If you send an email today and the customer makes a purchase in three days, was the sale the result of the email? The attribution window answers that question with a rule. For example, with a seven-day window, any purchase made within that timeframe after the message is sent is attributed to the campaign.

Why does it matter?

The window affects the results. A window that’s too long attributes purchases to the campaign that may not have been related to it. A window that’s too short excludes purchases that the campaign did influence. Choosing the right window ensures that your reports are reliable.

It's also important to be consistent. If you compare channels or campaigns across different time frames, the comparison isn't fair. And the appropriate time frame depends on your business: a impulse-buy product isn't decided upon in the same amount of time as a high-value one.

Story mode

An online sports store runs a bicycle ad campaign. With a one-day window, the results seem poor. But people who buy bicycles usually think it over for several days. When they look at the data over a seven-day window and compare it to a control group, the team sees the actual impact and decides to keep the campaign running.

How to Use It with Data4Sales

• Revenue attributed to each campaign and channel, measured using a control group (holdout).
• Comparing against the control group within the same window shows you the actual incremental revenue, not just the purchases that occurred during that time period.
• With Orbis Copilot, you can view campaign results using natural language.

Related terms

• Attribution
• Incremental revenue
• Control group
• Time to reorder