With more than 3 million apps available on the Play Store and App Store, brands are launching apps to boost customer engagement and increase repeat usage in today’s multi-channel world.
Brands often use targeted ads on Facebook, collaborate with popular influencers, and offer special deals through affiliates. Therefore, getting more people to install apps is a major goal for digital marketing.
But, How Can Ecommerce Brands Decide When To Launch Their Own App or figure out which of their channels are bringing in the most downloads and engaged users?
This is where App Attribution comes in.
App attribution tools track how your marketing efforts—like ads, campaigns, or influencer partnerships, leading to more app installs and user engagement.
It answers key questions such as:
- Where Did My Users Come From?
- How Do Users Interact with the App?
- Which Campaigns Are Most Effective?
- Which Channels Provide the Best ROI?
- What Is the Lifetime Value of Users?
- What Attribution Models Are Most Accurate?
As a continuation of the MarTech blog series, let’s look at App Attribution, its benefits, and what tools are being used to make the most of its power and give people useful information.
The mobile phone is the future of business. The web is becoming mobile.
Table of Contents
1. What is App Attribution?
Mobile attribution is all about figuring out which ads or marketing efforts make users install and use an app. It helps marketers understand which efforts are most effective in acquiring and retaining users, optimizing marketing spend, and improving overall campaign performance. Here are some of the key components of App Attribution:
- Tracking Clicks and Impressions: Noting when and where users click on or see ads.
- Install Attribution: Figuring out which ad or campaign made users install the app.
- In-App Event Tracking: Watching what users do in the app, like buying something or signing up.
- Cross-Device and Cross-Platform Tracking: Seeing how users move between different devices and platforms.
- Fraud Detection: Finding and stopping fake activity to keep data accurate.
- Lifetime Value (LTV) Tracking: Assess the long-term worth of users for better strategies.
2. Why Should You Use App Attribution Tools?
App analytics are essential because they help you understand how users find and use your app. If your tracking isn’t accurate, you won’t know which ads or campaigns are working best, leading to wasted money and missed chances to improve.
- Channel Effectiveness: Identify which marketing channels (paid ads, influencer partnerships, affiliate marketing) are most successful at driving app installs.
- Campaign Optimization: Analyze the performance of individual campaigns within each channel. See which ad creatives, influencer collaborations, or affiliate offers resonate most with your target audience.
- User Journey Mapping: Uncover the entire user journey, pinpointing the touchpoints that lead to conversions. This empowers you to refine your marketing strategies and optimize the user experience at every stage.
- Allocate marketing budgets effectively: Focus your resources on the channels and campaigns that deliver the best results.
- Craft targeted campaigns: Tailor your ad creatives and messaging to resonate with specific user segments acquired through different channels.
- Refine your app store optimization (ASO) strategy: Understand which keywords and app store descriptions are most effective in driving organic installs.
- Strengthen your partnerships: Collaborate with paid marketing partners and affiliates based on their proven track record of driving high-quality users.
3. What are the Different App Attribution Models?
- First Click Attribution: Gives credit to the first click or touch someone makes. It helps show the importance of the first interaction, though it’s not often used.
- Last Click Attribution: Gives credit to the last click or touch before a sale or action. It’s simple and is used by systems like Apple’s SKAdNetwork to see what led directly to the action.
- Multi-Touch Attribution: Gives credit to all interactions a person has with a brand before taking action. It shows the whole journey but is rare in mobile due to privacy changes. Methods like MMM can help show overall impact.
- Linear Attribution: Gives equal credit to every interaction, no matter how big or small. It treats all touches as equally important.
- Time-Decay Attribution: Gives more credit to recent interactions and less to older ones. It highlights the importance of recent touches.
- View-Through Attribution: Gives credit to people who see an ad, even if they don’t click on it. It shows how ad views can still lead to actions.
4. Web Attribution Vs App Attribution
Unlike web attribution, where clicking a link takes users straight to a webpage, app attribution usually sends users to the app store first before they can download or open the app. The chart below highlights the similarities and differences between web attribution and mobile attribution:
5. Essential Features for App Attribution Tools
Mobile app attribution tools are designed to help marketers and app developers track, analyse, and optimise their user acquisition efforts. Here are the essential features of mobile attribution tools:
Attribution Tracking
- Install Attribution: Tracks which marketing campaigns or channels lead to app installs.
- In-App Event Tracking: Monitors user actions within the app, such as purchases, sign-ups, and other custom events.
Deep Linking
- Deferred Deep Linking: Ensures users are directed to specific content within the app even if they haven’t installed it yet.
- Contextual Deep Linking: Directs users to personalised content based on their previous interactions or context.
