Choosing the Right Attribution Model

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” —John Wanamaker

The right attribution model depends on your goals, channels, and technical capabilities. It is essential to:

Choose a model consistent with the available data.
Do not overinterpret the results of a single model.

1. Why is attribution essential?

Marketing attribution helps you understand which touchpoints influenced a customer's purchasing journey. It is used to:

Measure the performance of a campaign or channel.
Optimize marketing budget allocation to maximize sales.

2. Attribution and Splio: what you need to know

Splio works primarily with CRM data from email, SMS, RCS marketing. This involves:

Using channel-specific templates:
- Email
  - Post email sent
  - Post email open
  - Post email click
  - Last email sent
  - Last email opened
  - Last email click (≠ “last click” web)
- SMS
  - Post SMS sent
  - Post SMS click
  - Last SMS sent
  - Last SMS click
- Email
  - Post RCS sent
  - Post RCS open
  - Post RCS click
  - Last RCS sent
  - Last RCS opened
  - Last RCS click
Single-channel attribution: Splio currently uses single-channel attribution. A purchase can be independently attributed to multiple channels — for example, to both an email and an SMS campaign — if the contact interacted with both within their attribution windows. Do not sum revenues across channels, as this results in double-counting. A combined cross-channel view is planned for a future release.
No “last click” web model.
No full multi-touch model.
Revenue attribution calculation per campaign type and channel is the following:

Campaign type	Email	RCS	SMS	Revenue attribution calculation
One-shot	✅	✅	✅	✅
Automation (triggered + recurring)	✅	❌	❌	✅
SMTP relay	✅	❌	❌	❌
API messaging	✅	❌	❌	✅

🎯 Key tip : When A/B testing between Splio and another method, use the same attribution model for both segments.

3. Understanding attribution models

🔹 "Last" models attribute revenue only once to the last interaction (click, open, or send).

✅ Revenue counted only once.

🎯 Ideal for: simple to set up and precise, comparable analyses, without accumulating attributed revenue.

Model	Description	Exclusive
Last Click	Last email / SMS / RCS clicked	+++
Last Open	Last email / RCS opened (⚠️ skewed since iOS 15 for email)	++
Last Sent	Last message received	+

🔹 "Post" models attribute revenue to all interactions within the defined window (clicks, opens, sends) → revenue can be counted multiple times.

⚠️ Revenue is counted multiple times if multiple messages are opened/clicked within the attribution window.

🎯 Useful for: measuring the overall impact of a communication plan.

Model	Description	Exclusive
Post Click	All messages clicked	-
Post Open	All messages opened (⚠️ skewed since iOS 15 for email)	--
Post Sent	All messages received	---

💡 Note on SMS: SMS does not support Open events for the moment — Attribution for SMS is therefore based on Sent or Click only.

4. Recommendations by sector

At Splio, we recommend using a Last Click model because it allows for accurate and non-redundant revenue attribution, counting only one interaction per conversion. However, in certain specific cases — particularly for global campaign analyses, or for SMS where click tracking may be limited — the Last Sent model can be relevant. It offers a broader view of the impact of communications, attributing the last message received even without explicit interaction. This model can complement the analysis by providing a more inclusive understanding of the customer journey.

🛍️ Retail Sector

Recommended window: 7 to 15 days

Reasons: frequent purchases, lower average basket

Channel	Model	Window	Exclusive
Email	Last Click	7 or 15 days	+++
Email	Last Open	7 or 15 days	++ (⚠️ iOS 15)
Email	Last Sent	7 or 15 days	+
Email	Post Click	7 or 15 days	-
Email	Post Open	7 or 15 days	-- (⚠️ iOS 15)
Email	Post Sent	7 or 15 days	---
SMS	Last Click	1 to 3 days	+++
SMS	Last Sent	1 to 3 days	+
RCS	Last Click	3 to 7 days	+++
RCS	Last Open	3 to 7 days	++
RCS	Last Sent	3 to 7 days	+

💡 SMS tip for retail: Purchase intent triggered by an SMS promotional send is typically fulfilled within 24–72 hours. A short attribution window (1–3 days) avoids over-attributing purchases that would have happened regardless of the message.

✈️ Travel Sector

Recommended window: 15 to 30 days

Reasons: infrequent purchases, long decision cycles

Channel	Model	Window	Exclusive
Email	Last Click	15 or 30 days	+++
Email	Last Open	15 or 30 days	++ (⚠️ iOS 15)
Email	Last Sent	15 or 30 days	+
Email	Post Click	15 or 30 days	-
Email	Post Open	15 or 30 days	-- (⚠️ iOS 15)
Email	Post Sent	15 or 30 days	---
SMS	Last Click	7 to 15 days	+++
SMS	Last Sent	7 to 15 days	+
RCS	Last Click	7 to 15 days	+++
RCS	Last Open	7 to 15 days	++
RCS	Last Sent	7 to 15 days	+

💡 SMS & RCS tip for travel: Even in long-cycle sectors, SMS and RCS campaigns typically act as short-term triggers (reminders, last-minute offers). Consider using a shorter window for these channels than for email — for example, 7–15 days for SMS/RCS vs. 30 days for email.

5. Frequently Asked Questions

Questions	Splio Answers
"We don't have the same revenue even though our models seem similar."	Clients often use Google Analytics, which only attributes online sales made in the same session after a click. This is very restrictive. Splio uses CRM logic: each sale linked to a campaign message is attributed according to the chosen model, without interference from other channels.
"Why does my Last Paid Click model produce different revenue?"	This model favours paid channels (SEA, Meta, etc.) and may underestimate the impact of email, SMS, or RCS.
“Why is turnover higher with Post Sent?”	This model attributes the sale to all emails received → the turnover is inflated . It is useful for comparing trends (e.g.: Predictive AI vs Fullbase), but not for accurate ROI measurement.
Can I exclude campaigns from revenue attribution ?	Yes, it's possible. You can contact your CSM or Customer Care team to arrange this.
"My SMS revenue seems very high — is something wrong?"	Check your attribution method. If you are using Post Sent, every contact who received the SMS and purchased within the window is counted — even without interacting with the message. Switch to Last Click for a more conservative and precise figure. Also verify that your attribution window is not too long for a short-cycle channel like SMS.
"Can I compare email and SMS revenue directly?"	Yes — read each channel's figures separately in the Campaigns Performance Dashboard. Keep in mind that some purchases may appear in both figures if the contact received messages from multiple channels before buying. Use the Last method with a consistent window across channels for the fairest comparison.