Attribution modeling is a method that assigns credit to the different marketing channels and touchpoints that lead customers to make a purchase. Think of it as a way to map out every interaction a customer has with your business before they buy from you. Instead of guessing which ads or campaigns actually work, attribution modeling shows you exactly where your marketing dollars make an impact.
This guide breaks down everything you need to know about attribution modeling. You’ll learn why it matters for your business, how to get started without complex tools, and the most common models marketers use. We’ll also walk through real examples from flooring dealers who use attribution to track which campaigns bring customers through their doors. By the end, you’ll understand how to choose the right model for your store and start making smarter decisions about where to spend your advertising budget.
Why attribution modeling matters
Your marketing budget gets wasted when you can’t track which channels bring customers to your store. Attribution modeling gives you visibility into the actual path customers take before making a purchase. Without it, you’re essentially flying blind, spending money on ads that might not work while cutting budgets for channels that drive real sales.
Stop wasting money on ineffective campaigns
You might be pouring thousands into radio spots or billboards without knowing if they bring a single customer through your door. Attribution modeling reveals which touchpoints actually convert prospects into buyers. When you understand what is attribution modeling and apply it to your marketing, you stop guessing and start making decisions based on real data about customer behavior.
Most flooring dealers discover they’ve been overfunding channels that look good on paper but produce minimal results. The right attribution model shows you exactly where to cut spending and where to invest more. You’ll see which ads customers interact with before calling your store or visiting your showroom.
Attribution isn’t just about tracking clicks. It’s about understanding the complete customer journey from first awareness to final purchase.
Justify your marketing spend to stakeholders
Your owner or executive team wants proof that marketing dollars generate revenue. Attribution modeling provides concrete numbers that connect specific campaigns to actual sales. You can walk into budget meetings with data showing that your Google ads or local TV commercials directly resulted in measurable store traffic and closed deals.
This evidence-based approach builds trust with decision-makers who control your budget. Instead of defending your choices with industry averages or gut feelings, you present clear attribution data that demonstrates return on investment. You prove which marketing activities deserve more funding and which ones need to be eliminated or restructured.
How to start with attribution modeling
You don’t need expensive software or a data science degree to begin tracking attribution. Start by identifying the customer touchpoints you can actually measure today. For most flooring dealers, this means tracking phone calls, website visits, form submissions, and in-store visits. The goal is to connect these touchpoints back to specific marketing activities like Google ads, Facebook campaigns, or direct mail pieces.
Set up basic tracking first
Your first step involves implementing call tracking numbers for each major marketing channel. Assign a unique phone number to your Google ads, another to your Facebook campaigns, and a separate number for your direct mail pieces. This simple approach immediately shows you which channels generate calls without requiring complex analytics platforms.
Website tracking requires adding a free tool like Google Analytics to your site. You’ll see which marketing sources drive traffic and which pages visitors view before contacting you. Track form submissions separately so you know exactly which campaigns generate quote requests or appointment bookings. These basic measurements give you the foundation for understanding what is attribution modeling and how it applies to your business.
The most successful dealers start simple and add complexity only when they’ve mastered the basics of tracking their primary conversion points.
Define your conversion goals
Your attribution model needs clear conversion goals that match your business objectives. For flooring dealers, conversions typically include phone calls longer than two minutes, completed quote request forms, appointment bookings, and actual store visits. Assign a value to each conversion type based on your historical close rates and average sale amounts.
Phone calls might be worth $150 in potential revenue if your close rate is 30% and average sale is $5,000. Completed quote forms could have a different value based on their conversion rate. These values help you calculate which marketing channels deliver the highest return when you assign credit through your attribution model. Document these goals now so you can measure consistently across all campaigns.
Common types of attribution models
Attribution models fall into two main categories: single-touch and multi-touch. Single-touch models assign all credit to one specific touchpoint in the customer journey, while multi-touch models distribute credit across multiple interactions. Understanding what is attribution modeling means knowing which model fits your marketing goals and the complexity of your customer’s buying journey. Each model reveals different insights about how customers find and choose your business.
Single-touch attribution models
Single-touch models work best when you want simple answers about which touchpoint deserves all the credit for a conversion. First-touch attribution gives 100% of the credit to the initial interaction a customer has with your marketing. If someone clicks your Google ad, then visits your Facebook page, and later calls your store, first-touch gives all credit to the Google ad.
Last-touch attribution does the opposite by assigning full credit to the final touchpoint before conversion. Using the same example, last-touch would credit the phone call or website visit that happened right before the customer contacted you. This model helps you identify which channels close deals, but it ignores everything that built awareness earlier in the journey.
Single-touch models oversimplify the customer journey but provide clear direction for immediate optimization decisions.
Most flooring dealers start with last-touch attribution because it’s the default in Google Analytics and other basic tracking tools. You see immediate results and can quickly identify which campaigns drive direct action. The limitation is that you miss the full picture of how customers discovered your business in the first place.