Multi-Touch Attribution
- Multiple Touchpoints: Records various user interactions before an install or conversion to understand the full customer journey.
- Attribution Models: Supports different models like last-click, first-click, linear, and time decay.
Fraud Prevention and Detection
Fraud detection in marketing campaigns often goes beyond basic rules like click spam and SDK spoofing. While these are common, there are additional rules designed to address other fraudulent activities, such as:
- Device conflicts.
- Geo conflicts.
- Suspicious IP addresses.
- Abnormal click-to-install times (CTIT).
- Click injection.
Custom rules can also be implemented, including blocking specific publishers engaged in fraudulent activities or creating unique events that a user or device ID can only complete once in its lifetime.
Analytics and Reporting
- Real-Time Data: Provides real-time analytics on user behavior and campaign performance.
- Customizable Reports: Allows users to create tailored reports to analyze specific metrics and KPIs.
- Cohort Analysis: Analyzes user behavior over time to understand retention and lifetime value.
Integration Capabilities
- Ad Network Integrations: Integrates with multiple ad networks and platforms for comprehensive attribution tracking.
- API Access: Provides APIs for custom integrations and data extraction.
- Third-Party Tools Integration: Connects with other marketing and analytics tools (e.g., CRM systems, email marketing platforms).
User Privacy and Compliance
- GDPR and CCPA Compliance: Ensures data collection and processing comply with relevant privacy laws and regulations.
- User Consent Management: Helps manage user consent for data tracking and usage.
Support and Documentation
- Customer Support: Offers robust support channels, including live chat, email, and phone support.
- Detailed Documentation: Provides comprehensive guides, tutorials, and documentation for easy setup and troubleshooting.
6. Shortcomings of App Attribution
Less accurate attribution affects how marketers allocate their budgets and optimize campaigns.
The Limit Ad Tracking (LAT) feature on iOS affects app attribution by reducing the accuracy of tracking user interactions. Before iOS 14, LAT led to the loss of the IDFA, an identifier used to track users across apps and ads. This made it harder to pinpoint which marketing channels and campaigns drove app installs and user engagement.
With LAT, 25% of users opted out of tracking, leading to gaps in data. While some probabilistic modeling methods help estimate user behavior, they are less precise than direct ID matching.
For campaigns that rely solely on ID matching, such as those from Meta or Google, this means many installs might go untracked and appear as organic. However, Apple Search Ads are less affected since Apple can still track LAT users through iTunes account IDs.
7. Top Mobile App Attribution Tools in 2024
AppsFlyer
AppsFlyer is a leading mobile attribution and marketing analytics platform that helps marketers pinpoint which campaigns drive app installs and user engagement. Founded in 2011, the company has grown rapidly, supporting over 12,000 brands and 6,000 technology partners. AppsFlyer tracks over $28 billion in ad spend annually and processes billions of mobile events daily.
In recent updates, Appsflyer has transitioned from a per-NOC (non-organic conversion) billing model to a credit-based system. This new model allows businesses to prepay for credits, which are consumed based on usage, eliminating the risk of overages. Companies using this system have reported positive feedback, as the $0.07 per conversion fee no longer applies.
What People Love About It (USP)?
- Accurate Attribution: AppsFlyer’s advanced attribution technology provides highly accurate and granular insights into the sources of app installs and in-app activity. This helps marketers understand the true impact of their campaigns.
- Comprehensive Analytics: The platform offers deep analytics and reporting capabilities, allowing marketers to analyze user behavior and optimize their marketing strategies effectively.
- Integration Ecosystem: AppsFlyer integrates seamlessly with a wide range of ad networks, analytics platforms, and marketing tools, making it a versatile solution for businesses with diverse marketing stacks.
- Data Privacy and Security: AppsFlyer is committed to data privacy and security, adhering to strict compliance standards such as GDPR and CCPA. This makes it a trusted choice for businesses concerned about data protection.
- Customer Support: The platform is praised for its excellent customer support and comprehensive onboarding process, ensuring users can quickly get up to speed and maximise the value of the tool.
What People Should Be Wary About?
- Complexity: While AppsFlyer offers a wealth of features, it can be complex to navigate, especially for newcomers or smaller teams without dedicated analytics resources.
- Cost: The platform can be expensive, particularly for smaller businesses or startups with limited budgets. Users need to carefully consider the return on investment before committing to the service.
- Learning Curve: Given its extensive capabilities, there is a learning curve associated with using AppsFlyer effectively. Marketers may need to invest time in training and familiarisation to fully leverage its potential.
- Data Overload: With the vast amount of data AppsFlyer provides, some users may feel overwhelmed. It requires a strategic approach to sift through the data and extract actionable insights.
