At a glance: Learn about methods for advertisers to aggregate and view marketing cost data.
Related articles: Cost operations | Cost ETL | Ad Spend Ingestion
Cost aggregation
ROI360:
- Provides aggregate advertising cost data, and cost-related LTV performance metrics. These are available via dashboards and performance reports. The cost-related metrics available include ROI, ROAS, clicks, impressions, campaign ROI, and average effective cost per installation (eCPI) over time.
- Supports different cost models used by the partner, for example, CPI, CPA, CPC, and CPM.
- Records advertising cost by API, ad spend ingestion (CSV file upload), and cost by click.
- Agencies can access ROI360 cost data for advertisers with an ROI360 subscription.
The following metrics are available to advertisers without an ROI360 subscription:
- Cost data by click.
- SRN clicks and impressions data, configured via the SRN integrated partner Cost tab.
Principles of cost data aggregation
This section describes the main principles of campaign cost data aggregation.
Cost aggregation methods
Cost data is obtained from partners using one or more methods. If cost is reported by more than one method, then the cost prioritization mechanism determines which data is used. This ensures that cost data is not inflated.
After AppsFlyer processes the data, it displays in UTC timezone (default) or as per your app-specific timezone settings.
Cost aggregation method | Cost models supported | Data granularity | Data freshness | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|
API* | All |
Level depends on the integration |
Intraday | Data may change after the cost event as we try to receive data up to 30 days back (depending on the ad network). This enables us to take into account retroactive changes made by the ad network. |
Ad Spend Ingestion (file upload) | All | Level depends on the file uploaded | Up to 4 hours after ingestion | Cost reported can be reverted and corrected data submitted for up to 90 days. |
Clicks (attribution link) | CPI | User-level |
Minimum: realtime Maximum: Up to 4 hours after click |
No change possible |
* API integrations between partners and AppsFlyer are by either Cost API or InCost API (never both). The API used and data granularity provided is partner-dependent. |
Cost data availability and reports
The following table indicates where cost data is available.
For the purposes of understanding the table, the following explanations apply, unless otherwise indicated in the table remarks:
- UA: Cost data for user acquisition campaigns with at least 1 recently-recorded install (meaning in the past approximately 7 days).
- Unified: Cost data of all campaigns, including those without any recently-recorded installs (meaning in the past approximately 7 days). The table indicates when data is only available for campaigns with at least 1 recently-recorded install.
- If campaign name changes are not supported, both campaign names display, one with attribution data, and one with cost data. Neither campaign name displayed will include the complete data picture.
Cost data availability and reports
Reporting method | View/data type | Campaign name change support | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Overview dashboard |
|
Yes | Retargeting view doesn't display cost. Cost for retargeting displays in the unified view. |
Activity dashboard | UA | Yes | |
Cohort dashboard |
|
Yes |
|
Cohort API |
|
Yes | This unified data is only for campaigns with at least 1 recently-recorded install. |
SKAN dashboard |
SKAN | No | SKAN installs display, along with cost data for all installs (including non-SKAN installs). |
SKAN Aggregated Performance API |
SKAN | No | SKAN installs display, along with cost data for all installs (including non-SKAN installs). |
Pivot dashboard |
UA | No |
|
Master API | UA | No |
|
Custom dashboard | UA | No | |
Cost ETL | Unified | Yes |
All available cost data displays. |
Aggregated Pull API | UA | No | |
Push API |
Raw click data (not aggregated) |
Not relevant |
|
Raw data Pull API |
Raw click data (not aggregated) |
Not relevant |
|
Data Locker |
Raw click data (not aggregated) |
Not relevant |
Data Locker Cohort doesn’t support cost. |
Note:
-
Data granularity can differ based on dashboard/report type. The Cost ETL reporting tool contains the complete set of data. This includes campaign hierarchy details (media source, campaign name, adset, and the dimensions made available by the ad network, including geo, channel. site ID, and keywords).
- Click cost data is available in raw-data reports.
Cost prioritization mechanism
For a given media source, cost can be provided by more than one aggregation method. To avoid cost inflation, a campaign cost prioritization mechanism decides which cost data is made available in the platform. Priority is given according to the aggregation method. The priority from highest to lowest is: API > Ad Spend Ingestion > Click. If available, use API, as it is the most accurate.
Campaign cost aggregation method prioritization
- This mechanism impacts aggregate data reports and dashboards.
- Click cost data available in raw data reports are not impacted by the prioritization mechanism.
Example
Scenario: An ad network reports cost per click, but you decide to enable the ad network's Cost API.
Result: Cost is aggregated by both click and Cost API. Since Cost API has priority, click costs are ignored.
Outcomes:
- Possible to implement multiple cost-aggregation methods. The actual reported cost is affected by the cost aggregation method priority rules set out in the table below.
- Change affects agency-generated traffic in the same manner. This includes both transparent and non-transparent agencies.
- The change has retroactive impact. Historical aggregate cost data can change.
Cost aggregation method priority rules
Method | Description |
---|---|
API |
|
Ad Spend Ingestion |
|
Click |
Lowest priority |
List of ad networks
Traits and limitations
Trait |
Remarks |
---|---|
Agencies |
|
API data freshness |
|
Campaign name changes |
Ad spend data displays using the most recent campaign name reported. Note: This is for the display of aggregate data; not the raw data itself. |
Timezone |
If an ad network supports just one timezone, and there is a discrepancy between the timezone the ad network supports and the timezone set in your app settings, the timezone that the ad network supports is used. |