What is an attribution window?

An attribution window (or conversion window) is a defined period of time in which conversion events can be claimed by a publisher (in the case of ads) or attributed to another channel, such as email or web-to-app banners. Conversions are tracked and reported within a software dashboard to enhance visibility into your marketing efforts. This allows you to calculate ROI more effectively and understand which channels are delivering the best results for your budget.

The conversion event could be an app install, add-to-cart event, purchase event, or any other downstream event you wish to track. Any activity that happens within the attribution window will be recorded and claimed in terms of attribution.

You are likely to come across the term “attribution window” when working with software platforms that measure marketing campaign performance. If you have worked with a mobile measurement partner (MMP) or a mobile linking platform (MLP) before, then this term is probably familiar to you. Since Branch is both an MMP and an MLP, attribution windows are an integral part of account configuration.

Attribution windows and deep links

Mobile app deep links (also known simply as “deep links”) point to content that exists inside your app, and an attribution window determines the time in which a deep link will remain active. The deep link duration is the window of time that Branch allows a click to be eligible for deep linking to a particular screen or product within your app. If the deep linking attribution window expires, the user will still be linked to your app, but they will not be deep linked to specific content.

Any activity that happens within the attribution window will be eligible for deep linking to the appropriate in-app content.

Why setting the right attribution window is important

Attribution windows allow you to perform several valuable marketing functions, like understanding and enhancing the user journey, tracking campaign metrics, and optimizing ad spend.

Understand customer journeys

Attribution windows help you understand the customer’s purchase journey. For example, a user might click on an ad but not immediately make a purchase. They might return days or weeks later to complete their transaction. An attribution window helps identify if the ad influenced the purchase, even if it wasn’t immediate.

Evaluate campaign effectiveness

Attribution windows allow marketers to more accurately evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns and to allocate credit to the right marketing touchpoints. For example, a 30-day attribution window would give credit to any touchpoint that occurred within 30 days prior to conversion.

Optimize ad spend

By knowing which campaigns are effectively driving conversions within a given attribution window, marketers can optimize their ad spend, focusing resources on successful strategies and revising or removing those that don’t contribute significantly to conversions.

Cross-device tracking

In a world where users often use multiple devices, attribution windows can help track a customer’s journey across these devices, thereby providing a more holistic understanding of the customer’s path to purchase — for example, from a mobile ad to a desktop purchase.

Enhanced user experience

Attribution windows give you control over your users’ experience as they interact with your links and app. The goal of deep linking is to delight users with seamless journeys into your app, reduce friction, and facilitate smooth purchases. Attribution windows can help make these user journeys better and more logical.

Types of attribution windows

Attribution windows apply to a variety of scenarios and user actions, including different lengths of time for different actions. It’s important to consider how your users are interacting with your app and what their perceptions may be when they take various actions. Then you can tailor the attribution windows in a way that will make the most sense to your users as they interact with your links and app.

For example, an impression link occurs when someone views an ad but doesn’t click on it. Here, the link between the view and the install is not as strong as when a click action is involved, so the impression window is far shorter by default.

Likewise, deep linking users to a product makes sense if the user opens the app in a relatively short period of time. But if they wait for several days, the deep link is no longer relevant, so this deep link window is set to 120 minutes by default.

Here are various types of activity that involve attribution windows:

Let’s look at each setting in a bit more detail to define exactly what they mean.

Click-to-X attribution

Click to X refers to events that occur after someone clicks a Branch link. Examples include Click to Install and Click to Purchase.

If someone clicks on a link and installs your app, then comes back seven days later to make a purchase, Branch would count that as an attributed conversion and you would know exactly which campaign drove this install and purchase. This value, as an attribution window, is measured in days. This example assumes a click-to-conversion event window greater than seven days (the default setting in Branch is 30 days).

Impression-to-X attribution

Impression to X refers to events that occur after someone views an ad containing a Branch impression link. Imagine you’re scrolling through your favorite social media feed and you see an ad but don’t click on it. That view triggers an impression which is tracked in Branch (no click takes place in this scenario). This is sometimes referred to as view-through attribution. This value, as an attribution window, is measured in days and is typically shorter than click events.