Pricing: AppsFlyer is one of the most expensive options and it also gives its users a freemium option called “Zero” with very basic features along with two paid options – “Growth” & “Enterprise”. The growth option is listed at $0.07 per conversion with more features such as Basic fraud protection, Tech & media partner integrations and Enterprise with custom pricing suited for large corporate firms.
Branch
Branch is a leading mobile measurement and deep linking platform, designed to help businesses optimize their app growth and user engagement strategies. Founded in 2014, Branch serves over 100,000 apps, including notable clients like Pinterest, Airbnb, and Reddit. The platform processes billions of events daily and has become a trusted solution for marketers seeking to improve their mobile app experiences and drive higher engagement rates.
What People Love About It (USP)?
- Deep Linking Technology: Branch’s deep linking technology is highly regarded for its ability to create seamless user experiences by directing users to specific content within an app, regardless of whether they have the app installed or not. This improves user retention and engagement.
- Cross-Platform Attribution: Branch provides a unified view of user journeys across multiple platforms and devices, allowing marketers to track and attribute user actions accurately. This cross-platform attribution capability is a significant advantage over competitors that may offer more siloed tracking.
- Comprehensive Analytics: The platform offers detailed analytics and reporting features, enabling marketers to gain insights into user behavior, campaign performance, and ROI. These insights help in making data-driven decisions to optimize marketing strategies.
- Easy Integration: Branch is praised for its straightforward integration process with various apps and marketing tools. This ease of integration allows businesses to quickly set up and start leveraging the platform’s features without extensive technical overhead.
What People Should Be Wary About?
- Data Privacy Concerns: As with any platform handling extensive user data, there are inherent privacy and security concerns. Businesses must ensure that they comply with data protection regulations like GDPR and CCPA when using Branch.
- Complexity for Beginners: While Branch offers powerful features, it can be complex for beginners or smaller teams to navigate. Understanding and effectively utilizing all the capabilities may require a steep learning curve and dedicated resources.
- Potential Over-Reliance on Deep Linking: Businesses that rely heavily on Branch’s deep linking might find it challenging to switch platforms or integrate with other solutions if their needs evolve. This reliance could limit flexibility in the long term.
- Integration Issues: Although Branch is generally easy to integrate, some users have reported challenges with integrating certain features or ensuring consistent functionality across all devices and platforms.
Pricing: The branch, also being an expensive option, offers two different kinds of pricing offerings: “Self Serve” & “Enterprise” with self serve offering a free 30 day trail with all its components and its completely free for users with up to 10k monthly active users (MAU), $5/mo for each 1k MAU over 10k. The Enterprise’s pricing is not disclosed and it’s a custom pricing depending on the user requirements.
Singular
Singular is a marketing intelligence platform that combines mobile attribution with marketing analytics. Founded in 2014, it helps marketers unify their campaign data across channels, optimise their marketing spend, and measure ROI more effectively.
Singular has quickly gained traction in the industry, serving thousands of customers, including leading brands like Lyft, Rovio, and Warner Bros. The platform processes data from over 1,600 integrated partners and handles billions of events daily, providing comprehensive insights into marketing performance and user engagement.
What People Love About It (USP)?
- Unified Marketing Analytics: Singular stands out by combining attribution data with cost data from multiple sources, providing a comprehensive view of marketing performance.
- Cross-Channel ROI: Its ability to calculate true ROI across channels, including both mobile and web, is highly valued by marketers.
- Data Unification: Singular excels at normalising and cleaning data from various sources, reducing the manual work typically required for data analysis.
- Fraud Prevention: Its fraud prevention suite is known for its effectiveness in detecting and preventing various types of mobile ad fraud.
- Customizable Reporting: Singular offers highly flexible and customizable reporting options, allowing marketers to create tailored dashboards and reports.
What People Should Be Wary About?
- Integration Complexity: Setting up Singular to its full potential can be complex, especially when integrating multiple data sources.
- Learning Curve: The platform’s extensive features and capabilities may require significant time to master fully.
- Cost for Smaller Companies: While powerful, Singular’s full suite of features may be more than what smaller companies need, potentially making it a costly option for them.
- Data Discrepancies: As with many attribution platforms, there can occasionally be discrepancies between Singular’s data and data from ad networks or other analytics tools.
Pricing: Singular offers 3 different kinds of pricing for its users: “Free” , “Growth” & “Enterprise.” Each of the pricing is targeted for different kind of users cohort such that:
- Free – Early Startups & Small Businesses
Growth – Mid-Market & Growing companies
Enterprise – For large corporations with a vast customer base or target segments - Growth – Mid-Market & Growing companies
- Enterprise – For large corporations with a vast customer base or target segments.
