When Referral Credit Lies
Last-click attribution quietly steals credit from the partner who actually introduced the customer.
Many referral programs credit the last link that touched a signup. That works when the invite is the only path. It fails when a referred user bookmarks the site, returns from search, or opens a second invite from a friend.
Start by logging the first trusted referral token that arrives, then store assisted touches separately. Pay partners on the first trusted source unless your contract says otherwise—and make that rule visible in the same dashboard product uses.
If finance and growth disagree weekly, the model is unclear. Write the credit rule in one paragraph and instrument it as a first-class property on the conversion event.