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What is Attribution?

In marketing, attribution refers to identifying and assigning credit to the various touchpoints a customer interacts with before making a purchase. It can help you understand which marketing efforts are driving conversions and generating revenue.

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How does Attribution work with Email + Text?

Privy attributes an order if a contact engages with a marketing message and completes the order within that engagement’s attribution window. The default window is 7 days. There are a few more points to keep in mind:
  • Last Touch Attribution: Orders are attributed to the last message a contact engaged with. For example, if a subscriber opens a Campaign email and later opens an Abandoned Cart Flow email before purchasing, the order is attributed to the Abandoned Cart Flow.
  • Multi-Channel Attribution: Privy evaluates each channel’s attribution window separately when using multiple message channels (SMS or email). This determines if either channel should receive revenue attribution at the time of purchase.
  • Conversion Window: You set how long each interaction keeps earning credit for an order in Attribution settings. The default is 7 days from the moment of engagement.
  • Contact-based Attribution: Privy uses a contact’s email address and phone number to attribute an order back to a contact.
Under Conversion Windows, you can set a separate window for Email opened, Email clicked, SMS clicked, and SMS delivered. Each window can last from 1 hour up to 24 hours, or from 1 day up to 30 days. Email opened, Email clicked, and SMS clicked start on, each set to 7 days. SMS delivered starts off. When you turn it on, delivered marketing texts can receive credit. Confirmation and transactional texts are excluded. Turning off an interaction removes it from attribution entirely.
Editing a window only updates attribution going forward. Privy does not change past reporting.

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How does Attribution work for Displays?

An order is counted when someone signs up for your Privy display and then completes a purchase through your store using the same email address or phone number at any point in the future. Privy counts an order regardless of whether or not the customer used a discount code. This attribution model helps merchants understand which displays ultimately lead to orders. 

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FAQs

Here are some answers to common questions we hear when it comes to attribution:
Similar to Campaigns, Flows use a last-touch interaction model, so the order will only be attributed to the email that the customer most recently engaged with prior to placing the order. Learn how to view the revenue reporting for each individual message in a Flow here.
Yes, attribution works differently between emails and SMS due to the nature of these channels:
  • Emails: Attribution in emails is based on opens and/or clicks. This tracking is accomplished through hidden, embedded tracking links and pixels automatically included in each email.
  • SMS: SMS attribution uses link tracking by default, as SMS messages do not support tracking pixels. When a recipient clicks on a link in an SMS, their activity is tracked and attributed accordingly. If SMS delivered is on, delivered marketing texts can also receive credit. Confirmation and transactional texts are excluded.
Yes. You can change how long each interaction keeps earning credit in Attribution settings. Privy still uses last-touch attribution. Editing a window only applies to new orders and does not change past reporting.

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Matching Privy Attribution to other platforms

Attributed revenue and orders in Privy might not match other reports due to differences in attribution models. For example:
  • Different Attribution Windows: Other platforms may use different time frames for attribution.
  • Touch-based vs. Click-based Attribution: Some tools or e-commerce platforms may use narrower attribution models, such as only providing attribution credit to the last click. 
  • Multi-Touch vs. Last-Touch Attribution: Some systems credit the last touchpoint, while others may distribute credit across multiple touchpoints.
  • Data Processing Delays: Timing differences in data updates and synchronization can cause discrepancies.
Attributed revenue in Privy should be considered a proxy or indicator of the effectiveness of your email and SMS marketing efforts. While our attribution model aims to provide a clear picture of which marketing activities are driving conversions, it is not the complete source of truth. For a comprehensive understanding of your marketing performance, it’s important to consider attributed revenue alongside other metrics and data sources.

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Additional Support

If you have further questions about Privy’s attribution model, or the attribution you see in your account, please contact our Support Team for assistance.