Summary

It’s not unusual to see different ad spend totals across the Summary Page, Pixel Report, and Blended Stats in Triple Whale. While your overall budget remains consistent, each view can display or attribute that spend differently. The pointers below will help you understand where these differences come from—and how to interpret them.

Why This Happens

1. Attribution Models Affect Allocation

   • The same total ad spend can appear differently based on how credit is assigned to each channel or campaign.
   • For example, a Last-Click model awards 100% credit to the final touch, whereas the Triple Attribution (Multi-Touch) model splits credit—and therefore ad spend—across multiple interactions.

2. Differences in Data Aggregation

   • The Summary Page combines campaigns or channels into a single overview, while the Pixel Report breaks them out in more detail.
   • Adding up multiple granular entries can yield a slightly different total compared to a single consolidated figure.

3. Exclusions & Filters

   • Filters on the Summary Page (such as a Subscription Filter) might exclude recurring orders and their associated spend, while the Pixel Report includes everything.
   • This discrepancy can lead to mismatched totals across the two views.

4. UTM or Tracking Inconsistencies

   • Missing or incorrect UTM parameters (tw_source, utm_source, etc.) can prevent the Pixel Report from correctly attributing spend.
   • Even though the overall budget remains the same, some ad spend may appear unallocated or simply absent from channel-level data if it’s not properly tagged.

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Changing Attribution Models

1. A user updates the Pixel Report’s attribution model from Last-Click to Triple Attribution. The updated model distributes the same ad spend across all relevant channels in the customer’s journey.
   • Pixel Report: Shows a share of spend going to each channel that contributed to the sale.
   • Summary Page: Shows the total aggregated spend for each channel, regardless of attribution.
2. Outcome: A mismatch in reported ad spend occurs between the two pages, even though the channel's total spend remains unchanged.

Scenario 2: Subscription Filter

1. A subscription filter is enabled on the Summary Page, excluding recurring orders along with the associated ad spend.The Pixel Report, however, counts all orders and spend, including subscriptions.
   • Summary Page: Shows a lower total because recurring charges are filtered out.
   • Pixel Report: Displays a higher number, including every transaction type.
2. Outcome: The store sees a noticeable difference in ad spend across the two views, but both are accurate within their respective filtering rules.

How This Affects Reporting

• ROAS Calculations
  Discrepancies in how spend is allocated can shift the return on ad spend (ROAS) you see for each channel. If one view credits more spend to a certain campaign, its ROAS may appear lower compared to a different attribution approach.

• Overall Performance Insights
  Varying spend totals can create confusion about true channel effectiveness. Knowing where the differences stem from (attribution model, timing, filters) allows for a clearer, unified understanding of performance.

How to Interpret the Data Correctly

• Align Date Ranges, Attribution Models, and Filters
  Use matching date ranges and confirm (or note) which attribution models are applied in each report to avoid comparing apples to oranges. Confirm whether the Summary Page or Pixel Report is excluding specific orders (e.g., subscriptions); any active filters can drastically change spend totals.

• Verify Proper UTM Setup
  Ensure that every ad link includes fully and correctly formatted UTMs (utm_source, utm_campaign, etc.). Missing UTMs may cause the Pixel Report to show lower or unallocated spend.

• Keep the Overall Budget in Mind
  Even if channels appear to have different spend allocations, the total budget used across platforms remains the same. Acknowledge each report’s unique way of attributing or filtering spend to reconcile any differences.

By keeping these factors in mind—particularly how attribution models and filters play a role—you’ll better understand why the Summary Page may show a different ad spend number than the Pixel Report or Blended Stats.