Amazon Marketing Cloud now supports custom attribution analysis

March 25, 2022

What launched?

Attribution is the systematic process of determining which campaign(s) should receive credit for conversion after ad exposure or engagement. Advertisers can now customize the following when performing attribution analysis in Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC):

  • Lookback window: This determines how far back to measure the touchpoints on the conversion path. Advertisers can now set lookback window to be up to 28 days in AMC.
  • Attribution model: This determines how to assign credit to touchpoints on conversion path. Advertisers can now choose to apply the following model options in AMC:
    • First-touch model: Assign 100% credit to the first touchpoint on conversion path
    • Last-touch model: Assign 100% credit to the last touchpoint on conversion path
    • Equal-weight model: Evenly split the credit across all touchpoints on conversion path
    • Position-based model: Split the credit between the first and the last touchpoints on conversion path; Weights assigned to these two touchpoints are customizable (e.g. 30% to first touchpoint and 70% to last touchpoint)

Associated instructional queries are also provided to support easy and fast execution of the custom attribution function.

Why is it important?

The standard “14-day last-touch attribution” is practiced in Amazon Ads standard campaign reporting. With the launch of custom attribution in AMC, advertisers now have the flexibility to define their preferred attribution approach in query analysis, helping them to form more objective and comprehensive understanding of the contribution of different campaigns. Specifically, the launch can help advertisers:

  • Obtain cross-campaign, cross-media attribution insights. Standard campaign reporting reports on conversions attributable to individual campaigns. With AMC custom attribution, advertisers can work backwards from conversions and compare the aggregated contribution of different campaigns and media channels side by side
  • Take more complete customer journey into consideration. The standard 14-day lookback window only takes views and clicks happened within the 14-day period prior to conversion into consideration. The option to extend lookback window to up to 28 days in AMC allows advertisers to measure touchpoints during early journey stages. This is especially beneficial to brands selling products with long sales cycle.
  • Discern tangible value of upper and mid funnel campaigns. The standard last-touch attribution model tends to favor lower funnel media. The option of applying other attribution models such as first-touch and equal-weight made available through the launch can help advertisers better understand the value upper and mid funnel campaigns bring to final sales.
  • Align attribution approach with advertiser’s regular practice. Some brands and agencies have preferred lookback window and attribution model they regularly practice. With AMC custom attribution, advertisers can apply attribution approach that best aligns with their standard practice and conduct more “apples-to-apples” comparison across publishers.

Where is the feature available?

  • North America: United States, Canada, Mexico
  • South America: Brazil
  • Europe: Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom
  • Middle East: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
  • Asia Pacific: Australia, India, Japan, Singapore

Who can use it?

  • Registered Amazon Marketing Cloud users

Where do I access it?

  • AMC UI or API