Attribution window
An attribution window is the time period after a marketing touchpoint during which a customer action (typically a purchase) is counted as a conversion attributed to that touchpoint.
In direct mail, the attribution window starts when the postcard is dispatched (or delivered) and ends after a set number of days. Any order placed by the recipient within that window can be counted as an attributed conversion.
Why attribution windows matter
Direct mail has a longer consideration cycle than a Google ad or an abandoned cart email. A postcard might sit on a customer's bench for two weeks before they act on it. A short attribution window (7 days) would miss most of these conversions. A window that's too long (180+ days) would attribute purchases that had nothing to do with the postcard.
The right window reflects the typical time between receiving a postcard and making a purchase for your specific product category.
TouchDrop's attribution window
TouchDrop uses a 60-day attribution window by default. This reflects the average time direct mail campaigns take to realise their full conversion effect, based on industry data across postcard marketing programs. Orders attributed include both QR-scan conversions and discount-code redemptions within the window.
Attribution caveats
Attribution windows don't account for customers who would have purchased anyway. A customer who receives a win-back postcard and buys the following day might have been on the verge of purchasing regardless of the postcard. This is why measuring against a control group (customers who weren't mailed) is the most rigorous approach — though it requires a larger volume of sends to produce statistically meaningful results.
Related terms and reading
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