@mkt​ Since the goals are based on user attributes (i.e. subscription_plan = paidPlan) and if this goal is set the same way for all 3 emails, those messages will all have goal reached status. Even if none of the emails is opened (the user subscribed without reading them). Just remember goal is being tracked after the message was sent.

So, it is not really an attribution in that sense.

Hi @user382​ thanks for your response. I wondered this but then it doesn't make sense in our results. To continue with the real life example we use above, when we send a special offer with two follow up reminders to the same audience, we see the goal numbers drop from email 1 to email 2 and 3. It is a significant drop (e.g. a 50% drop in goals reached). This is consistent with the audience being less engaged as it's the 2nd and 3rd time they've been prompted about the offer. However with your explanation the goals reached should be the same number for each email (give or take a few that may have unsubscribed). Are you 100% that there's not more going on on the attribution front here as our numbers are far from adding up using the simple attribution method you mention above.

@mkt​ as far as I understand the emails are not sent at the same time right?

Let's assume you have 3 emails, 1st is sent on Day1, 2nd is sent on Day11 and 3rd one is sent on Day21. They all have the same goal, subscription changed to paid plan in the next 20 days (mind this number, it is crucial for the rest of the story).

You target 100 people.

Between the Day1 and Day10, 30 subscribe, they are counted toward the goal of that 1st message.

Then on Day11 you send a reminder to 70 people. Between Day11 and Day20 another 20 subscribe. The goal for 1st email will now say 30+20=50 as that goal is still being tracked! The goal for the 2nd email will say 20.

Then on Day21 you target the rest of the unsubscribed people, which is 50, and during the next 10 days another 10 subscribe, your 1st email goal remains 50 (as the time for tracking of 20 days passed), your 2nd email goal is increased to 20+10=30 and your 3rd email goal is now 10. Any further subscribers during the next 10 days will count only towards 3rd email goal (as the time tracking the 2nd email goal is passed).

This are just fictional numbers (I know you can set only 1,3,7,30days tracking time for the goals).

Ah ok this makes sense, the only issue I still have is that in the current special offer example mentioned (please forget the 20 day rule mentioned in this case) we also run Facebook ads, web banners and some other channels. Based on what you're saying anyone who subscribes from those other channels but is also in the email audience will be attributed in the email goals too. If, for example, they subscribe after email 3 is sent and they are in all email audiences, but come from a Facebook ad, then they would be attributed as goal met in all emails (assuming we don't have the 20 day rule you mentioned) @user382​.

Yes, that's right. They might not read the email(s) ever, but if the goal is achieved based on the attribute it would be counted towards that email's goal.

To be fair, it's not attribution like you have in some other, more marketing oriented tools where emails, opens, clicks are tracked differently and there is attribution in place.