Attribution reporting answers the question every merchant asks: “Which marketing channels actually drive my revenue?” By analyzing the full customer journey from your first-party data, Upstack Analytics assigns conversion credit across channels using multiple attribution models — giving you an independent, unbiased view of performance.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.upstackdata.com/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Available Attribution Models
Upstack Analytics supports four attribution models. Each model uses the same underlying data — identity-resolved customer journeys — but distributes conversion credit differently.| Model | How Credit Is Assigned | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| First-Touch | 100% credit to the first marketing touchpoint in the journey. | Measuring top-of-funnel acquisition. Which channels bring new customers to your store? |
| Last-Touch | 100% credit to the final touchpoint before conversion. | Comparing with ad platform reporting (most platforms default to last-touch). |
| Linear | Equal credit split across all touchpoints in the journey. | Balanced view of the full funnel. Surfaces mid-funnel contributors that single-touch models miss. |
| Time-Decay | More credit to touchpoints closer to the conversion. Older touchpoints receive progressively less. | Weighted view that respects recency while acknowledging the full journey. |
No single model is “correct.” Each reveals a different aspect of your marketing performance. The most useful insights come from comparing models side-by-side.
Comparing Models
The attribution dashboard lets you view the same data through multiple models simultaneously. This reveals channels that look different depending on how you measure: Example comparison for a DTC apparel store:| Channel | First-Touch Revenue | Last-Touch Revenue | Linear Revenue | Time-Decay Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta Ads | $42,000 | $31,000 | $35,500 | $33,200 |
| Google Search | $18,000 | $28,000 | $22,000 | $24,800 |
| Klaviyo Email | $2,000 | $19,000 | $12,500 | $15,600 |
| Organic Social | $15,000 | $4,000 | $9,000 | $6,400 |
| Direct | $3,000 | $8,000 | $6,000 | $7,000 |
Understanding Channel Credit
Channel credit is the aggregated attribution for a marketing channel across all conversions in your selected time period.What Counts as a Touchpoint
A touchpoint is a session where the visitor arrived through a trackable marketing channel:- Paid Social — Session with
utm_source = facebook,instagram, etc. - Paid Search — Session with
utm_source = google,bingandutm_medium = cpc - Email — Session with
utm_source = klaviyo,mailchimp, etc. - Organic Search — Session with referrer from a search engine and no paid UTM parameters
- Organic Social — Session with referrer from a social platform and no paid UTM parameters
- Direct — Session with no referrer and no UTM parameters
How Credit Sums Work
Within a single attribution model, total attributed revenue equals your actual total revenue. There is no double-counting — this is the fundamental advantage over ad platform self-reporting. If a customer journey has three touchpoints and results in a 30 to each channel. The total attributed is still $90.Lookback Windows
The lookback window defines how far back Upstack searches for qualifying touchpoints before a conversion.| Window | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days | Only touchpoints within the past week count. | Short consideration cycle products (impulse buys, low AOV). Fast feedback on recent campaigns. |
| 14 days | Two-week attribution window. | Moderate consideration cycles. Good default for most apparel and accessories stores. |
| 28 days | Four-week attribution window. | Longer consideration cycles (furniture, electronics, high-AOV products). |
| Custom | Set any number of days (1–90). | When your business has a specific purchase cycle you want to match. |
Reading the Attribution Dashboard
The attribution dashboard organizes data into four sections:Channel Overview
A summary table showing each channel’s attributed revenue, conversion count, and ROAS across your selected model and date range. This is your starting point for budget allocation decisions.Model Comparison
Side-by-side view of all four models for the same time period. Use this to identify channels that vary significantly across models — those are the ones worth investigating further.Journey Explorer
Drill into individual customer journeys to see the exact sequence of touchpoints. Filter by channel, conversion value, or number of touchpoints. Useful for understanding how your customers actually discover and buy from your store.Trend View
Attribution credit by channel over time. See how channel performance evolves week-over-week. Identify seasonal patterns, campaign impacts, and long-term shifts in your marketing mix.Tips for Actionable Attribution
Start with comparison, not a single model. Look at where models agree (strong signal) and where they disagree (needs investigation). Match the lookback window to your product. A 28-day window for a 500 product misses the real journey. Use first-touch for acquisition budgets. If you’re trying to grow your customer base, first-touch tells you which channels bring net-new visitors. Use last-touch to benchmark against platforms. Compare Upstack’s last-touch to Meta’s self-reported numbers. The gap reveals how much each platform over-claims. Watch the Linear model for hidden contributors. Channels that score low on both first-touch and last-touch but appear in Linear are mid-funnel influencers. Cutting them may quietly reduce overall conversion rates.Attribution Concepts
Deeper explanation of how attribution models work and why independent measurement matters.
Query Guide
Learn to build custom queries for more granular attribution analysis.