Adjust
Adjust is a leading mobile attribution and analytics platform designed to help businesses measure and optimize their mobile marketing efforts. Founded in 2012, Adjust has quickly become a prominent player in the industry, serving over 40,000 apps and more than 32,000 clients globally, including notable names like Spotify, Tencent, and Procter & Gamble.
What People Love About It (USP)?
- Advanced Fraud Prevention: Adjust’s standout feature is its advanced fraud prevention suite. The platform uses machine learning algorithms and real-time analysis to detect and prevent fraudulent activity, ensuring marketers can trust their data and maximize their return on investment.
- Comprehensive Analytics: Adjust offers in-depth analytics and reporting, allowing marketers to track user journeys, measure campaign performance, and gain actionable insights. The platform’s analytics capabilities are highly customizable, catering to the specific needs of different businesses.
- Granular Data: Adjust provides highly detailed and granular data, allowing marketers to dive deep into their campaign performance and user behavior.
- Automation Features: Adjust offers various automation tools, such as Control Center, which helps streamline campaign management and optimization.
- Global Compliance: Adjust is known for its strong commitment to data privacy and compliance with global regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
What People Should Be Wary About?
- Data Discrepancies: As with many attribution platforms, there can occasionally be discrepancies between Adjust’s data and data from ad networks or other analytics tools.
- Integration Issues: Although Adjust supports numerous integrations, some users have reported challenges with specific integrations or data discrepancies. Ensuring smooth and accurate data flow across all platforms may require additional support and troubleshooting.
- Support Response Time: Some users have noted that the response time for customer support can be slow during peak times. Businesses relying on timely support for critical issues may find this to be a potential drawback.
Pricing: Like Singular, Adjust also offers 3 different plans for its different user bases: “Base”, “Core” & “ Enterprise”
Airbridge.io is a mobile measurement and attribution platform founded in 2015. It provides mobile marketers with tools for attribution, deep linking, and analytics to help optimise their user acquisition and engagement strategies. It is used by over 3,000 apps globally. It serves clients across various industries including e-commerce, finance, and gaming and has a particularly strong presence in the Asian market.
What People Love About It (USP)?
- Accuracy and Reliability: Airbridge is praised for its accurate and reliable attribution tracking. The platform’s advanced algorithms ensure that marketers can trust the data they receive, allowing for better decision-making and optimization.
- Cross-Platform Attribution: Airbridge excels in providing a holistic view of user journeys across mobile and web platforms, which is particularly valuable for businesses with omnichannel presence.
- Real-Time Data: Airbridge provides real-time data and reporting, enabling marketers to monitor their campaigns as they happen and make adjustments on the fly. This real-time capability is a significant advantage for optimizing marketing efforts in a dynamic environment.
- Probabilistic Attribution: Airbridge offers strong probabilistic attribution capabilities, which has become increasingly important in the post-IDFA era.
What People Should Be Wary About?
- Less Brand Recognition: Compared to some larger competitors, Airbridge may have less brand recognition, which could be a concern for some larger enterprises or those unfamiliar with the platform.
- Limited Feature Set for Advanced Users: While Airbridge offers a comprehensive suite of features, some advanced users may find certain functionalities lacking compared to more established competitors. Businesses with very specific or advanced needs might require additional tools to complement Airbridge.
- Scalability Concerns: As a relatively new player in the market, there may be concerns about Airbridge’s ability to scale and support larger enterprises with complex requirements. Potential users should assess whether the platform can grow alongside their business needs.
Pricing: The Airbridge has not provided any specific pricing for its product and its a custom pricing for each and every customer based on their needs. So, contacting the sales team with a demo booking will be helpful in understanding the proper pricing of the product.
Apart from these tools, Google 360 can be utilized for attribution, offering features similar to those of a mobile measurement partner (MMP), including access to raw data. However, the service is costly, typically ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 per year, depending on the number of monthly active users (MAUs).
In this digital age, it's not just about building an app. It's about building an experience.
8. Conclusion
Apps invest heavily in attribution to understand user behavior and optimize their marketing strategies. Strong attribution helps track every step of the user journey, ensuring that marketing efforts are effective and budgets are well-spent.
By having a solid attribution system in place, app businesses can make data-driven decisions that lead to better user engagement, increased downloads, and ultimately, higher ROI.
We hope this blog has given you a clearer understanding of app attribution, including its key tools and challenges to help you choose the best tool for your marketing needs.
Also read our – How Can Ecommerce Brands Decide When To Launch Their Own App to know about launching your app as an Ecommerce brand.
If you’d like to discuss how we can assist with app attribution and optimize your marketing strategies, we’re happy to set up a consultation call. Feel free to reach out to us at alibha@daiom.in.
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