Discrete vs continuous data: What digital marketers need to know

TLDR:  Numerical data comes in two main types: discrete data (counts, whole numbers, things you can list) and continuous data (measurements, rates, things that can vary along a scale). For digital marketers, knowing the difference helps you choose the right metrics, build better reports, and make smarter decisions. Platforms like ASK BOSCO® bring both data sets together to give you a clearer picture of campaign performance. 

What is numerical data? 

Numerical data is any information expressed in numbers. In marketing terms, think sessions, clicks, cost, or revenue, anything you can count or measure. 

For example: 

• The number of marketing channels you’re using (SEO, PPC, display) is numerical. 
• How much revenue each channel generates is also numerical. 

So, numerical data is the umbrella, and discrete and continuous are its two big categories. 

What is discrete data?

Discrete data is about counts, things you can list one by one. 

Examples our Head of Data and Analytics gave: 

• Channels driving traffic (e.g., 5 channels active this month). 
• Devices used by customers (e.g., 3 device types). 
• Days of the week (e.g., 7 days). 

In marketing terms: 

• Sending a newsletter to 14,000 subscribers = discrete. 
• Open and sent for email (this email was opened by 3,000 subscribers and sent to 5,000 people). = discrete. 
• Running 10 PPC campaigns = discrete. 
• Publishing 3 social posts this week = discrete. 
• Clicks (count of number of users who clicked on an ad) = discrete. 

If you can count it in whole numbers, it’s probably discrete data. 

What is continuous data? 

Continuous data is about measurements that can take on a range of values. 

Michael described this as things like: 

• Open Rate for emails. 
• Bounce Rate on a website. 
• Cost Per Click (CPC) in PPC. 
• Revenue from a campaign. 

Unlike discrete data, continuous data isn’t a simple count, it fluctuates and can take on decimal values. 

For example: 

• Email open rates could be 21.7%. 
• CPC could be £0.87 today and £1.02 tomorrow. 
• A dog’s weight (from Michael’s analogy!) could be 12.4kg. 

If it’s measurable on a scale and can vary, it’s continuous. 

Discrete vs. continuous data 

Here’s the quick breakdown: 

• Discrete = Counts → campaigns, posts, subscribers, devices.
• Continuous = Measurements → CPC, revenue, conversion rate, engagement rate. 

Our Head of Data and Analytics summed it up: 

“Discrete is like the count of something. Continuous is like the measurement of something.” 

Why it matters for digital marketing 

So why should agencies and marketers care? 

Because: 

• Reports need both. For example, in PPC, clicks (discrete) matter, but cost per click (continuous) tells the real story.
• Visualizations improve when you combine them. Our Head of Data and Analytics described using discrete data, such as impressions/clicks per campaign, with continuous data cost/revenue in a chart, which helped clients understand how campaigns are performing.
• Decision-making depends on both. As discussed with our Head of Data and Analytics, “you can’t have continuous data without using the discrete data first, but you use the continuous data to then affect my choices regarding the discrete data.” 

In short: discrete tells you what happened, continuous tells you how it performed. 

Examples of discrete vs. continuous data