Travel Platform
How Byway turns hidden clicks into paid-spend clarity
With Marijke Cortenbach, Head of Product Growth at Byway
of bookings statistically tied to paid spend
of 'Direct' sessions start mid-funnel via CS links
to complete attribution audit and insights
"It felt like getting an MRI of our funnel. We can finally see the fractures, now we know exactly what to mend."
Marijke Cortenbach
Head of Product Growth
The challenge
Paid Search drove most sessions, but Direct captured most revenue—the numbers didn't add up. Customer-Service emails deep-linked travelers mid-funnel, but GA4 logged these as Direct visits. Without clear attribution, the team couldn't make confident decisions about budget allocation.
The team needed to understand: Were these genuine Direct visits, paid-to-Direct leakage, or Customer-Service link inflation?
The investigation
We took a three-hypothesis approach and integrated GA4, ad platforms, CRM, and HelpScout data into a unified view. Using statistical modeling, we explained 75% of booking variance through spend, search demand, and seasonality.
The key was modeling revenue against spend, not clicks—money is the cleanest causal signal.
Key findings
Our analysis revealed two critical insights that completely changed how Byway understood their customer acquisition and attribution.
Paid spend drives bookings
Three-quarters of revenue movement correlates directly with advertising budgets, giving finance and growth teams a data-backed investment lever.
"Direct" reveals hidden journeys
Of Direct sessions actually begin mid-funnel from Customer-Service email links, re-routing credit to the teams and channels that truly earn it.
Impact and next steps
With clear attribution baseline established and Customer-Service influence now visible, Byway has restored budget confidence and can make data-driven investment decisions.
The team now has a reliable framework for understanding true channel performance and can confidently allocate marketing spend where it drives the most impact.
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