Attribution

What is attribution?

Attribution in digital marketing is about assigning credit for a conversion (typically a sale) to the touchpoints the customer has touched along the way. When a customer sees a Facebook ad on Monday, Googles your brand on Wednesday and buys via a Google Ads ad on Friday, who should get credit for the sale?

The answer depends on the attribution model you use, and it has a direct impact on how you allocate your marketing budget.

Attribution models

Last click (last click)

All credit is given to the last touchpoint before the conversion. This is the simplest model and standard in many analytics tools. The downside is that it ignores all the channels that helped bring the customer to your attention.

First click (first click)

All credit is given to the first touchpoint that introduced the customer to your online store. Focuses on awareness but ignores the channels that actually closed the sale.

Linear

Credit is distributed equally between all touchpoints in the customer journey. Fair, but does not distinguish between important and unimportant touchpoints.

Time decay (time dependent)

Touchpoints closer to the conversion get more credit. Logical for many e-commerce scenarios as the last touch is often the most crucial.

Position-based (U-shaped)

40% credit for the first touch, 40% for the last touch and 20% split between the intermediate ones. Recognizes both awareness and closing.

Data-driven

Uses machine learning to distribute credit based on actual patterns in your data. Google Analytics 4 uses this model by default. Requires sufficient data volume to be reliable.

Challenges with attribution

• Cross-device tracking: A customer can view an ad on mobile but buy on desktop. Without cross-device tracking, you miss the connection.
• Cookie limitations: ITP (Safari), ETP (Firefox) and Apple's ATT framework limit tracking cookies, resulting in data gaps.
• Offline touchpoints: Word-of-mouth, in-store visits and offline advertising are hard to track but can have a big impact.
• Platform bias: Each ad platform (Google, Meta, TikTok) likes to attribute conversions to itself. The sum of all platforms' reported conversions always exceeds the actual number.

Attribution in practice

For most online shops, this approach is recommended:

1. Use GA4 as a source of truth: Google Analytics 4 uses data-driven attribution and provides a more neutral picture than single platform reports.
2. Compare models: View your data in multiple models to understand the difference. If a channel only performs well in last-click but poorly in first-click, it is primarily a closer - not an awareness channel.
3. Server-side tracking: Implement Conversion API for Facebook and server-side GTM to reduce data gaps from cookie limitations.
4. Test with budget: The ultimate test of a channel's value is to crank it up or down and see what happens to overall revenue.

Attribution and Shoporama

Shoporama supports accurate tracking via multiple integrations:

• Google Analytics 4: Full GA4 integration with enhanced e-commerce events for data-driven attribution.
• Google Tag Manager: Server-side and client-side GTM for advanced tracking.
• Facebook Conversions API: Server-side tracking that complements the pixel and improves data quality.
• Multiple pixel integrations: TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat and LinkedIn tracking for cross-channel analysis.
• Newsletter attribution: Shoporama's newsletter system tracks orders and revenue per campaign with 30-day cookie window.