Deep linking duration

Deep linking duration refers to the duration of time someone is eligible to receive deep link data.

If someone is viewing an ad for a particular product and then clicks on the link and installs your app, they are deep linked to that specific product when they open your app. This duration indicates the amount of time that a deep link remains active. If a user waits longer than 120 minutes after installing your app, they will see the homescreen rather than being deep linked to a specific product. This value, as an attribution window, is measured in minutes. This is shorter than other windows because a deep link — which activates days or weeks after an install — may lead to confusion for users rather than its intended purpose of delighting users.

Re-engagement inactivity

Re-engagement inactivity defines the period between two events that a user must be inactive in order to define the later event as a re-engagement. This value, as an attribution window, is measured in days.

Any activity that happens outside of the initial re-engagement inactivity window but inside the click-to-conversion window is attributed as “re-engagement” activity.

When using this feature in Branch, you can view re-engagement data in the dashboard by using the Cohorts feature. Navigate to Ads > Analytics > Cohorts. More detailed information on re-engagement analysis can be found here.

Attribution window scenarios

Here we outline some scenarios to show you what to expect when it comes to working with attribution windows. All scenarios are based on Branch’s default attribution settings, including a 120-minute deep linking duration window, seven-day click-to-install window, and 30-day click-to-conversion event window.

Scenario A

In this scenario, the user only waits five minutes before opening the app, and therefore they are within both the 120-minute deep linking duration window and the seven-day install window. In this instance, the user is deep linked and the install is attributed to the source.

Scenario B

In this scenario, the user waits 200 minutes before opening the app, and therefore they are outside of the 120-minute deep linking duration window but within the seven-day install window. In this instance, the user is not deep linked but the install is attributed to the source. Waiting for longer periods of time between installing the app and opening the app detaches the user’s original intention of wanting to see a specific piece of content from the open event, and therefore we do not deep link the user in this scenario but we do attribute the install.

Scenario C

In this scenario, the user waits a significant period of time — eight days — before opening the app, and therefore they are outside of both the 120-minute deep linking duration window and the seven-day install window. In this instance, the user is not deep linked and the install is not attributed to the source.

Scenario C (expanded time horizon)

In this scenario, we extend the last scenario out a bit longer to show that even though the deep linking duration window and click-to-install window were exceeded, a purchase event 12 days after the initial click is still attributed to the source due to the default 30-day conversion window being active.

Modifying attribution windows in Branch

To modify attribution windows in your Branch dashboard, navigate to the Configuration page, and click on the Attribution Windows tab. Here is where you can configure your default attribution window settings.

By default, Branch will use the default settings within the Attribution Windows tab located under the Configuration page within your dashboard. It is possible to modify the settings for each individual Ad Partner if you wish, and this can be done by navigating to Ads > Partner Management > [Ad Partner] > Attribution Windows. There you will find a checkbox labeled “Use ad partner attribution settings.” Once enabled, that Ad Partner will be set to use the attribution settings you’ve configured on the Ad Partner’s side.

If your company has multiple apps, you can also set Attribution Windows at the Organization level for all of your apps. So settings can be set at the Organization level, at the App level, and at the Ad Partner level, giving you ultimate control and flexibility when it comes to Attribution Windows.

Aligning attribution windows

In order to compare performance across your ad partners, we recommend aligning your attribution windows so the settings are consistent in all places, including your default settings within the Branch dashboard. One more thing to look out for is to ensure your timezone settings within Branch match the timezone settings within your Ad Partner dashboards; otherwise, times and dates may not be synchronized, leading to misaligned conversion periods and times.

Summary

Understanding attribution windows and recognizing their importance is crucial in today’s data-driven world. Attribution windows refer to the specific time frames during which marketing efforts are attributed to certain customer actions and conversions, as well as the time frames during which deep links remain active. By understanding these attribution windows, businesses can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns, accurately allocate resources, and make informed decisions to maximize their return on investment. Furthermore, measuring attribution enables businesses to evaluate the impact of various touchpoints throughout the customer journey, leading to improved targeting, personalized experiences, and enhanced customer acquisition and retention strategies.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, a deep understanding of attribution windows will unlock valuable marketing insights and drive sustainable business growth. Here at Branch, we’re committed to helping our clients achieve these goals and setting you up for success.

