Retargeting only makes sense if your customers take time to decide. The Attribution page shows how long your customers actually take between clicking an ad and buying, so you can judge whether retargeting is worth the budget and how long the window should be. This SOP shows you how to read it.
When to use it: when deciding whether to run retargeting, or when setting your retargeting window.
Step 1: Open the Attribution Window chart
Open Advertising Analytics and go to the Attribution tab.
Set the date range to at least the last 30 days.
Scroll down to the Attribution Window section.
Why at least 30 days: with a short range such as the last 14 days, the chart will show almost all purchases happening on the same day, which looks like your customers make fast decisions. That is a data artifact, not reality. Customers who clicked 10 days ago and have not purchased yet simply have not had time to show up in the later buckets.
Step 2: Read the four buckets
The chart splits the time between the ad click and the purchase into four buckets:
Same day: clicked and purchased within the same day.
1-7 days: purchased within a week of clicking.
7-14 days: purchased in the second week.
14+ days: took more than two weeks to decide.
Step 3: Match your retargeting to the distribution
Most purchases happen same day: your customers make fast decisions, shop broadly, and move on quickly. A short retargeting window (3 to 7 days) with higher bids in that window makes sense.
A significant share falls in the 7-14 and 14+ day buckets: your customers research and compare. There is a real window to bring them back before they make a final decision, so a 14 to 30 day retargeting window is justified.
Almost nothing beyond 7 days: retargeting past one week is unlikely to recover many sales. Put that budget into acquisition instead.
Tip: this SOP covers shoppers who clicked but have not bought yet. For retargeting past customers around the time they reorder, see "How to Define Your Repeat-Purchase Retargeting Window".