What is reattribution?

Reattribution is the attribution of a reinstall (or opening event) to a user who hasn’t used an app in an extended or specified period of time. A reattribution signals that a user has returned to your app due to, and after engaging with, a retargeting campaign.

Often, users leave an app for good by uninstalling it or simply never reopening it. These users are a smart audience to advertise to for re-engagement campaigns because they previously showed interest in the app. 

In short, reattribution is the term used to describe users who reinstall or reopen, making the distinction between pre-existing users and new users.

 A user may install an app and use it for a few hours, days, or even weeks before stopping. Later, they could return after clicking a retargeting ad. This return may count as a reattribution. Whether a user is reattributed depends on how long they’ve been inactive and if they return within a set reattribution window.

Reattribution is defined this way because there is already an originally attributed source. In the case of a reattributed user, there are two touchpoints: the original attribution (where the user came from initially) and the reattribution, which credits the retargeting campaign that brought them back.

Attribution focuses on installs in general, meaning it connects when a user downloads an app for (usually the first time), or takes an in-app action, to the marketing source that led to that action. Reattribution applies after the initial install, measuring which campaigns influence users who have previously installed the app to return and become active again.

Reattribution, re-engagement, and reinstall are closely related concepts in mobile marketing. However, they describe different user actions and measurement outcomes.

• Reattribution focuses on the actual attribution of returning users. 
• Re-engagement is the campaign or strategic efforts to bring users back to an app, often referring to campaigns aimed at existing users.
• Reinstall means a user downloads an app again after previously uninstalling it. A reinstall becomes a reattribution only if it is tied to a retargeting campaign that aims to re-engage former users within the set reattribution window.

Reattribution that is measured allows app marketers to see which campaign or creative caused a user to return. They can use this to optimize re-engagement campaigns and bring more users back after a period of inactivity.

Reattribution is also important for marketers because it evaluates the performance of their retargeting campaigns. When users are not as active as they should be (based on industry benchmarks and the ideal user journey for that app), marketers run retargeting campaigns.

When looking into retargeting (and therefore reattribution), it’s important to understand how attribution windows work. This is the period during which inactive users can be reattributed after reopening your app. If a user returns to your app from a different campaign than the original install, it is important to ensure that the correct campaign receives credit.

With Adjust, a user is considered ‘inactive’ after seven days by default. The reattribution window then opens for another seven days. However, both windows are configurable to meet the individual needs of the marketer. 

Adjust’s Reattribution (part of Campaign Measurement) allows you to reattribute dormant users who engage with a new source and then return to your app. We are able to reattribute users who have installed the app on their device previously, engaged with an Adjust impression or click link that’s eligible as a source of reattribution, triggered an in-app session, and been previously inactive for a specific amount of time, determined by an inactivity window set by you. 

For more information on reattribution with Adjust, see our detailed documentation. To see first hand how we can grow your app business, request a demo today.