Revenue Attribution for Email

Overview

By taking advantage of revenue attribution, you can analyze message performance based on the order revenue the message generated.

Revenue is attributed to purchases made within 24 hours of the most recent click on a tracked message link. Should 24 hours pass without a purchase, the attribution window will close but can be retriggered if the link is clicked once again. The 24-hour attribution window can be retriggered in this manner for up to 30 days of message send date.

Cordial attributes orders to messages using the message contact ID (mcID). Learn more about message ID's.

Viewing Revenue Attribution

Revenue attribution is displayed for all sent messages within the tile grid on the platform dashboard page. To see individual message revenue attribution, you can visit the message’s summary performance page. In both cases, revenue performance is broken down into detailed characteristics:

• Total Revenue - Total revenue attributed to the message(s)
• Direct Revenue - Revenue attributed to the original message recipient(s)
• Indirect Revenue - Revenue attributed to subsequent message recipient(s) (e.g., a promotional email which is forwarded to a friend and leads to a purchase being made will be tracked as indirect revenue)
• AOV - Average Order Value (Total Revenue / Purchases)
• Purchases  - Total number of purchases attributed to the message(s)

Revenue attribution can also be used as a conversion metric for experiments in batch and automated messages.

Direct vs. Indirect Revenue

Total Revenue can be divided into two subcategories for more specific performance tracking: Direct and Indirect.

Direct Revenue is revenue from an order that can be directly attributed to the original recipient of an email sent. This attribution is available due to the receiving contact’s ID (cID) matching the message contact ID (mcID) in the tracked link. For example: an email is sent to Contact A, who clicks on the tracked link to place an order within 24 hours of clicking the link. The order data is attributed to the email and Contact A via the mcID.

Indirect Revenue is a feature that allows an order to be attributed to a message when the order is placed by someone other than the original message recipient. With this feature enabled, the contact ID (cID) of the person placing the order is not required to match the message contact ID (mcID) to be tracked. For example, Contact A forwards an email to Contact B, who then places an order. That order data is attributed to Contact B, even though the original message contact ID indicates that Contact A received the email.

Revenue Attribution Displayed on the Cordial Dashboard

Revenue Attribution Displayed on the Message Performance Page

Revenue Attribution as a Conversion Metric

Implementing Revenue Attribution

Revenue attribution can be implemented using JavaScript listeners or API calls. Below are some example scenarios.

Revenue Attribution Using the JavaScript Listener

This scenario assumes that the web site contains the JavaScript listener passing orders to Cordial using the crdl(order) method.

1. An email is sent to a contact containing a tracked link to a web page.
2. A contact clicks on the tracked link.
3. A cookie is set on the web site containing the contact ID (cID) and the mcID.
4. The contact places a order within 24 hours of clicking the link (using the same browser and computer).
5. Order data is sent to Cordial and attributed to the email using the mcID.

Revenue Attribution Using an API Call

This scenario assumes that the web site is passing order data to Cordial using the POST /orders API call.

1. An email is sent to a contact containing a link to a web page. The link is appended with the mcID.
2. A contact clicks on the link with the mcID.
3. The web site developer stores the mcID for use in step 5.
4. The contact places an order.
5. A POST /orders API call is made containing the order details and the previously stored mcID.
6. Order data is sent to Cordial and attributed to the email using the mcID.