Multi-touch attribution models
Linear attribution spreads credit equally across every touchpoint in the customer journey. If a customer interacts with five different marketing channels before buying from you, each channel receives 20% of the credit. This model acknowledges that multiple touchpoints contribute to conversions, but it treats a casual social media scroll the same as a deliberate showroom visit.
Time-decay attribution gives more weight to touchpoints that happen closer to the conversion moment. Recent interactions receive higher credit than earlier ones because they’re assumed to have more influence on the final decision. This model works well for flooring dealers with shorter sales cycles where the last few interactions matter most.
Position-based attribution assigns 40% of credit to both the first and last touchpoints, then distributes the remaining 20% among middle interactions. You learn which channels create awareness and which ones close deals. This balanced approach helps you understand both the top and bottom of your marketing funnel without ignoring the touchpoints in between.
Real world examples and use cases
Attribution modeling transforms from theory to practice when you see how real businesses apply it. These examples show you exactly how flooring dealers and similar retail businesses use different models to improve their marketing decisions. Understanding these use cases helps you identify which approach matches your store’s specific situation and customer journey.
Tracking showroom visits from multiple channels
A flooring dealer in Phoenix runs Google ads, Facebook campaigns, and local radio spots simultaneously. They assign unique tracking numbers to each channel and implement position-based attribution to understand the complete customer journey. The data reveals that 60% of showroom visitors first discovered the store through radio ads, then researched online via Google search, and finally clicked a Facebook retargeting ad before visiting.
This position-based model gives credit to both the radio ad (first touch) and the Facebook retargeting (last touch), while acknowledging the Google search in between. The dealer now knows that cutting radio would eliminate their primary awareness channel, even though Facebook appears to generate the immediate conversions. Without understanding what is attribution modeling through this real example, they might have canceled radio and wondered why showroom traffic dropped.
Attribution reveals that channels work together, not in isolation, to drive customer decisions.
Optimizing digital spend for online quote requests
A multi-location flooring chain tracks quote request forms on their website using linear attribution across their digital channels. They discover that customers typically interact with three different paid ads before submitting a quote request. Google Display ads create initial awareness, followed by a YouTube video ad, and finally a Google Search ad triggers the form submission.
Linear attribution assigns equal credit to all three touchpoints, showing the marketing director that display and video ads deserve continued funding despite not being the last click. Previous last-touch analysis had suggested cutting display and video budgets entirely. After implementing linear attribution, they reallocate budget more evenly across channels and see a 34% increase in total quote requests within 90 days.
Attribution modeling tips for flooring dealers
You don’t need a massive budget or complex software to start benefiting from attribution modeling. Most flooring dealers overthink the process and never get started because they believe it requires enterprise-level tools. The strategies below help you implement attribution with the resources you already have, focusing on the data that actually impacts your bottom line.
Start with your highest-value customer actions
Focus your initial attribution efforts on the actions that generate revenue rather than trying to track every possible interaction. For flooring dealers, this means phone calls over two minutes, completed estimate forms, and scheduled appointments. These high-value conversions deserve your tracking attention first because they directly connect to sales opportunities.
Ignore metrics like social media likes or email opens until you’ve mastered tracking the actions that put customers in your showroom. Your attribution model becomes more accurate when you prioritize quality conversions over vanity metrics. You’ll understand what is attribution modeling more clearly when you see direct connections between specific ads and actual customer conversations.
Use call tracking as your foundation
Call tracking provides the clearest attribution data for flooring dealers because most customers still prefer phone contact. Assign unique numbers to each major marketing channel and record which campaigns generate calls that turn into appointments. This simple method reveals attribution patterns without requiring website analytics expertise or expensive software subscriptions.
Call tracking delivers immediate attribution insights that directly improve your marketing decisions within 30 days.
Review attribution data monthly, not daily
Checking attribution reports daily creates unnecessary noise and leads to premature decisions based on incomplete data. Monthly reviews give you enough time to accumulate meaningful patterns across your marketing channels. Set a recurring calendar reminder to analyze attribution data on the first business day of each month, comparing results to the previous period and making adjustments for the month ahead.
Final thoughts
Attribution modeling transforms your marketing from guesswork into a data-driven system that shows you exactly which channels bring customers through your door. You now understand what is attribution modeling means for your business and how to implement it without expensive enterprise software. Start with call tracking and basic conversion goals, then expand your attribution approach as you gain confidence with the data.
The flooring dealers who succeed with attribution share one common trait: they take action instead of waiting for perfect conditions. Your first attribution model doesn’t need to be sophisticated to deliver valuable insights about where your marketing dollars work best. You’ll make smarter budget decisions within 30 days of tracking your primary conversion points across different channels.
Ready to see which marketing channels actually drive sales for your flooring store? Schedule a conversation with our team to learn how our AI-driven targeting works alongside your attribution efforts to reach customers who are actively shopping for flooring.