Want to get started with Branch? Sign up for the Branch dashboard here, or get in touch if you’d like to request a personal demo of our platform with one of our experts.

The post Guide to Attribution Windows: What They Are and How They Work appeared first on Branch.

KFC (together with Branch) created unique, KFC-branded QR codes for users to interact with in the pub. These QR codes drove increased app engagement—the strongest results KFC has ever experienced with QR codes—and led to the beginning of a successful delivery service for KFC.

• 85% uplift in installs
• 1000 scans and opens in the first few days

The post Kentucky Fried Chicken: How QR Codes and a Pub Drove an 85% Lift in App Installs appeared first on Branch.

The basics

The product feed is a way your ecommerce store communicates with an ad platform to display product listing ads. Product listing ads are simply snapshots of your products; there are no videos, no creative, no copy. They simply display a photo of your product along with a description, price, the name of your brand, and sometimes a user rating as well. Ad platforms that support product feeds include Google, Amazon, and eBay. 

By using product feeds, retailers can place their products directly in front of users who are searching for a specific product, resulting in high conversion rates for ecommerce brands.

The impact of product feeds

Product feeds in Google are part of the Google Shopping experience, and this represents a huge opportunity for ecommerce brands. Here are some statistics that prove the use case:

• 85.3% of Google’s paid clicks are generated on AdWords and Google Shopping
• Shopping ads in the US drive 76.4% of retail search spend
• Google Shopping ads in the UK amounts to 82% of retail spend

These incredible metrics aren’t exclusive to Google, though. HostelWorld benefitted from a 44% increase in their click-through rate by leveraging Facebook Dynamic Product Ads and saw their cost per acquisition decrease by 3x.

Additionally, affiliate marketing drove 16% of ecommerce sales in the U.S. and Canada, and the average return on ad spending (ROAS) was 12:1 across all industries, which means each $1 spent on the affiliate channel drove an average of $12 in ecommerce revenue.

Alongside Facebook and Google, there are many other sites which utilize product feeds to help you promote your products to a wider audience. A small selection of some of the more well known brands are listed below:

• Amazon
• Bing
• eBay
• Instagram
• Price Runner
• Snapchat
• TikTok

All types of brands that sell online should be focused on this important and growing channel for marketing their products and driving sales.

How does a product feed work

The product feed can be created in a variety of formats, but typically it will be in a CSV or XML format. You can create this list from your product catalog using spreadsheet software and output the results as a CSV file (or whatever format the ad platform requires). From there, you want to place your product feed file in a location where it can be accessed by the ad platforms. This typically involves uploading your product feed file to a web server — this is usually done using your CMS but check with your IT team for the best approach.

Once the product feed has been uploaded, you can let the ad platforms know it’s available by giving them the path to the file. They will scan your site for it and ingest all products from your feed. The products within your feed then get added to the various ad platforms and they can begin showing your products to users. These product ads will directly link users to your app where they can go through the checkout process and Branch can attribute these conversions back to your original campaign.

The diagram illustrates how this process works.

What makes a good product feed

Now we’ve discussed why you’d want to use product feeds, let’s dive into what makes a good and effective product feed. Here are some points to consider:

1. Ensure your product descriptions are SEO friendly so that the search engine picks up the products from your feed for users’ search words.
2. Consider using an off-the-shelf product to manage your data feed. Ease of use and automated feed optimization are just two of the benefits of using a third party tool to assist with your product feed management.
3. If you do decide to use an off-the-shelf product to manage your data feed, use one tool for this rather than multiple tools to prevent any cross posting or communication errors between yourself and the ad platform.
4. Add as much detail as possible to ensure relevant results are surfaced in the ad platform, which will increase the likelihood of a purchase conversion.
5. Use high-quality imagery to ensure your products look visually appealing to potential customers and to encourage clicks and potential purchases.
6. Incorporate Branch links into your product feed to ensure traffic is diverted to your best channel for conversions — your mobile app. Mobile apps have a staggering 20x higher conversion rate compared with mobile web and the overall basket spend increases within mobile as well. Using Branch links in your feed is a great way of optimizing your conversion success rate and revenue.
7. Keep your data fresh! When your product details change, make sure the updates are reflected in your product feed to ensure people get all the right information in the ad before they land in your store.

