attribution window

Definition

The time period during which a conversion can be credited to a specific ad interaction. It's the arbitrary timeframe marketers use to claim credit for sales that may have happened anyway.

Example Usage

With a 30-day attribution window, we can claim that ad someone ignored a month ago definitely caused today's purchase.

Origin

Digital marketing analytics concept that became critical with multi-touch attribution in the 2000s

Fun Fact

Facebook uses a 28-day click and 1-day view attribution window by default, which is why their reported conversions often seem magically optimistic.

Source: Marketing analytics and attribution modeling terminology

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