Time decay model
Unlike the linear model, where each interaction gets equal credit, the time decay model assigns varying credit to all marketing touch points in a customer’s journey. It weighs them based on their proximity to the final conversion.
For example, if a customer first encounters your brand through an email but later clicks a button on your website, the email would receive minimal credit, while the website click would receive the most, reflecting its more significant influence on the point of purchase.
Giving more credit to later touch points emphasizes nurturing leads and building relationships over time. This model is more useful for businesses with extended sales processes, where multiple touch points are needed to guide the customer toward a decision.
The cons of this model are that it’s less effective for short sales cycles, as it undervalues critical early touch points. It may also provide limited insights into the effectiveness of upper-funnel activities, which are essential for initial brand awareness and interest.
W-shaped model
The W-shaped model follows a very set pattern: 90% of the credit is evenly split between the first, third, and last marketing touch points. These three stages—visit, lead, and sale—are considered the most critical in the customer journey. The last 10% is divided between the second and fourth touch points, hence the W shape.
Highlighting the visit, lead, and sale stages showcases the most influential moments that drive conversions. This model is well-suited for businesses with multistep sales processes, where specific interactions are crucial for progressing customers through the funnel. It benefits marketers who want to highlight the critical stages in the customer journey without completely disregarding the value of intermediate interactions. While its biggest flaw is that it overlooks touch points outside of these stages, it highlights key interactions in the funnel.
However, by adhering to a set pattern, it can overlook various influences for other touch points that contribute to the overall customer experience. Its rigid structure may only fit some customer journeys, particularly those with nonlinear or more complex paths.
U-shaped model
Like the W-shaped model, a U-shaped model gives 80% of the credit to the first and last interactions—typically the initial visit and the final conversion. The remaining 20% is distributed among the middle touch points, reflecting their supportive role in moving the customer along the path to purchase.
This model is great for businesses that want to focus on the most influential touch points—attracting customers and driving conversions—without entirely ignoring the value of the middle touch points. It simplifies attribution by focusing on the most critical stages, making it easier to understand and implement, and prioritizes initial engagement and final conversion, making it ideal for strategies heavily focused on these areas.
But giving less credit to middle touch points may undervalue the role of nurturing activities between the first and last stages. This model is less effective for businesses with longer or complex sales cycles where middle touch points significantly impact the final conversion.