Overview of Multi-Channel Funnels data
The Multi-Channel Funnels reports are generated from conversion paths, the sequences of interactions (i.e., clicks/referrals from channels) during the 90 days1 that led up to each conversion and transaction.
Multi-Channel Funnels data is compiled from unsampled data. Unless otherwise noted on your reports, your Multi-Channel Funnels data is based on all conversions, transactions, and conversion paths beginning with January 2011.
Multi-Channel Funnels data collection lags by up to two days; therefore, data from today and yesterday is not available in your reports.
Analytics records up to 5,000 interactions per conversion path. There is no limit to the number of unique conversion paths that can be recorded.
The Multi-Channel Funnels reports show data if there was at least one conversion.
Conversion paths
A conversion path is created for each conversion and transaction recorded in Analytics. Repeat conversions by the same user are shown as different paths. You can isolate and analyze specific subsets of conversion paths with Conversion Segments.
How direct traffic is treated
In the Multi-Channel Funnels reports, if direct traffic (i.e., a user used a bookmark or typed your site URL into his or her browser) converts, the conversion is attributed to the Direct channel. This differs from other Analytics reports in which the conversion is attributed to the previous non-direct campaign or source, if there is one.
For example, in other Analytics reports, if a user enters your site via a referral, then returns "direct" to convert, the "direct" source is ignored. Instead, the referral gets credit for the conversion.
In Multi-Channel Funnels, the "direct" source is not ignored. The Direct channel gets credit as the last interaction before the conversion, and the referral is counted as an assist interaction.
Comparing the Multi-Channel Funnels reports to other Analytics reports
Conversion path data is generated for each Goal conversion and Ecommerce transaction recorded by Analytics. Therefore, the number of conversions and transactions you see in your Multi-Channel Funnels report will be consistent with the number of conversions and transactions you see throughout other reports in Analytics. However, keep the following points in mind when comparing Multi-Channel Funnels reports with other reports in Analytics:
- Multi-Channel Funnels data collection lags by up to two days. As a result, the conversion count for the most recent two days in Multi-Channel Funnels will not match what is shown in other Analytics reports.
- Conversions in the Multi-Channel Funnels reports is the total number of Goal conversions plus the total number of Ecommerce transactions.
- For the purposes of non-Multi-Channel Funnels reports in Analytics, if a session has no campaign associated with it, the previous session's campaign is "inherited." For Multi-Channel Funnels reports, however, Analytics will consider this session as "direct."
For example, if a person clicks over your site from google.com, then returns as "direct" traffic to convert, Analytics will report 1 conversion for "google.com / organic" in All Traffic. Multi-Channel Funnels reports will show 1 conversion with the path "google.com / organic > direct / (none)" in Top Paths, and show "direct / (none)" with 1 Last Interaction Conversion and "google.com / organic" with 1 Assisted Conversion. - The Multi-Channel Funnels reports have a 30-day default lookback window on conversions. You may wish to adjust your lookback window to a longer range (maximum of 90 days). No lookback window exists for the other Analytics reports.
How Assisted/Last Click or Direct Conversions is calculated
Assisted/Last Click or Direct Conversions is a ratio of the number of conversions for which the channel played an assisting role divided by the number of conversions for which the channel was the last interaction. If a channel assisted multiple times in the path of a single conversion, only one conversion is included in the ratio as an assisted conversion.
Assisted conversions are not mutually exclusive across channels. Two channels that assisted in a single conversion path are each credited with an assisted conversion. Therefore, the total number of assisted conversions credited to individual channels may be larger than the total number of assisted conversions across all channels.
