Mobile Attribution

When discussing app marketing success, mobile attribution stands out as an essential cog in the mobile measurement wheel. In short, it provides a holistic overview of how users behave from the moment they see an ad, to the end of their interactions with it. With this chapter, Adjust will break down the main attribution challenges and how to master them.

You'll learn about:

What mobile attribution is
The user journey of mobile attribution
The challenges and KPIs to consider

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Mobile attribution: an introduction

Mobile attribution, also known as mobile app tracking, is the process of understanding what happens when a user interacts, or does not interact, with a mobile advert pointing towards an app. Successful mobile app tracking covers the entirety of the conversion funnel. It finds out whether a user does or doesn’t react upon seeing an advert; it will figure out if a user installs your app after seeing an advert; it will also determine how a user behaves after installing.

Why is attribution important for a modern mobile marketer?

1. Learn where your users are coming from

On a surface level, attribution links interaction with ads to installation. As such, it’s the definitive touch point for all involved in the app to know where a user has originated from.

2. Find your best performing campaigns

Because of this, attribution helps mobile marketers determine campaign success and helps marketers discover the formula for repeatable performance. It also can be used to compare different campaigns to see which perform best.

3. Optimize everything

This leads into optimization. By getting a better understanding of how users behave when interacting with different ads and campaigns, app developers and mobile marketers can improve almost every aspect of app, such as user experience, creatives and spend.

4. Understand your ROI better

Attribution is the dominant figure in determining app advertising success. Without it, all members of the mobile ad ecosystem (that is, advertisers, partners and app creators) wouldn’t be able to see the costs involved. However, with attribution fully engaged, you can understand where investment makes the most return.

The mobile attribution challenge