Why not to use last click attribution?

There are several reasons why using last-click attribution may not be ideal:

1. Ignores the customer journey: Last-click attribution essentially ignores every marketing engagement before the last click prior to conversion. This means it overlooks the role and impact of other touchpoints that may have raised awareness, generated interest, or built trust among potential customers.

   
   

2. Undervalues earlier touchpoints: It fails to give credit to important early interactions, like social media posts or display ads, that may have played a crucial role in the customer's decision-making process.

   
   

3. Biased and incomplete view: Last-click attribution provides a biased and incomplete picture of marketing performance, especially for complex and long customer journeys common in social media marketing.

   
   

4. Misallocation of resources: By giving all credit to the final touchpoint, it may lead to underinvestment in critical marketing strategies that occur earlier in the funnel.

   
   

5. Overlooks brand awareness: Last-click attribution can't easily measure brand awareness activities, which are often crucial in social media marketing. This means their importance is often ignored.

   
   

6. Fragments the customer journey: It leads to a fragmented view of the customer journey, potentially causing marketers to miss important insights about how different channels work together.

   
   

7. Not suitable for long-term goals: Last-click attribution may not be appropriate for measuring long-term and relational goals, such as brand loyalty, retention, or advocacy.

   
   

8. Disproportionate credit: It may disproportionately credit certain marketing channels or ads, potentially undervaluing others that played a significant role in the customer's decision-making process.

   
   

9. Ignores offline influences: Last-click attribution doesn't account for offline marketing tactics that may have influenced the customer's decision.

   
   

10. Limited for complex purchases: For more considered purchases with longer decision cycles, last-click attribution may give a false impression of the value of engagements that happen later in the customer journey.

Given these limitations, marketers are often advised to consider data-driven attribution or Incrementality-based Attribution for a more comprehensive understanding of their marketing performance.