Multi-Channel Attribution

Multi-touch attribution is a measurement approach that distributes conversion credit across multiple affiliate touchpoints in the customer journey, rather than assigning all credit to a single first or last click.

An attribution model is the rule set that determines which affiliate touchpoint receives credit for a conversion, shaping how commissions are assigned.

Data-driven attribution uses statistical modelling across actual conversion path data to assign credit to each touchpoint, rather than applying a fixed rule like first-click or last-click.

Two attribution models that determine which affiliate receives credit for a conversion. First-click credits the partner who initially referred the user, while last-click credits the partner whose link was clicked most recently before conversion.

Cross-device tracking is the process of identifying and connecting a single user's activity across multiple devices -- such as mobile, desktop, and tablet -- so that conversions can be attributed accurately regardless of where the final action occurs. It addresses the gap that arises when a user clicks an affiliate link on one device but converts on another.

View-through attribution is a tracking method that credits a conversion to an ad [impression](/glossary/impression) even when the user did not click on the ad. If a user sees a display or video ad and later converts within a defined attribution window, the conversion is attributed to that impression rather than treated as organic or unattributed traffic.

The practice of assigning conversion credit across marketing channels using models such as first-click, last-click, linear, time-decay, position-based, or data-driven, with direct implications for how affiliates are compensated.

A click ID is a unique identifier generated for each click on an affiliate tracking link, serving as the key that connects an initial click event to downstream conversions for attribution purposes.