly common as people move between their phones, tablets and desktop computers to interact with businesses.”

“Facebook already offers targeting, delivery and conversion measurement across devices,” it adds. “With the new cross-device report, advertisers are now able to view the devices on which people see ads and the devices on which conversions subsequently occur. For instance, a marketer can view the number of customers that clicked an ad on an iPhone but then later converted on desktop, or the number of people that saw an ad on desktop but then converted on an Android tablet.

This could be of particular use as Facebook moves to start letting businesses actually sell things right from their ads via the Buy button.

Image via Facebook