Keep an eye on your results

Measure, assess, repeat! It’s important to analyze where your users are coming from so you can assess your most profitable channels of engagement. For ecommerce clients, product feeds are sure to be among the top performing channels for conversions due to the high intent of customers searching specifically for the products you’re selling. Could product feeds become your most profitable channel?

Deep linking directly to your products

The power of deep linking directly to products within your mobile app means that consumers can get to your products directly, without having to go via an additional product search or via a homepage. With Branch, you can even deep link users to your product even if they don’t have your app and have to go through an install process first. In order to ensure deep links work in your product feed, you will need to amend your feed to contain Branch links for each and every product. In addition, by using deep linking, you’ll be able to track purchases against your product feed campaigns for complete visibility over channel performance.

How to construct a product feed with a Branch link

Firstly, it’s recommended that your app makes use a canonical URL* to direct users directly to the products in your app; this is a best practice setup for deep linking with Branch. This is a good approach for retailers that have parity between their ecommerce website and their mobile app as it makes it easy for marketing professionals to manage deep link setup. All ad partners need the $canonical_url= parameter to be added and dynamically populated by the product URL value.

*This assumes you have both a website and a mobile app and all your products are displayed on both your website and your app.

Only Facebook and non-SANs need the $fallback_url= parameter for graceful web fallback in case the app is not available. With Branch, it is possible to send users to the App Store and Play Store if they do not have your app installed, but typically in this instance it’s preferable to send users to the web so as not to disrupt the checkout process. In this situation, our Journeys smart banners can help drive users to the app where they can continue with their purchase.

Here are some prerequisites for setting up your product feed to work with Branch links:

• Branch SDK
• Branch Web SDK
• Deep Link Routing set up in your Branch dashboard
• Facebook and/or Google Ads integrations enabled in your Branch Dashboard
• Link per product feed item

Here are some instructions on constructing product feed links by using Branch links combined with your product URL links, for various ad platforms:

Facebook

[BRANCH LINK]&$canonical_url=[ENCODED PRODUCT 
URL]&$fallback_url=[ENCODED PRODUCT URL]

Google Ads

Native Universal Link / App Links

• Branch Link in feed not required (FOR FINAL URL)

Place Branch link in Tracking Template for Web Attribution

Non-SANs

[BRANCH LINK]&$canonical_url=[ENCODED PRODUCT 
URL]&$fallback_url=[ENCODED PRODUCT URL]

Each network relies on a different method for linking app users from their platform to your brand’s product pages. Fortunately, Branch automatically handles this on your behalf meaning Branch links work seamlessly cross-platform. Whilst Facebook uses Facebook App Links, Google uses Native Universal Links, and non-SAN’s rely specifically on Branch links. Branch is able to handle all of these use cases for deep linking and attribution.

For more information on integrating Branch links with your product feed, please consult our Help documentation.

Adding analytics parameters to your links

Analytics parameters can be dynamically added to your product feed links and these can be set up to capture all the required information. You can continue to use your own base UTMs on the links you generate and Branch will ingest and remap them to our own analytics tags.

Below is a table showing an example of Google parameters, but these can apply to other ad networks. Please check the Branch documentation for more information on using analytics parameters within product feeds.

Summary

Product feeds are vitally important to ensuring your ecommerce business capitalizes on the best channels available to you as a marketer. When utilizing product feeds, Branch provides a distinct advantage by providing effective campaign measurement alongside best-in-class in-app deep linking user experiences. Your mobile app is your most powerful channel for driving sales both in terms of volume and value, and product feeds can play an integral role in driving in-app sales. Implementing a successful product feed will require some setup, but once done, it’s a great marketing method for achieving maximum visibility of your products to high-intent customers.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how Branch can help you measure performance and provide a robust linking infrastructure for your product feeds, please reach out to one of our Branch representatives today.

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