Which interaction had the most influence on John's purchase?

A tale of marketing attribution and closing the loop.

Attribution is the way marketers connect-the-dots, between interactions of influence and a moment-of-truth.

It’s how you know which advert, campaign or message influenced the customers next interaction or purchase.

Often you’ll have more than one interaction to measure, some people give a particular interaction more weighting, or importance in the buyers decision making.

Attribution also helps you learn which journey that customer had. Becuase no matter how much you try to engineer the customer experience, they always have a variation. You can then refine and optimise the most common paths and improve weaknesses.

Attribution models also help you create the rules for customer segmentation, ensuring you maintain relevant messaging throughout the customers journey.

For example:

John has liked your FB page and receives your regular EDMs, since he joined the ‘club’ while making his last purchase. You know his name, email address and purchase history.

John was included in a seasonal ‘Win Back’ campaign using Facebook and Email to target the specific group with new products and then an offer.

John visits the company website, embeded tracking code knows he was in the campaign segment and surfaces the same offer voucher for him to claim. That requires him to sign in. Before he starts browsing.

John spends over 2 minutes in the bedroom furniture section which triggers and event in your CRM.

The following weekend John visits your store and spends the majority of his time in the bedroom furniture section but leaves without making a purchase.

That night John buys a $3,000 bed off the website.

Question: Was it the Facebook advert, Product Email, Offer Email, Website Offer, browsing the website or the showrooming you can attribute the most influence on this purchase?

Answer: You failed to collect any customer information when John visited the store, so how could you know he was even there?

Alternative Ending

John walked into your store and noticed the sign at the front door prompting him to use the Free Store WiFi.

John signs on with his email address.

On the success page John is presented with a product promotion featuring one of the beds he viewed on the website and continues to the bedroom furniture section.

The CRM receives these events, further building your single view of the customer.

Later that day a rule is triggered because a purchase was not recorded and a remarketing campaign displays an advert that offers free linen with all bed purchases in the next 24 hours.

That seals the deal and John clicks through and buys the bed online.

Question: What interaction do you think had the most influence on John’s purchase?