SmartPush's Attribution Settings give you precise control over how orders are attributed to your marketing messages across email, SMS, WhatsApp, and pop-ups. Attribution is enabled by default for all stores, and you can customize the trigger events and attribution windows for each channel.
In this article, you’ll learn how attribution works, how rules are set across channels, and how to read attribution data to evaluate performance.
What Is Sales Attribution?
Sales attribution refers to the process of linking an order to a marketing message that influenced the customer's decision to purchase. For example, if a customer opened your marketing email and placed an order within a defined time window, the order will be attributed to that email.
Attribution helps you answer: Which message helped drive this order? This allows you to evaluate the ROI of your campaigns more effectively using metrics like revenue, order count, and conversion rate across SmartPush modules like Home, Campaign, Automation, and Analytics.
Attribution Settings: Key Components
SmartPush attributes orders based on the following customizable settings:
1. Attribution Trigger Events
These are user behaviors that start the attribution window. You can define what counts as a “trigger” per channel.
| Channel | Available Triggers | Default Trigger |
| Open or Click / Click only | Open or Click | |
| SMS | Click only | Click |
| Open or Click / Click only | Open or Click | |
| Pop-up | View (impression) | View |
- For emails: "Open" means pixel load; "Click" means link click.
- For WhatsApp: "Open" means the message has been read (read receipt returned).
- If both happen, the most recent will be used.
- Triggering the event starts the attribution window.
2. Attribution Window (Timeframe)
Only orders placed within the defined attribution window will be attributed.
| Channel | Default Window | Max Custom Window |
| 15 days | 30 days | |
| SMS | 15 days | 30 days |
| 15 days | 30 days | |
| Pop-up | 24 hours | 30 days |
| Note: You can adjust this in Attribution Settings per channel. |
How Attribution Works: Examples
1. Single Window:
- Email attribution window: 5 days
- Day 1: Email sent
- Day 2: User opens email > triggers attribution
- Day 4: User places order > order is attributed to email
2. Extended by Multiple Interactions:
- Email attribution window: 5 days
- Day 1: Email sent
- Day 2: Open/click > opens 1st window
- Day 5: Click again > opens new window
- Day 8: Order placed > attributed (due to reopened window)
3. Multiple Orders Within a Window:
All orders within a valid attribution window will be attributed to the message.
4. Last-Touch Attribution Across Channels:
If a user interacted with multiple channels, only the most recent valid touchpoint gets the credit.
- Day 1: Opened email
- Day 3: Clicked SMS
- Day 4: Placed orde > attributed to SMS
Attribution for Pop-ups
Pop-up attribution is calculated separately and can co-exist with email/SMS attribution.
Pop-up attribution requires:
- The user views a pop-up (trigger) and clicks an email/SMS.
- The user places an order with the linked discount code.
- The order occurs within the pop-up’s attribution window.
| Note: This order will count toward both the pop-up and the email/SMS if both criteria are met. |
Adjusting Attribution Settings
Attribution is enabled by default for all stores. To adjust your attribution settings:
Go to Settings > Data settings > Attribution settings.
- Review the current attribution configuration for each channel.
- Adjust your triggers and attribution window per channel.
Save your changes. Updated rules will apply to new data the next day, and historical data (up to the last 90 days) will also be recalculated overnight.
Historical Data Recalculation
- New rules apply to new data the next day.
- Historical data will be reprocessed the next day.
- Recalculation goes back 90 days.
FAQs
Q: Why is there a difference between UTM and attribution data?
A: UTM-based tracking can be inconsistent due to browser/device changes or dropped parameters. SmartPush attribution is based on actual user behavior (e.g., email clicks), which is more reliable.
Q: Will changing my attribution settings affect my reports?
A: Yes. When you save changes to your attribution configuration, all sales-related metrics across Home, Campaign, Automation, and Analytics will be recalculated based on the updated rules (up to 90 days of historical data). Exported files will still reflect raw data.