Attribution
Minecraft players rarely click tracking links. They type a server address or use a creator code at checkout. ShardAnalytics supports both signals, and treats acquisition and purchase attribution as separate models.
Acquisition: first-join domains
Section titled “Acquisition: first-join domains”Each campaign can own one or more configured join domains.
- When a player joins, the domain they used is recorded.
- A player is attributed to the campaign whose domain matches their first join inside the effective reporting window.
- Attribution is therefore first-touch for the window being reported, not a lifetime claim that ignores the selected dates.
This makes campaign reports comparable across periods without silently mixing old attribution into new windows.
Purchase attribution: creator codes
Section titled “Purchase attribution: creator codes”Creator codes are captured from completed store payments.
- A campaign can own one or more creator codes.
- A purchase carrying a creator code is attributed to that campaign regardless of how the player first joined.
- This lets you measure a creator who drives purchases from an audience that arrived through a general domain.
Domain, code, or both
Section titled “Domain, code, or both”Campaign analytics break players into three segments:
| Segment | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Domain only | The player joined through the campaign domain and has no matching code purchase. |
| Code only | The player has a code purchase but did not join through the campaign domain. |
| Both | The player matches the domain and used a creator code. |
Use the segments to separate reach (domain) from conversion (code).
Windows and comparisons
Section titled “Windows and comparisons”- Attribution respects the campaign’s active dates and the report window you select.
- A campaign paused outside its dates stops accruing new attribution.
- Because acquisition and purchase attribution are separate, a purchase can be credited to a code even when the join is credited to a different campaign. Reports label which signal applied.
Practical guidance
Section titled “Practical guidance”- Create one campaign per channel or creator so costs and results stay comparable.
- Use dedicated subdomains for each campaign and keep them stable over time.
- Give creators codes that are easy to type and unique to them.
- Review cost per player alongside conversion; a cheap source with low retention is not a win.
See Create a Campaign for setup and metrics.