Time Decay Attribution

What Is Time Decay Attribution?

Time decay attribution is a multi-touch marketing attribution model that assigns more credit to touchpoints closer to the conversion event (e.g., purchase, sign-up). Unlike first-touch or last-touch models, which give full credit to a single interaction, time decay acknowledges the entire customer journey while emphasizing the influence of recent engagements.

How It Works

• Weighted Credit Distribution: Uses a sliding scale (e.g., exponential decay) where:
  • The last touchpoint receives the highest percentage (e.g., 50%).
  • Earlier interactions receive progressively less credit (e.g., 30%, 15%, 5%).
• Formula: Often applies a half-life decay (e.g., credit halves every 7 days).

Example Scenario

A customer’s 30-day journey:

1. Day 1: Facebook ad (10% credit).
2. Day 20: Email campaign (30% credit).
3. Day 30: Google Search ad → Conversion (60% credit).

Advantages of Time Decay Attribution

1. Balanced View of the Funnel: Recognizes all touchpoints while highlighting the impact of late-stage interactions.
2. Ideal for Long Sales Cycles: Effective for B2B, high-consideration purchases, or industries with extended decision-making periods.
3. Optimizes Retargeting Efforts: Helps allocate budget to tactics that drive conversions (e.g., retargeting ads, limited-time offers).

When to Use Time Decay vs. Other Models

• First-Touch: Best for measuring top-of-funnel awareness.
• Last-Touch: Simplistic but ignores early nurturing.
• Linear: Equal credit for all touchpoints but lacks nuance.
• U-Shaped/W-Shaped: Focuses on key milestones (e.g., lead creation).

Choose Time Decay If:

• Your sales cycle spans weeks/months.
• You need to optimize late-funnel performance.
• Early touchpoints (e.g., brand awareness) are less critical than closing tactics.

How GeeLark Enhances Time Decay Attribution

GeeLark, an antidetect cloud phone, offers unique advantages for marketers leveraging time decay attribution:

1. Accurate Device Fingerprinting:
   • Unlike emulators or antidetect browsers, GeeLark runs on real cloud hardware, generating unique, non-emulated fingerprints. This ensures precise tracking of user interactions across devices.
   • Example: A user switches from mobile ads to desktop checkout—GeeLark maintains consistent attribution without fingerprint mismatches.
2. Android App Compatibility:
   • Run mobile apps in the cloud (e.g., retargeting ads, loyalty apps) to track in-app behaviors that influence conversions.
   • Competitors like Multilogin can’t replicate this functionality.
3. Privacy-Compliant Tracking:
   • Avoid cookie-based attribution pitfalls with hardware-level anonymity, ideal for post-iOS 14.5 marketing.

For businesses with complex customer journeys, GeeLark provides the infrastructure to validate time decay insights and refine touchpoint strategies. Learn more at GeeLark’s official site.

Conclusion

Time decay attribution bridges the gap between first- and last-touch models, offering a data-driven way to credit influential touchpoints. Pairing it with GeeLark’s antidetect cloud phone ensures accurate, privacy-compliant tracking—empowering marketers to optimize budgets and improve conversion rates.

Explore how GeeLark can transform your attribution strategy: Visit GeeLark.