Must-know reattribution benchmarks for app marketers

Reattribution share is crucial for understanding the effectiveness of retargeting campaigns. This metric provides insight into your share (or ratio) of reattributed users — or, out of all your installs, how many are from returning users. It enables app advertisers and marketers to measure the impact of their re-engagement efforts and make more informed decisions regarding user acquisition and retention.

To understand reattribution share, we first need to look at reattribution itself.

Reattribution is attributing a reinstall or re-opening event to a user who has not interacted with an app for an extended period, often as a result of a successful retargeting campaign. App users who have previously shown interest in the app are valuable targets for re-engagement campaigns.

Reattribution share is the proportion of reattributions relative to the total installs over a period. It quantifies the impact of returning users within your overall user acquisition (UA) strategy.

For example, if a user installs your app, enjoys it for a while, uninstalls it, and then reinstalls it due to a compelling campaign, that reinstall is a reattribution. Reattribution share captures these events, showing the ratio of your total installs coming from returning users.

A high reattribution share means your re-engagement efforts are hitting the mark, resonating with users, and likely boosting overall retention rates. By focusing on this metric, you can also identify the issues that cause users to churn. This allows you to address these challenges directly in your re-engagement campaigns, making your app more appealing and enhancing its stickiness.

Retargeting (and acquiring) existing users is often more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. These users are already familiar with your brand, making them more likely to return if re-engaged effectively. By working to increase your rate of returning users, you can build a loyal user base more quickly and achieve better results with a smaller marketing budget, driving long-term success and stability for your app.

Let’s break down how to calculate reattribution share. First, you need to determine total installs during a specific time frame, including both including new and returning user installs. Next, you need to measure the number of reattributions within the same period. Here’s the formula to calculate reattribution share:

Before exploring the specifics of reattribution share, it's essential to understand install trends, which provide a broader context and serve as a baseline for accurate interpretation. These trends reveal seasonal and cyclical patterns, helping to assess how effectively re-engagement campaigns bring back previous users and convert them into active ones.

Over the 18-month period from January 2023 to June 2024, the global trend in app installs has been relatively stable, marked by noticeable peaks and troughs. January 2023 began on a high note, with installs up by 8% compared to the 2023 average. This was followed by a decline in February, where installs fell by 4%. There was a significant peak in July 2023, showing an 8% increase compared to the 2023 average. In the first half of 2024, installs showed a slight decline, with H1 2024 down by 4% compared to H1 2023.

Adjust data shows that while the median reattribution share has remained relatively stable across regions, there are slight variations that provide insight into the new user/returning user split globally. In APAC and Europe,  the reattribution share was 0.022 in 2023 and 0.021 in H1 2024.

We also analyzed global reattribution share by vertical for 2023 and  H1 2024, revealing notable differences in user re-engagement numbers across various app categories.

Shopping apps stand out with a notable increase in reattribution share, increasing from 0.204 in 2023 to 0.231 in H1 2024. Research shows that post-holiday consumer interest remains strong, driven by the desire to use gift cards, take advantage of sales, and engage with loyalty programs. These factors prompt users to return to shopping apps, boosting reattribution as they seek out deals and rewards.

Food and drink apps maintained a high reattribution share despite dropping from 0.159 in 2023 to 0.134 in H1 2024. Retargeting is essential to the food and grocery delivery model, where encouraging users to reorder is both business-critical and highly effective. It strengthens customer loyalty and drives sustained engagement, contributing to the overall success of these apps.

In the shopping app category, North America leads with the highest reattribution share H1 2024 at 0.341 which is also the highest across all regions and verticals. MENA’s share is 0.306, followed by Europe at 0.284.

Food and drink apps differ significantly from region to region. LATAM has share is the highest  (0.202), followed by Europe (0.176) and North America (0.146).

If you’re looking to increase your share of reattributions, here are some best practices to ensure you achieve the best results from your retargeting efforts and re-engagement strategies:

Optimize your iOS app onboarding for opt-ins

With the introduction of App Tracking Transparency (ATT), iOS users have more control over their privacy settings, including the ability to allow or deny app tracking. Optimizing for increased opt-ins early on is crucial to gather the data needed for the most precise possible retargeting. This first-party can also inform the AI and ML models that will help produce retargeting campaigns for users and cohorts from your broader, aggregated, and anonymized data sets.

Tip! Starting with AdAttributionKit, retargeting (re-engagement) of non-consented iOS users will also be possible.

Optimize frequency and duration

Finding the right balance in the frequency and duration of your retargeting ads is vital. Excessive ad exposure can annoy users, while insufficient exposure may not have the desired impact. Experiment with different frequency caps and campaign durations to identify optimal settings that maintain visibility without overwhelming or alienating your audience.

Define clear goals and KPIs

Establishing clear objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) before launching a retargeting campaign is essential. Whether your goal is to increase in-app purchases, improve user engagement, or drive more app sessions, having specific targets will guide your campaign strategy and help measure its success. This clarity ensures your retargeting efforts are focused and aligned with your overall business goals.