What are attribution models?

An attribution model is the current way to know at what point in the user journey a conversion occurred.

When we set up a marketing campaign via email, social media, search engines, etc., it is essential to know how the path was and where we were successful, since with this information we can improve the funnel and thus focus on what really works.

Attribution models are intended to give credit to each ad in the customer journey.

It is natural that when we enter an online store, we look at the products or services and if we are attracted to one, we do NOT buy it immediately. Nowadays, from the first contact with a brand, to the purchase; users can take days or weeks to make their purchase. Why? Because they look for other options, check the shipping methods, payment methods, reviews and more.

An attribution model is important because it allows us to know the impact of each advertising event we set up: did the email have an influence? Was the banner the last click to make the purchase?

Importance of attribution models

As mentioned, attribution models help us understand the interactions that the customer had with the brand up to the moment of conversion. These interactions are given a value and thus we know the impact of the steps in the customer journey .

However, although we focus many of the steps on the digital environment, the reality is that users often still go to physical stores to check out products or find out about services in person. Here we must also keep these offline interactions in mind.

Likewise, the multi-channel option for users makes them interact with companies through search engines (organic results), applications, social networks , etc., challenging merchants to integrate tracking or monitoring of each of the interactions.

Finally, the multi-device factor is another great plus for attribution models, since it does not matter if the user connects from their computer, tablet, cell phone or video game console, brands can know what they did at what time.

Benefits of attribution models

It is natural that most advertisers include in their statistics only the pages where the final click was made, the conversion click , however, by doing this, we leave aside previous interactions, including this: the banners, keywords or copies that brought them to you.

Implementing these models can offer the following advantages:

• Being able to find ways to attract users from the first steps of the purchasing journey.
• If we know what is attractive to the user, we can make more focused offers.
• There are attribution models that adapt to the needs of each brand.

Types of attribution models

Among the most common types of attribution models are:

Last interaction : Here, previous interactions before the last click are not considered. That is, a value of 100% is given to the click that resulted in the conversion.

First interaction : Contrary to the previous one, here 100% of the value is given to the first channel of interaction with the user. If the first contact and the sale are 6 months apart and on different channels, it does not matter, the value will be attributed to the first contact.

Last indirect click : Direct visits, i.e. from people who enter directly from the URL bar, are NOT counted. Only other media and channels. Here, 100% of the value is attributed to the last click before the conversion.

Linear : Gives the same value to all interactions in the customer journey.

Time decay : The highest attribution value is given to pre-purchase channels, that is, the channels where there was interaction prior to conversion.

Position : Gives value to all interaction points, but with greater value to the first and the last. That is, from brand awareness to conversion.

Google Ads Last Click : 100% of the value is given to the last ad that the user clicked on before the purchase. This attribution model is focused on SEM campaigns.

If you want to know more about this topic or require advice, you will find the solution at MHA , because our commitment is to guide you in the best way possible in this highly competitive digital era.