Growing your shopping app involves a variety of UA (user acquisition) tactics. To execute these and realize positive ROAS (return on ad spend), you’ll need to develop a robust strategy. We’ve put together a shopping app marketing plan checklist you’ll want to check out to get you started.
Pre-Campaign Launch Checklist Items
Before you execute a CPI (cost per install) or CPE (cost per engagement) campaign, you’ll need the pieces in place to make things seamless for new users and your marketing team.
1) Choose Campaign Models and Channels
You have lots of choices of campaign models and channels for shopping app marketing. In most cases, you’ll use CPIs, CPEs, or a hybrid of both. The channels you choose will depend on your target audience, current data on user actions and preferences, and the capabilities of your mobile app marketing partner.
Here are some options:
- CPI keyword campaigns: Bid on keywords that searchers use in app stores. Long-tail keywords are the best, as they are less competitive and more specific. Be strategic in selecting the most relevant keywords to your desired audience and your app’s capabilities.
- CPE offerwalls: Shopping apps can drive steady UA with offerwalls, the ad unit that doesn’t look like one and is user-initiated. To leverage these for UA, you need to focus on events that trigger users to download, adopt, and spend. After all, you’re not generating revenue without m-commerce purchases.
- Early funnel CPE/CPI hybrids: This option gives you the best parts of CPEs and CPIs. You are driving toward the installation with your ads, but the copy you use prompts them to take an action post-install that comes with a reward. An example is, “Download the app and create an account for 15% off your first purchase.”
No matter what model or tactic you build, you’ll need to ensure that the mobile app marketing platform can reach a high volume of unique users. Additionally, you need a partner that can execute CPIs and CPEs for Android and iOS, as that’s not a given.
2) Define Goals and Metrics
After you determine the ad tactics to use, you’ll want to set realistic and time-bound goals. For example, you could have an objective to add 10,000 users in a week. That’s attainable if you have optimized campaigns and a versatile network.
You also should decide what to measure to inform if you’re meeting those goals. We’ve got a great guide to mobile app KPIs for reference.
3) Create CPPs
iOS 15 introduced CPPs (custom product pages) for the Apple App Store. You can create up to 35 different pages and tailor those specifically to your ad objectives. That could include making them specific to a type of user or promotion. It’s a great way to personalize campaigns to ensure more downloads.
4) Prep Internal Resources and Test Workflows
Before launching campaigns that are likely to bring in a flux of new users, you have to do the prep work. Testing your network for increased volumes is a given, but there’s more to do. You need to consider resources for support and questions from new users. You want to be able to immediately engage, so a chatbot is a good first step.
Another component is eliminating any friction in the purchase workflow. You’ve likely “sold” users on the idea of shopping in the app because it’s more convenient. You’ll need to live up to that promise.
Post-Launch: Making Sense of Data and Tweaking
After the campaign is live, you’ll begin to see results. In the best-case scenario, you’re hitting your KPIs. However, sometimes there are factors that require some tweaking. Here are some things to monitor and how to adapt campaigns based on data.
1) CPI Clicks Are Strong; Conversions Aren’t
If the data shows that people click on ads and go to the app store but don’t convert, there’s a disconnect. In that case, go back to your CPP on iOS or your Android app page. Can you improve it? Is there anything there that could be turning shoppers off? Have you played up the benefits of shopping in the app?
After answering these questions, make adjustments to ensure that the ad language and the app page are in harmony.
2) Users Are Installing, But Not Taking the Next Step
An installed user is great, but it’s only a potential revenue capture. You need to engage that new user quickly, so they’ll begin buying in your app. If you’re running CPI/CPE hybrids, and they aren’t completing the event, dig into the data. Is the reward not incentive enough? Is it unclear how to take the action? Are new users confused?
If there’s any ambiguity, then users won’t move forward. If that could be the cause, you may need to add some quick videos or simply make a process faster and more straightforward.
3) Users Install and Engage But Don’t Buy
Having an engaged shopper is critical to shopping app marketing success. However, you want to push them down the funnel to be a purchaser. If they install and complete an early funnel CPE like creating an account or making a favorites list but don’t buy, you’ll need to incentivize them further.
Map out the “days” where most new users make purchases. Then try some deeper funnel CPEs to get them closer to checkout. You’ve already rewarded them with the first CPE, so you can try an even better deal. However, you should make these very urgent and limited, such as “get this deal by making a purchase today only.”
Shopping App Marketing: Get the Best Results with AdAction
Shopping app marketing is competitive and complicated. You have to deploy the right tactics with the right incentives at the right time. You can also learn from your campaigns and adjust them to create better outcomes.
Managing your marketing initiatives requires working with experts like us. We’ve helped some of the biggest retail brands drive incremental, high-quality traffic with versatile campaigns. Connect with us today to start the conversation!
