Time-Decay Attribution
A multi-touch model giving more credit to touchpoints closer to the conversion.
1 min readLast updated Apr 2026
Quick Reference
CategoryMarketing & Paid Advertising
Related Terms2
A multi-touch model giving more credit to touchpoints closer to the conversion.
Why It Matters
Time-decay reflects the psychological reality that recent interactions are often more influential in purchase decisions. For brands with longer consideration phases where final touches overcome purchase hesitation, this model more accurately reflects channel contribution.
Practical Example
Scenario
A customer journey spans 14 days with touchpoints on days 1 (TikTok), 7 (email), 12 (Google), and 14 (retargeting). Using 7-day half-life decay.
Calculation
Retargeting: 50% | Google: 25% | Email: 15% | TikTok: 10%Result
Channels closer to conversion get more credit, but early awareness touchpoints still receive attribution.
Pro Tips
- 1Choose your half-life based on your typical purchase cycle—7 days for fast-moving goods, 30+ for considered purchases
- 2Time-decay is excellent for seasonal products where purchase timing matters significantly
- 3Monitor your decay curve over time—purchase cycles may shift seasonally
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Setting the half-life too short, which essentially makes it last-touch with extra steps
Ignoring that for some products, the first touch (discovery) is actually most influential