Accounting Modes in Attribution

Understanding Attribution Accounting Views on AppLovin and 3rd Party Measurement Platforms

Real-Time View (Cash/Event View)

  • Definition: Accounts for orders based on the transaction time.
  • Terminology:
  • Northbeam: Cash View
  • Triple Whale: Event View
  • AppLovin: Real-time View
  • Look-back Window Constraints:
  • AppLovin Real-time View applies a restricted look-back window:
  • D0: 24 hours
  • D1: 48 hours
  • D7: 192 hours
  • Triple Whale Event View applies a restricted look-back window:
  • 1 day
  • 7 day
  • 14 days
  • 28 days
  • Lifetime
  • Northbeam: No look-back window limitation (infinite look-back window).

Example:

  • Scenario 1: A user clicks an AppLovin ad on Jan 1, 2025, and makes a purchase on Jan 6, 2025.
  • AppLovin Real-time View (D7): Reports this order on Jan 6, 2025.
  • Northbeam Cash View / Triple Whale Event View: Also reports the order on Jan 6, 2025.
  • Scenario 2: A user clicks an AppLovin ad on Jan 1, 2025, and makes a purchase on Feb 6, 2025.
  • AppLovin: Does not report this order.
  • Northbeam Cash View / Triple Whale Event View: Reports the order on Feb 6, 2025.

Key Takeaways:

  • When comparing real-time view, you will see more orders on 3rd party platforms than in AppLovin Ads Manager because AppLovin excludes orders where impressions occur outside its look-back window.
  • New Customer Percentage (NCP) is NOT accurate in real-time view, especially for subscription businesses. Recurring orders may still get attributed to ads, reducing the perceived new customer percentage.

Cohort View (Accrual/Click View)

  • Definition: Assigns orders back to the date of the impression or click.
  • Terminology:
  • Northbeam: Accrual View
  • Triple Whale: Click View
  • AppLovin: Cohort View
  • Look-forward Window Constraints
  • AppLovin:
  • D0: 24 hours
  • D1: 48 hours
  • D7: 192 hours
  • Northbeam:
  • 1 day
  • 7 days
  • 30 days
  • 90 days
  • Triple Whale: Unlimited look-forward windows

Example:

  • Scenario 1: A user clicks an AppLovin ad on Jan 1, 2025, and makes a purchase on Jan 6, 2025.
  • AppLovin (D7 Cohort View): Reports this order on Jan 1, 2025.
  • Northbeam (7 Day Click Accrual View) / Triple Whale Click View: Also reports the order on Jan 1, 2025.
  • Scenario 2: A user clicks an AppLovin ad on Jan 1, 2025, and makes a purchase on Feb 6, 2025.
  • AppLovin (D7 Cohort View) and Northbeam (7 Day Click Accrual View): Do not report this order on Jan 1, 2025.
  • Triple Whale (Click View) reports the order on Jan 1, 2025.

Why Use Cohort View?

  • Better for assessing marketing channel performance, as it accurately reflects how impressions or clicks drive overall performance (revenue, new customers, etc.) within the designated look-back windows (1-day, 3-day, 7-day, etc.).
  • More accurate for New Customer Percentage (NCP) comparison as it ties conversions back to their originating ad interactions.

Final Recommendation

  • Use Real-time View when focusing on immediate sales attribution and daily performance tracking.
  • Use Cohort (Accrual) View for a more strategic analysis of marketing efficiency, including New Customer Percentage and long-term attribution analysis.