Table of Contents
Why refunds should be attributed to traffic source
The attribution blind spot
Most marketers attribute sales to traffic sources.
Few attribute refunds the same way.
Sales are celebrated. Refunds are absorbed.
This imbalance distorts decision-making.
CBSplit was built to connect refunds back to their origin.
Sales attribution without refund attribution is incomplete
Traffic sources are typically evaluated by:
* Conversion rate * EPC * Cost per acquisition * Initial ROAS
Refunds are often tracked separately, at the offer or account level.
Without linking refunds to traffic, profitability appears inflated.
CBSplit ties refunds to the same segmentation used for sales.
Not all traffic produces equal customer quality
Different traffic sources generate different buyer behavior.
Some sources produce:
* High-intent customers * Clear expectation alignment * Stable subscription behavior
Others produce:
* Impulse buyers * Misaligned expectations * Higher refund likelihood
Without refund attribution, these differences remain hidden.
Refund clusters reveal traffic intent problems
Refund spikes often cluster around:
* Specific ad angles * Certain geographies * Particular traffic networks * Aggressive messaging styles
If refunds are not attributed, these clusters are invisible.
CBSplit isolates refund behavior by source and segment.
Refund-adjusted ROAS changes scaling decisions
A traffic source may look profitable on gross revenue.
After refund attribution, it may show:
* Thin margins * Negative net ROAS * Increased processor risk * Lower lifetime value
Scaling based on gross performance leads to silent erosion.
CBSplit recalculates profitability using refund-adjusted revenue.
Refund attribution protects processor health
Processor thresholds depend on:
* Refund ratios * Chargeback frequency * Traffic quality stability
If one source drives disproportionate refunds, risk accumulates.
Attributing refunds to traffic allows:
* Controlled scaling * Targeted optimization * Risk containment
CBSplit integrates refund signals into traffic evaluation.
Blended reporting hides refund impact
Aggregated dashboards smooth over:
* Source-level variance * Cohort-based dissatisfaction * Timing differences * Refund clustering patterns
Blended metrics protect weak sources from scrutiny.
CBSplit preserves segmentation to expose weak links.
Profitability depends on net revenue, not gross sales
True performance measurement requires:
* Sales attribution * Refund attribution * Rebill tracking * Cohort-based LTV
Traffic evaluation without refund attribution is structurally incomplete.
CBSplit completes the attribution loop.