Let’s get one thing straight: there’s no perfect attribution tool. Customer journeys these days are messy. Google calls it the "messy middle".
People aren’t just clicking “buy” anymore. They’re taking their time. They want the best of everything. And the longer a customer spends in consideration, the trickier it is to track their journey. Especially if you have offline touch points, multiple marketplaces, or just generally a more complex retail setup. It becomes a headache to match everything up.
If you’re a bigger retailer, attribution solutions can be brilliant. There are some really good ones out there.
But here’s the catch: every attribution platform has its own bias. And honestly? There’s a lot you can do without splashing out on expensive software.
Instead of stressing over which channel “caused” the sale, we like to flip the conversation: How much is each channel contributing to overall revenue? Users interact with loads of different marketing touch points. It’s the interplay between them that drives your revenue. This does mean taking a little leap of faith and trusting the data you see in-platform, rather than clinging to one “single source of truth”.
We’ve all seen a marketing funnel. But here’s the thing: not every channel is meant to push revenue directly.
It’s crucial to set different KPIs at every stage of the funnel:
Not every channel moves every KPI. But each one plays its part. If you’ve got quality control measures at each stage, you can see the value beyond just your activation channels, and optimise for where users actually are in their personal journey.
Brands using attribution tools tend to see more revenue assigned to mid- and upper-funnel activity. But the reality is: you can mimic that approach without spending a fortune. Optimise each stage to the right KPIs, and you’ll capture the contribution of every touchpoint.
Attribution tools aren’t magic. They’re biased, expensive, and sometimes unnecessary.
Focus on contribution, trust your data, and measure success at every stage of the funnel. Do that, and you’ll have a much clearer picture of what’s really driving your revenue.
