Definition
The attribution window defines how long after an email send a conversion still counts as driven by that campaign. A 7-day window means any purchase occurring within 7 days of a click is attributed to the email; purchases after day 7 are not.
Common Windows
- 1-day window: Conservative, used when email is purely a direct-response channel
- 7-day window: Standard for most ecommerce and B2C campaigns
- 28-day window: Common for B2B and high-consideration purchases
- Session-based window: Attributing only if the conversion happens in the same browsing session as the click
Why It Matters
A window that is too short undercounts email's contribution to longer consideration cycles. A window that is too long overcounts it by capturing conversions that other channels deserve credit for. Testing different windows against a holdout group is the only way to find the right balance for your business.
Related Glossary Terms
A/B Testing
A/B testing in email marketing is the practice of sending two variations of an email to a small sample of your list to determine which version performs better before sending the winner to the remaining subscribers.
Abandoned Cart Email
An abandoned cart email is an automated message sent to customers who added items to their online shopping cart but left without completing the purchase. It is one of the highest-converting email types in ecommerce.
Abuse Complaint
An abuse complaint is a report from a recipient who marks an email as spam, which negatively affects sender reputation and deliverability.
AI Email Summary
An AI email summary is a short, machine-generated overview of an email's key points, shown by Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail before a recipient opens the message. It is reshaping how email marketers think about subject lines, preview text and open rates.
AI Inbox
An AI inbox is an email client that uses artificial intelligence to summarise, sort, prioritise and sometimes answer emails before the human recipient reads them. It is transforming email marketing metrics and copywriting.
AIDA Model for Email
The AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) is a classic copywriting framework used to structure email campaigns that guide subscribers from awareness to conversion.