--- schema_version: "1" id: 2e7e711e3c4728598dabfb7f04b106077de10e12d2217669cb835658a90c28af title: Touch-Based Attribution Dashboards in Marketing Intelligence collection: admin version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/mc_mi_dashboard_touch_attribution.md canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_mi_dashboard_touch_attribution.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 source_site: help.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: fd5d8b7d6e714f3d559c0eb5160433c6eec7655054ad9507be965c4bd9269def description: Touch-based attribution shows how individual marketing interactions contribute to conversions across customer journeys. While funnel-based attribution tracks journey stages, touch-based attribution compares models and shows which channels and campaigns influence conversions across the customer journey and shape outcomes. Cross-Channel Path Exploration complements this view by showing the order of channels in each customer journey. Use the Path Exploration tab to identify common paths and drop-off points. products: - Marketing - Marketing Cloud Intelligence - Marketing Cloud Next release: "264" --- # Touch-Based Attribution Dashboards in Marketing Intelligence Touch-based attribution shows how individual marketing interactions contribute to conversions across customer journeys. While funnel-based attribution tracks journey stages, touch-based attribution compares models and shows which channels and campaigns influence conversions across the customer journey and shape outcomes. Cross-Channel Path Exploration complements this view by showing the order of channels in each customer journey. Use the Path Exploration tab to identify common paths and drop-off points. ## Key Concepts Touchpoint A marketing interaction before conversion, such as clicking an ad, opening an email, or visiting a landing page. Attribution model A method that assigns conversion credit to touchpoints across the customer journey. Different models distribute credit in different ways.6 Conversion credit The portion of a conversion that an attribution model assigns to a specific touchpoint or channel. Conversion event An outcome that measures success, such as a purchase or form submission. Each event generates a separate dashboard. Lookback window The period before a conversion event when the dashboard considers touchpoints for attribution. Touchpoints outside this window don’t count. Journey step A position in the sequence of touchpoints. Path A sequence of connected touchpoints across channels. Assisting channel A channel that appears before the final touchpoint in a conversion path. Drop-off point A transition where event volume decreases between journey steps. ## What the Dashboard Shows **Touch Based tab** The Touch Based tab reflects your selected conversion event, attribution model, and lookback window. Use this tab to: - Compare attribution models: See how conversion credit shifts across models such as First Touch, Last Touch, Linear, Time Decay, and U-Shaped. - Evaluate channel contribution: Understand how different channels influence conversions at different points in the customer journey. - Analyze campaign performance: Compare how individual campaigns contribute to conversions under different attribution models. - Assess efficiency: Evaluate performance relative to spend to identify which channels and campaigns deliver the strongest return. - Track performance over time: Identify trends in conversions across channels. **Path Exploration tab** The Path Exploration tab uses an interactive Sankey diagram to show how event volume moves from step to step across customer journeys. Wider bands represent more events. Use this tab to: - Identify common paths: See the most frequent sequences of interactions that lead to conversion. - Compare channel participation: See where each channel appears across the journey steps. - Find assisting channels and drop-off points: Identify channels that contribute earlier in the journey and steps where event volume decreases. - Focus the analysis: Select an Anchor Campaign, a Campaign, or both to show matching paths. An anchor campaign groups related campaigns. - Emphasize a path: Select a path to emphasize it. The other paths appear dimmed. ## Use Case Sarah, a marketing analyst, wants to understand which channels drive conversions for a seasonal campaign. Sarah’s been allocating a budget based on Last Touch attribution but suspects that earlier touchpoints also contribute to conversions. On the **Touch Based** tab, Sarah compares how conversion credit shifts across First Touch, Linear, and U-Shaped models. Paid social receives more credit under First Touch and U-Shaped models than under Last Touch. On the **Path Exploration** tab, Sarah sees that many converting journeys begin with paid social, continue through email, and end with paid search. This pattern confirms that paid social often assists conversions even when it doesn't receive Last Touch credit. Sarah adjusts her budget allocation to reflect the role that each channel plays across the customer journey. #### See Also - [Configure a Multi-Touch Attribution](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_mi_mta_configure.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Configure how engagement signals distribute conversion credit to evaluate the customer journey.") - [Funnel-Based Attribution Dashboards in Marketing Intelligence](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_mi_dashboard_funnel_attribution.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "The Funnel-Based Attribution dashboards show how customers progress through defined stages in the customer journey, from first engagement to conversion. Unlike touch-based attribution, which measures the contribution of individual marketing interactions to conversions, funnel-based attribution measures how effectively users move from one stage to the next. Use these dashboards to identify where users drop off, understand how marketing drives progression through each stage, and evaluate how channels and campaigns contribute to advancement through the funnel.")