What are the Differences Between Last Touch and Multi-Touch Attribution?

Last touch attribution and multi touch attribution are two different methods of attributing credit for a sale or conversion. Last touch attribution is a method of assigning credit to the last marketing channel that a customer interacted with before making a purchase. This means that the last marketing channel that the customer interacted with is given full credit for the sale, regardless of any other channels that may have been involved in the customer’s journey. Multi-touch attribution, on the other hand, assigns credit to multiple marketing channels based on their contribution to the sale. This means that each channel is given a portion of the credit for the sale, depending on its role in driving the customer to make a purchase.

What is Last Touch Attribution?

Last touch attribution has been used for many years as it is simple and easy to understand. It also allows marketers to quickly identify which channels are driving sales and conversions, as well as which ones are not performing well. However, this method does not take into account any other channels that may have contributed to the sale or conversion prior to the last one. As such, it can be difficult to accurately measure how effective each channel is in driving sales and conversions when using last touch attribution alone.

What is Multi-Touch Attribution?

Multi-touch attribution provides a more comprehensive view of how customers interact with different marketing channels throughout their journey towards making a purchase. By assigning credit across multiple channels, marketers can gain insight into which channels are most effective at driving sales and conversions, as well as which ones need improvement or optimization. This allows them to better allocate resources towards optimizing their campaigns and improving their overall performance. Additionally, multi-touch attribution can help marketers identify opportunities for cross-channel optimization by understanding how different channels interact with each other throughout the customer journey.

How Do They Compare?

Overall, both last touch attribution and multi-touch attribution have their advantages and disadvantages when it comes to measuring marketing performance and allocating resources accordingly. Last touch attribution is simple and easy to understand but does not provide an accurate picture of how customers interact with different marketing channels throughout their journey towards making a purchase. Multi-touch attribution provides more comprehensive insights into how customers interact with different marketing channels but requires more effort in terms of data collection and analysis in order to gain meaningful insights from it. Ultimately, it is up to marketers themselves to decide which method works best for them based on their specific needs and goals.