Study shows benefit of rethinking “last click attribution”

UK shorts break specialist Center Parcs has seen a 54% increase in its digital advertising ROI after linking up with SearchIgnite and Golley Slater to improve its knowledge of how different online marketing channels contribute to a sale.

UK shorts break specialist Center Parcs has seen a 54% increase in its digital advertising ROI after linking up with SearchIgnite and Golley Slater to improve its knowledge of how different online marketing channels contribute to a sale.


Traditionally, businesses have credited the sale to the last channel the customer was exposed to. This so-called “last click attribution” can distort budget planning as it fails to factor in and quantify the influence of any clicks, natural or paid-for, used during the research phase.


SearchIgnite’s proprietary media attribution tools helped Golley Slater to drive a significant improvement in its client’s online performance. Currently around 70% of Centre Parcs bookings are taken online.


Golley Slater said that its work with SearchIgnite resulted in a 54% increase in Center Parcs’ overall ROI for digital marketing, a 43% increase in revenues and a 28% hike in conversion.


Center Parcs also reduced its overall paid search spend by 4% and saw a 14% drop in its cost per click.


The study breaks the project down into five steps for maximising revenues, all based around its media attribution technologies. It found, for example, that 42% of customers clicked on a PPC ad and booked without exposure to another channel.


More than 50% clicked on a natural search result and a sponsored link before booking. Nearly one-quarter of customers were exposed to five or more Centre Parcs touchpoints during their purchase path.


“Cross media management enables us to more accurately review the performance of all our online channels and their interactions, from PPC, SEO, display click and display view through to email,” said Colin Whaley, sales and marketing director for Center Parcs UK.


“And, more importantly, it allows us to target budget to achieve the greatest return on investment for our marketing spend and our business.”


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