What Is foot traffic Attribution?
Foot traffic attribution is the process of measuring how many people who were exposed to your geofencing ads subsequently visited your physical location — and comparing that visit rate to a control group of similar people who were not exposed to your ads. The difference between the two groups represents the incremental foot traffic driven by your campaign.
This methodology is the gold standard for measuring geofencing ROI because it directly connects advertising exposure to physical store visits, which is the primary goal of most location-based campaigns.
How the Methodology Works
When you run a geofencing campaign, the platform creates two groups of devices: the exposed group (devices that were served your ads) and the control group (devices that matched your targeting criteria but were randomly held out from seeing your ads). Both groups are then tracked for location visits to your store or location over a defined attribution window (typically 7-30 days).
The visit rate of the exposed group is compared to the visit rate of the control group. If the exposed group visits your location at a rate of 3.2% and the control group visits at 2.1%, the incremental lift is 1.1 percentage points, or approximately 52% lift over baseline. This lift is then multiplied by the number of exposed devices to calculate total incremental visits.
Key Metrics in Foot Traffic Attribution Reports
| Metric | Definition | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Visit Rate (Exposed) | % of ad-exposed devices that visited your location | 2-8% depending on category |
| Visit Rate (Control) | % of non-exposed devices that visited your location | Baseline varies by category |
| Incremental Lift | % increase in visit rate from exposure | 15-40% lift is typical |
| Incremental Visits | Total additional visits attributable to campaign | Depends on audience size |
| Cost Per Incremental Visit | Total spend divided by incremental visits | $2-$8 for retail/restaurant |
Attribution Windows: How Long to Track After Exposure
The attribution window defines how long after seeing an ad a device visit counts as a conversion. The right window depends on your category purchase cycle. Restaurants and convenience retail: 1-7 days (impulse purchase cycle). Apparel and general retail: 7-14 days. Automotive and financial services: 14-30 days. Home improvement and real estate: 30-90 days.
Beyond Foot Traffic: Online Attribution
For businesses with both physical and online conversion paths, geofencing attribution can also track online conversions from location-based audiences. By placing a pixel on your website and matching it to your geofencing audience, you can measure website visits, form submissions, and e-commerce purchases from people who were exposed to your geofencing ads — even if they never visited your physical location.
Using Attribution Data to Optimize Campaigns
Attribution data is most valuable when used to optimize ongoing campaigns. Compare lift rates across different geofencing locations to identify which locations drive the highest incremental visits. Compare lift rates across different creative variants to identify which messages resonate most. Use time-of-day attribution data to shift budget toward the hours and days that drive the most incremental visits.
