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When a customer sees your ad on Instagram, searches for you on Google, and then buys directly from your website, every platform claims they deserve the credit. Brandstack fixes this by using a single, consistent model across all your channels. This page explains how that model works and when to trust Brandstack numbers versus platform numbers.

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The default model: last non-direct click

Brandstack uses a model called last non-direct click as its default. Here is what that means in plain English:
  • Brandstack looks at every touchpoint a customer had before buying: an Instagram ad, a Google search, an email, or a direct visit to your site.
  • If the very last touchpoint was a direct visit, Brandstack ignores it and gives credit to the last marketing channel instead.
  • The sale is then assigned to that last marketing channel, and its revenue and costs are included in that channel’s ROAS and contribution margin.
This model is simple, fair, and easy to explain to your team. It also prevents your own website traffic from stealing credit from the ads that actually brought the customer in.

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Why blended metrics exist alongside platform reports

Every platform (Meta Ads, Google Ads, etc.) reports conversions using its own internal tracking. Meta counts a conversion if its pixel fires. Google counts if its tag fires. Because of this:
  • A single sale can be claimed by multiple platforms at once.
  • Platform numbers almost always add up to more than your actual total sales.
  • Each platform optimizes for itself, not for your real profit.
Brandstack creates blended metrics by applying the same attribution rule to every channel. This gives you one total revenue number that matches your Shopify or marketplace orders, with each order assigned to exactly one channel. Blended metrics are the only way to compare channels fairly.

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When to trust which number

Use platform-reported numbers when you are running campaigns inside that single platform. The platform knows its own click and impression data better than anyone else, so use its numbers to optimize bids, audiences, and creatives within that platform. Use Brandstack-blended numbers when you are deciding budget across channels or reporting profit to your leadership team. Blended numbers remove double counting and align with your actual bank deposits.
Platform-reported and Brandstack-blended numbers will differ, and that is expected. The gap between them is actually useful: it tells you how much overlap exists between your channels and whether one platform is overclaiming credit.