Email marketing revenue attribution for last week's send
The short answer
Email marketing revenue attribution for a single send should report three numbers: last-click revenue, a multi-touch figure, and the lift against a holdout group if one exists. Name the method and window beside each figure, because last-click alone often credits the email with sales that would have happened anyway.
Why it matters
Data teams field the same question every Monday, and different answers from different tools erode trust in every report. A fixed method, stated with every figure, ends the debate over whose number is right and lets marketing compare one week with the next on equal terms.
The question to ask
Copy this into Lexi as written.
What the answer looks like
Illustrative output on sample data
Illustrative example: how Lexi answers this for a homewares retailer. Last Tuesday's bedding email went to 220,000 subscribers, with 10,000 held back.
- Last-click revenue, seven-day window: $148,000
- Multi-touch share across email, search and social: $96,000
- Lift against the holdout: $61,000
What the data shows
The email can claim anywhere from $61,000 to $148,000 depending on the method. The holdout figure is about 41% of last-click.
What it means
Only the holdout measures sales the email caused. A quarter of last-click revenue came from store purchases by recipients, which online-only tools miss.
What to do
Report the weekly email number against the holdout, with last-click shown beside it.
Want me to run this every Monday for the previous week's sends?
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between last click and data driven attribution?
Last-click gives all the credit for a sale to the final touch before purchase. Data-driven attribution uses your own conversion paths to share credit across every touch, weighted by how much each one changes the chance of a sale. Data-driven usually gives email less credit than last-click when customers also search or click ads.
Why do different tools report different revenue for the same email?
Each tool uses its own window, method and data. An email platform might count any purchase within five days of an open, while web analytics counts last-click sessions only and misses store sales. Neither is wrong, but they answer different questions, so pick one standard and state it.
Is one week enough to judge an email?
It is enough for a first read. A seven-day window covers the main response to most retail emails, but holdout lift on a small send can swing from week to week. Judge campaign types over several sends, and use the weekly figure to spot problems early.