Mobile apps have undoubtedly become ubiquitous in consumers’ daily lives, be it for booking a cab or ordering food online. Around 257 billion mobile apps were downloaded globally in 2023 with users spending about 3.5 hours on a mobile app daily (Source: Satista: Number of mobile app downloads worldwide from 2016 to 2023). Mobile app sales accounted for up to 60% of eCommerce sales worldwide last year- after all, they offer the convenience of placing orders anytime, anywhere(Source: Statista Global Mobile E-Commerce Worth $2.2 Trillion in 2023). With such a massive influx of sales, marketers cannot ignore this channel. They must understand how users interact within the app and plan marketing endeavors to increase engagement and conversions.
This is where mobile app analytics comes into play, helping brands to gain valuable insights into app performance. However, they need a robust tool to gather, organize, and churn insights from all marketing data of mobile apps and other web platforms. Considering an overwhelming volume of campaign data, how can brands decide which source or channel is the most credible for conversions? Perhaps the marketing team cannot spend months analyzing data to plan and develop targeted campaigns.
So what’s the solution for marketers? It is a mobile measurement platform (MMP) that not only offers a unified view of campaign performance, acting as a single source of truth, ruling an attribution but also provides an accurate overview of mobile attribution, helping marketers understand the ROI of campaigns and ways to optimize them for better performance.
So, how is an MMP different from traditional mobile app analytics platforms like Google’s Play Console or Apple’s App Analytics, which typically have their own set of limitations related to mobile attribution? Here’s what marketers need to know.
Inefficiency: One challenge is that each new ad network requires a new SDK (Software Development Kit). As marketers scale marketing activities, creating a new SDK for each ad network drains monetary resources and adversely affects the app’s performance.
Data Inaccuracy: Multiple ad network SDKs often target ads to the same user, leading to inflated and inaccurate data across networks.
Incomplete Data Reporting: Traditional analytics platforms don’t offer proper data segmentation and reporting. For example, they don’t highlight the medium of app installation, whether the download was through a paid campaign or organic. Nor do they provide the source ID of the campaign, which is essential for campaign optimization.
New age MMPs- a game changer.
MMPs address these limitations by offering a multifaceted universal SDK that effectively connects advertisers to several ad networks, creating a single ecosystem cost-effectively. Additionally, MMPs provide in-depth analytics on clicks, impressions, installs, in-app purchases, ROAS (return on ad spend), etc., located within a single forum.
Cutting-edge global platforms offer consolidated reporting and data sharing, creating a bridge between mobile measurement and performance marketing. With data at digital marketers’ fingertips, brands can scale intelligently by investing in results-driven channels.
Marketers need to go beyond understanding the significance of an MMP- they need to have the right partner for seamless campaign management. For that, some important factors must be considered. Apart from comprehensive insights, marketers should look for an MMP that offers;
Data Privacy: With the growing significance of the privacy of users’ data and regulations shaping marketing endeavors, an ideal MMP should protect customer data, ensure transparency of data storage, and comply with data regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
Fraud Prevention: Likewise, an MMP should have robust systems in place to prevent frauds affecting data’s sanity. It should be able to identify fake traffic or click bots and trigger warnings of potential fraud.
Compatibility: A MMP can deliver results only when compatible with a mobile app. Alongside advanced features, an MMP should also provide seamless integration to avoid hassles with campaign management post-deployment.
Attribution Models: When choosing an MMP, marketers must examine the different attribute models it offers, as each model is unique; whilst ensuring that the MMP supports the attribution model that best aligns with marketing objectives.
Alongside other features and attribution models, an MMP with a proven track record of results can help brands get the desired results and bolster growth.
Going forward in 2024, some strategic steps can help marketers integrate an MMP of their choice hassle-free.
Set Clear Goals: First and foremost, brands should define clear goals to make the MMP a part of mobile app marketing. By setting goals related to ROAS or other marketing metrics, brands can ensure that the MMP is aligned with the overarching goal of cost-effectiveness.
Price Assessment: MMPs typically offer multiple pricing options- choosing one that fits a brand’s budget is essential. They can go for monthly subscriptions, pay–per–in install, or a combination of both, depending on needs and company goals.
Conduct Regular Audits: Deploying an MMP partner is not a one-time activity. Brands should regularly audit to maintain the platform’s accuracy, enhancing effectiveness. Optimizing processes helps marketers identify improvement areas, preserve data integrity, and make informed decisions. Additionally, it helps them to stay updated on new features critical to adapting to business needs and industry standards.
In 2024 and beyond, the integration of mobile devices across business use cases will continue to grow. So, mobile app analytics will be critical in analyzing user behavior and ways to increase user engagement. A reliable and scalable mobile measurement platform assures precise attribution and granular ROI metrics to help brands build well-performing apps as well as run campaigns–in one place.
(The Author Yogeeta Chainani is the Co-Founder and CEO, Swaarm)
