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Metrics & Analytics

Multi-Touch Attribution

Assigning conversion credit across multiple marketing touchpoints rather than just the first or last.

Definition

Multi-touch attribution distributes credit for conversions across all the touchpoints that influenced the outcome. Instead of giving 100% credit to the first touch (where someone first heard of you) or last touch (what they clicked before converting), multi-touch models recognize that journeys involve multiple interactions including multiple emails.

Why It Matters

If you only measure last-touch, you undervalue emails that nurture but do not directly convert. Onboarding emails, educational content, and re-engagement campaigns might not be the final click but still influence retention and revenue. Multi-touch attribution reveals the true impact of your email program across the full funnel.

How It Works

Track all touchpoints a customer interacts with before converting. Apply an attribution model that distributes credit: linear (equal credit), time-decay (more credit to recent touches), position-based (more credit to first and last), or data-driven. Analyze which email types contribute most to conversions when properly credited.

Best Practices

  • 1Track all email touchpoints along with other channels
  • 2Choose an attribution model that matches your funnel complexity
  • 3Compare different models to understand sensitivity
  • 4Use attribution insights to optimize email strategy, not just measure it
  • 5Recognize that no model is perfectly accurate
  • 6Focus on directional insights rather than precise numbers
  • 7Include non-email touchpoints for complete picture

Campaign Analytics

Track how emails contribute to subscriber journeys. See which campaigns influence activation, conversion, and retention.

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Frequently Asked Questions

There is no universal best model. Linear is simple and fair. Position-based values both initial awareness and final conversion. Time-decay emphasizes recent touches. Data-driven uses machine learning but requires significant data. Start simple and evolve as you gather more data.

Use a marketing analytics platform or build tracking into your own systems. Capture UTM parameters on all email links. Associate touchpoints with user identities. When conversions happen, look back at all touchpoints and apply your model to allocate credit.

It can. If multi-touch shows that nurture emails contribute significantly to eventual conversion, you might invest more in them even though last-touch metrics looked weak. Attribution reveals hidden value that changes how you prioritize email efforts.