Yesterday’s intent is not always today’s demand.
How recently a relevant action occurred, considered alongside the buying cycle.
Recent activity may deserve attention before behavior from months ago, but useful windows vary.
What do you do with it?
- Choose an observation window
- Separate observation from delivery date
- Refresh or retire stale audience context
- 01Signal↓
- 02High-relevance window↓
- 03Declining recency↓
- 04Historical behavior
Observation time differs from delivery time
A newly delivered file can contain older observations. Ask when the signal occurred, when it was processed, and how much delay exists before the team can act.
Different decisions have different windows
A fast replacement need may become stale quickly. A long-consideration purchase may involve repeated research over a longer period. Neither supports a universal expiration rule.
Define the useful window
Consider industry, purchase cycle, signal type, customer value, research cycle, repeat behavior, and activation channel. Document how stale records are handled and what renewed activity means.
Refresh the interpretation
New activity can add context, but repetition is not automatically stronger intent. Compare recency groups against outcomes where the data permits; do not claim a universal decay period without supporting evidence.
Continue exploring
Intent decays.
The usefulness of a demand signal can change over time. A timely observation and a historical record may call for very different actions.
Explore Signal Recency →Demand TimingThe right audience at the wrong time is still the wrong audience.
Fit, category context, serviceable geography, and timing work together to inform prioritization.
Explore Demand Timing →Demand MonitoringDemand changes. Your audience should too.
An ongoing intelligence capability can refresh audiences and territories as available signals and market conditions change.
Explore Demand Monitoring →Your market. An informed next move.
Define your offer, geography, available data, and intended channels. We’ll scope the intelligence and activation options for your program.
Build a Recency Strategy ↗Signals indicate potential commercial relevance—not certainty that an individual will purchase. Coverage, permitted destinations, and refresh availability vary by program.