Why Didn't My Purchase Get Attributed?

Attribution connects ad interactions (impressions, clicks) to purchases. When a purchase doesn’t attribute, it’s usually one of these reasons:

Quick Checklist

Check	How to Verify
Was there a click or impression first?	Check Events API logs or dashboard
Same user ID in both events?	Compare `opaqueUserId` or `userId` in click vs purchase
Within attribution window?	Varies by ad format: 7 days (listings), 14 days (brands), up to 30 days (banners)
Same vendor?	Purchase must be for a product from the campaign’s vendor
Event actually sent?	Check for 200 response from `/v2/events`

User ID Matching

Attribution requires the same user identifier in both the ad interaction and the purchase.

Scenario	What to Send	Example
Logged-in user	Your internal user ID	`userId: "user_12345"`
Anonymous user (with cookie)	Consistent opaque ID	`opaqueUserId: "abc123-session-id"`
Fully anonymous	Nothing (no attribution possible)	Cannot attribute

Common Mistakes

Wrong: Different IDs for same user

// Click event
{ "opaqueUserId": "session_abc123" }

// Purchase event (same user, but different ID!)
{ "userId": "customer_456" }

These won’t match. Attribution fails silently. Correct: Consistent ID

// Click event
{ "userId": "customer_456" }

// Purchase event
{ "userId": "customer_456" }

Attribution Windows

Attribution windows are configurable per ad format to match how each format influences customer behavior:

Ad Format	Typical Window	Range	Why
Sponsored Listings	7-14 days	1-14 days	High purchase intent, shorter consideration
Sponsored Brands	14-30 days	7-30 days	Brand consideration period
Banner/Video Ads	14-30 days	14-30 days	Awareness and discovery focus

Important: A purchase outside the configured window will not attribute to the ad interaction. Need different windows? Contact support to configure custom attribution windows for your ad formats. For more on attribution concepts, see our Glossary.

Halo Attribution

Halo attribution credits a vendor when a user clicks on Product A but purchases Product B from the same vendor. Requirements:

vendorId must be included in the purchase event
Products must belong to the same vendor
Within attribution window

// Purchase event with vendorId for halo attribution
{
  "type": "purchase",
  "userId": "customer_456",
  "productId": "product_B",
  "vendorId": "vendor_123",  // Required for halo
  "items": [...]
}

Debugging Steps

Verify events are arriving
- Check dashboard: Events → Recent Events
- Or query: GET /public/v1/reporting-service/interactions
Check for matching user IDs
- Export click events and purchase events
- Compare userId or opaqueUserId fields
Verify timing
- Compare occurredAt timestamps
- Purchase must be within window of click/impression
Check vendor match
- For halo: verify vendorId is sent with purchase
- For direct: verify productId is in the campaign

Still Not Working?

If you’ve verified all the above and attribution still isn’t working:

Export a sample of unattributed purchases
Export clicks from the same time period
Contact support with both exports and we’ll trace the specific events

​Quick Checklist

​User ID Matching

​Common Mistakes

​Attribution Windows

​Halo Attribution

​Debugging Steps

​Still Not Working?