Introduction
AppsFlyer’s retargeting attribution mechanism allows advertisers to measure and analyze their retargeting campaigns in addition to their user acquisition campaigns.
Initial Requirements
To run retargeting campaigns your app must meet these minimum requirements:
For iOS
Supported SDK version: 2.5.1.13 and above.
In addition to the standard integration, you must add an additional code to the app delegate, see the AppsFlyer SDK Integration - iOS article for the section on Tracking Deep Links . (The article is based on the latest version of the SDK).
For iOS 9 Universal Link App Open code must be implemented. For more information on Universal Links, click here.
For Android
Supported SDK version: 2.3.1.15 and above.
If the deep link is opening an Activity other than the main activity, please refer to the AppsFlyer SDK Integration - Android article for the section on Tracking Deep Links. (The article is based on the latest version of the SDK).
Important!
Before you start running ANY retargeting campaign with ANY network you MUST first enable retargeting on the app settings page!
Enabling Retargeting Attribution on the Dashboard
To enable retargeting attribution, follow these steps:
- For details of enabling Retargeting Attribution, click here.
- Go to Settings >> Integrated Partners and select the partner you want to run retargeting with and set them up.
- Toggle Retargeting Settings to ON.
- Once you have selected the Retargeting Campaign (or any other campaign setting related to retargeting), the Tracking Link is updated with the relevant parameter is_retargeting=true
- Click Save to save your retargeting configuration.
Note
For details of the retargeting and deep linking click parameters for both Android and iOS, see here.
Conversion Types
A retargeting campaign has two possible conversion types:
- Re-engagement
- An existing user, that has the app installed, engages with the retargeting campaign
- Re-attribution
- A past user, that first installed less than the re-attribution window ago (90 days by default), but has since uninstalled, engages with the retargeting campaign and re-installs the app
Note
In order to have an attributed re-engagement or re-attribution the user's engagement with the campaign should be a click. Currently view-through attribution is not supported for retargeting purposes.
Viewing the Reports
Once retargeting attribution is enabled on your AppsFlyer account, you are able to view your retargeting campaigns in the dashboard by selecting Retargeting from the side bar.
All available information in the dashboard is displayed for the retargeting campaigns.
Lifetime Value (LTV) Analysis for Retargeting Campaigns
AppsFlyer performs post-conversion analysis for both acquisition and retargeting campaigns.
- For acquisition campaigns, AppsFlyer calculates the LTV based on all events reported after the install attribution occurs
- For re-engagements on retargeting campaigns, AppsFlyer calculates the LTV based on all events reported after the retargeting attribution occurs and within the re-engagement attribution window
- For re-attributions on retargeting campaigns, AppsFlyer calculates the LTV based on all events reported after the retargeting attribution occurs
Retargeting Click-Through Lookback Window
The retargeting click lookback window works exactly like with user acquisition campaigns. It defines the maximum period of time after an ad is clicked, within which a retargeted user can be attributed to the ad. The lookback window is configurable with the tracking link parameter:
af_click_lookback={days}
When this is not configured, the default is 7 days.
Example
To set a 14 days click-through lookback window add the following to the retargeting campaign's tracking link: &af_click_lookback=14d
Re-Engagement Attribution Window
The re-engagement attribution window is the number of days in which an event can be attributed to a retargeting campaign. It starts when the retargeting attribution occurs and finishes at the end of the re-engagement attribution window. The default re-engagement attribution window is 30 days.
Changing the Re-Engagement Attribution Window
Advertisers can change the re-engagement attribution window by adding an af_reengagement_window parameter to the tracking link.
Note
You can insert here any time either hourly up to 23 hours, 1 day up to 90 days or Lifetime. You can enter the time as either 24h or 36h (for hours) or 1d up to 90d (for days).
For example, adding a af_reengagement_window=60d parameter on the tracking link causes all events reported within the first 60 days after the retargeting attribution occurs to be attributed to the retargeting campaign.
https://app.appsflyer.com/id123456789?pid=remerge_int&af_dp=mydeeplink%3A%2F%2F&
clickid={clickid}&af_siteid={publisher}&idfa={device_id_raw}&sha1_idfa={device_id}
&af_sub1={creative_name}&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=60d
Use Cases
The re-engagement attribution window is 30 days.
The user installs the app from campaign A.
14 days later performs a purchase worth $10.
The user clicks on a retargeting campaign B.
3 days later performs a purchase worth $5.
32 days later performs a purchase worth $3.
| Campaign | Event 1 Attribution | Event 2 Attribution | Event 3 Attribution | LTV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
A |
True |
True |
True |
$18 |
|
B |
False |
True |
False |
$5 |
The re-engagement attribution window is 30 days.
The User installs the app from campaign A.
14 days later performs a purchase worth $10.
The User clicks on a retargeting campaign B.
3 days later performs a purchase worth $5.
10 days later performs a purchase worth $3.
| Campaign | Event 1 Attribution | Event 2 Attribution | Event 3 Attribution | LTV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
A |
True |
True |
True |
$18 |
|
B |
False |
True |
True |
$8 |
The re-engagement attribution window is 40 days.
The User installs the app from campaign A.
The User clicks on a retargeting campaign B.
3 days later performs a purchase worth $5.
10 days later performs a purchase worth $3.
60 days later performs a purchase worth $10.
| Campaign | Event 1 Attribution | Event 2 Attribution | Event 3 Attribution | LTV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
A |
True |
True |
True |
$18 |
|
B |
True |
True |
False |
$8 |
The re-engagement attribution window is 7 days.
The User installs the app from campaign A.
The User clicks on a retargeting campaign B.
10 days later performs a purchase worth $5.
15 days later performs a purchase worth $3.
60 days later performs a purchase worth $10.
| Campaign | Event 1 Attribution | Event 2 Attribution | Event 3 Attribution | LTV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
A |
True |
True |
True |
$18 |
|
B |
False |
False |
False |
$0 |
The User installs the app from campaign A.
The User clicks on a retargeting campaign B with a re-engagement attribution window of 30 days.
10 days later performs a purchase worth $5.
5 days later clicks a retargeting campaign C with re-engagement attribution window is 7 days.
1 day after performs a purchase worth 10$
10 days later performs a purchase worth 15$
As a result:
The second re-engagement cancels out the first one
- The $5 event is counted in A & B
- The $10 event is counted in A & C
- The $15 event is counted in A
Additional Fields in the Raw Reports
Raw reports for retargeting data include specific columns for retargeting campaigns. For a full list of these headings, click here.
Below is a list of points for AppsFlyer's retargeting enhancements:
- The parameter
is_retargeting=trueis required for all cases. - Each tracking link must hold the Device ID. For example:
idfa=advertising_id=android_id=
- A new installation as a result of a retargeting campaign, is not considered a retargeting conversion and is displayed in the Overview dashboard and not the Retargeting dashboard.