A Comprehensive Guide to Attribution Tools and Marketing Attribution Software 

What are Attribution tools?

Attribution tools are software solutions that track and analyze customer journeys across multiple touchpoints. These tools help marketers assign credit to different channels and interactions that lead to a conversion, ensuring that they have a clear understanding of what’s working.

Why use marketing attribution software?

Better budget allocation

Deep inside, you know there is a better way to allocate your budget. It doesn't need to be based on intuition.

An unbiased source of truth

You know you cannot trust the data from Google and Meta. Of course, they are trying to show you a picture to incentivize your investment.

Identify leaks

Your team is not able to identify leaks because their reports don't consider synergies and are over-reporting.

How do Attribution tools work?

Before getting into attribution, it's important for you to know that tracking is the backbone of any attribution model. Tracking allows you to construct the purchase path by identifying that the same user is returning to your webshop. Make sure you have implemented:

UTM parameters

Use them to track where your traffic is really coming from.

Tracking pixels

Place them on your website to capture user actions and build long journeys. Ideally don't depend on third-party cookies and contain advanced methods to match a user. This is, usually provided by the attribution provider.

Understanding Attribution models

Attribution models determine how credit is distributed among different marketing touchpoints when a conversion happens. For example, a customer may see an ad on Instagram, click on a Google search result, open an email, and then complete a purchase. Attribution modeling helps marketers determine which of these interactions played the most significant role in conversion.

Common Attribution Models

Advanced Attribution Models

How to choose the right Attribution modeling tools

For Small Businesses

If you're just starting, a simple last-touch attribution model may be enough. Many free attribution tools with trial periods are available to test before committing to a paid solution.

For E-Commerce Brands below 20k investment

Multi-touch attribution models, such as linear or time-decay, work best because they consider multiple interactions across different channels and are most likely still free. Please be aware that the quality depends on your tracking system. With bad tracking, you have short journeys so a multi-touch attribution might end up being a last touchpoint.

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For Data-Driven Marketers

If you have a high marketing budget and extensive data (>50K monthly), AI-driven attribution platforms and algorithmic models provide way higher accuracy. Here improvements on your budget allocation have a big impact and justify your investment on attribution tools.

Investing strongly in Paid Social? Your model should include view-through attribution to measure the impact of ad impressions on conversions. Otherwise, your campaigns may appear underperforming even if they are effective.

Checklist to evaluate your Multi-Touch Attribution

Remember

There is no "one-size-fits-all" solution. The best attribution models are tailored to your brand and data that are tested thoroughly.

For example, the Kickbite AI Click & View model relies on 100% independent data and uses machine learning to simulate incrementality. It analyzes each touchpoint based on its position, proximity to purchase, and your users' behavior on your online store. Additionally, it employs statistical models to measure the impact of campaigns where users didn't click but ultimately made a purchase.