When iOS 14.5 launched, it impacted the ability of advertising platforms to track the impacts of their campaigns accurately. Marketers now can not clearly track which channels, campaigns, and creatives perform best.
Marketing attribution tools were launched to help fill this void. These tools collect data and use machine learning to create attribution models giving brand managers better insights into their performance.
Each tool is different in how it attempts to solve the marketing attribution problem. It can be difficult to figure out which tool is best for you.
We looked at our top three marketing attribution tools for e-commerce brands and shared thoughts on what they do best and who might benefit most.
Northbeam
Northbeam positions itself as a “universal attribution” platform that uses advanced data models and machine learning to understand the impacts of the brand’s paid media campaigns.
The platform uses a pixel, direct API connections, and the ability to upload data to create attribution models that help media buyers maximize channel performance.
What it does well:
Northbeam specializes in supporting media buyers and paid media strategists. Their team can help deliver meaningful paid media insights and recommendations. The onboarding experience is also seamless and structured.
The platform is easy to use, delivers valuable data, and includes all the necessary data breakdowns. We also appreciate that Northbeam has prioritized data accuracy and speed, making sure missing data is quickly remedied and that data refreshes are happening regularly.
What it could do better:
The platform could have more integrations (both inputs and outputs). We understand that it’s not feasible to have every integration and the Northbeam team is great at prioritizing customer requests.
Who is it for:
Northbeam works well for high-growth e-commerce brands that are scaling their paid media campaigns and need to understand what’s working and what’s not.
Click here to learn more about Northbeam
Rockerbox
Rockerbox is an attribution tool that helps brand managers better understand the impact of their marketing channels on their brand’s growth.
The platform uses data from the ad platforms, its pixel, and direct partnerships with vendors to create attribution models for the brand. The models allow marketers insights into the impacts of their ad channels as well as an understanding of how “hard-to-measure” channels are performing.
What it does well:
Rockerbox excels at tracking more difficult channels such as podcasts, direct mail, and influencer sponsorships. It gives marketers a better understanding of how their campaigns perform and what channels could maximize their results.
The platform also ensures that you have transparency into how it's creating the attribution models. Data scientists (or data-fluent strategists) can look at the models and validate results or tweak them as necessary.
What it could do better:
The platform delivers a lot of data and options. It’s not always easy to clearly understand what the data means and how to interpret it. The Rockerbox dashboard gives you a high-level overview of the data, but you'll go through a learning curve to truly maximize the platform's impact.
Who is it for:
Rockerbox is a good fit for B2C brands with sophisticated marketing teams or marketing support trying to grow their brand meaningfully. Its effectiveness at tracking channels such as OTT, linear tv, and podcasts makes it a good fit for brands investing in awareness campaigns.
Click here to learn more about Rockerbox
Triple Whale
Triple Whale positions itself as an eComOS. It offers analytics, attribution, creative, and financial insights for Shopify stores in one platform. The platform’s goal is to be the single dashboard for your Shopify marketing data.
What it does well:
Triple Whale excels at giving growth marketers and leadership teams insights into their store's performance (beyond paid media). It is simple to set up and use, integrating with key platforms and Shopify seamlessly.
The platform pricing is also very competitive, making it great for newer brands getting started with marketing attribution.
What it could do better:
The platform only integrates with key media channels, such as Facebook, Google, Pinterest, TikTok, Snapchat, and a few others. This can be limiting for brands that are expanding their channel mix. The platform does allow you to capture the data using UTM codes and the Triple Whale pixel.
Who is it for:
Triple Whale is perfect for growing brands that spend heavily on Facebook, Google, Pinterest, Snapchat, and TikTok. It gives great insights into how a store is performing, the impacts of the paid media campaigns, and which creative is performing best.
Click here to learn more about Triple Whale
Next Steps
As you can see, there’s no single clear winner. The best marketing attribution vendor will depend on your needs, the channels you’re investing in, your goals, and who will be using the platform.
Not sure which tool you should be using? Talk to one of our strategists, and we’ll help you understand which platform might be the best fit for you. Click here to schedule a strategy call.
