Formula
Intent Score = SUM ( intent score per session ) ÷ Number of sessions
Session metrics are calculated from Upstack’s session records. They aren’t offered in the dashboard metric picker. You can see each live session’s intent tier in Realtime.
How the score is built
It’s a rule-based score, not a trained prediction. Each signal adds its points once (negative signals can repeat). Points are summed per category, each category is capped, and the total is clamped between 0 and 100.
The pixel holds these signals in page memory and sends the current score with each heartbeat and page-end message. The session record keeps the reported score as Intent Score and the highest value as Peak Intent Score. Because the signal list lives in page memory, a full page load starts a fresh list, while route changes in a single-page app keep it.
Worked example
A returning visitor (last visit 2 days ago, 4th visit) arrives from a paid ad on desktop at 8 pm, views two products, adds one to cart 90 seconds later, then starts checkout 40 seconds after that. No engagement signals fire:
That’s 71 if all of this happens without a full page load in between. On a store where each step loads a new page, each page starts a fresh signal list, so the score reported from the checkout page can be lower than 71. Peak Intent Score keeps the highest value any page reported.
In Realtime, a live session’s score maps to an Intent badge: Low (20 or less), Medium (21 to 45), High (46 to 70), or Very High (above 70).
How to interpret it
- Compare segments, not single sessions. The average is most useful by traffic source or landing page.
- Read it with Peak Intent Score. A large gap means sessions reached high intent on some page and then reported lower later, for example after a page load or a negative signal.
- Visit context alone can reach 15. A returning, identified, paid desktop visitor starts with points before doing anything.
FAQ
Is Intent Score a machine learning prediction?
Is Intent Score a machine learning prediction?
No. It’s a fixed points table calculated in the browser. The same actions always give the same points.
Does a purchase raise the Intent Score?
Does a purchase raise the Intent Score?
No. Purchase events reach the scoring logic but add no points. The steps before the purchase have already added theirs.
What's the difference between Intent Score and Session Score?
What's the difference between Intent Score and Session Score?
Intent Score counts shopping signals. Session Score is an engagement composite built from active time, duration, pages, scroll depth, interactions, page scores, and returns from idle.
Related metrics
See all Session metrics →