GUIDE
Four critical building blocks for the ideal mobile app tech stack
Whether you’re an app developer looking into marketing for the first time, or an experienced digital marketer looking to expand into the world of mobile, the mobile marketing ecosystem can be a daunting place. This guide aims to help you get your footing and work out which tools you need in an ideal tech stack.
Definition
What is a tech stack?
A tech stack, sometimes referred to as a technology stack, solutions stack, or technology infrastructure, is a set of technologies used collectively to support an app.
A mobile app tech stack, broadly speaking, encompasses everything from development to marketing, making it a critical component of an app’s success. However, tech stacks are also referred to in more specific terms depending on the team using the technology, such as measurement stack, UI/UX stack, or marketing tech stack. In mobile marketing, we most often refer to an analytics stack or measurement stack. In this context, the tech stack is a collection of technologies that marketers use to streamline, automate, and measure marketing tasks. The goal is to make marketing processes more efficient and effective, ultimately driving more app installs and user engagement.
Regardless of the specific stack in question, a tech stack can be visualized as a layered structure, with each layer representing a different type of technology essential for supporting an app. The "stack" metaphor helps to conceptualize how these technologies work together.
![](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/2400x220/7e6e25ada0/tech-stack-skinny-glossary-cta.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Relevance to you
Why is it important to get your tech stack right?
The choices within each building block of a tech stack can significantly impact various aspects of an app. Investing in appropriate tech is a key step for companies to ensure that their marketing team has the necessary tools to attract and retain users. The specific combination of technologies in a MarTech stack varies based on factors like the app’s requirements and scale, as well as the preferences of the team.
However, the fundamental elements are often similar across different stacks. Some popular tech stacks, especially in web development, are named after their components and include multiple layers like an operating system, web server, database, and programming language. These stacks, while memorable in their naming, are essential for creating web applications that are scalable and maintainable.
Components
Core MarTech stack building blocks
With the right tech and tools, you can build a stack that can handle the heavy-lifting of mobile marketing, and all of the functionalities that surround it. At a glance, these are the groups of tech providers you’ll encounter at each stage of the stack:
- Attract: The ad tech stack
- Manage: The data stack
- Measure and optimize: The analytics tech stack
- Streamline: The AI tech stack
Attract
The ad tech stack
The ad tech stack is a critical assembly of tools and platforms designed to execute mobile marketing to reach a target audience, manage ad spend, and analyze campaign performance at a base level.
Key terms
- Inventory: Ad placements or ad space available for purchase.
- Publisher: The provider of ad inventory.
- Advertiser: The purchaser of ad inventory (often brands or apps in the case of mobile marketing).
With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the techs involved in this building block.
Demand-side platform
A demand-side platform (DSP) is a system that allows advertisers to automate the purchasing of digital ad inventory from multiple ad sources, optimizing for the best ad placements based on specific targeting criteria.
DSPs automate the buying of digital ad inventory across a wide range of publishers, eliminating the need for manual negotiations and purchases. This efficiency saves time and resources, allowing marketers to focus on strategy and optimization.
Phil Gontier
VP International, Liftoff
![Examples of demand-side platforms](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/1067x730/effe037ab3/dsp-examples.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Check out the Adjust Partner Marketplace to get an idea of some of the DSPs we partner with.
Supply-side platform
A supply-side platform (SSP) is a system that enables publishers to automate the sale of display, video, and native ad spaces on websites and apps, based on the number of impressions.
For mobile marketers with ad inventory, SSPs offer a way to optimize fill rates and effective cost per mille (eCPM), enabling them to focus more on content and user experience. By connecting with multiple DSPs and ad networks, SSPs ensure that inventory is exposed to a wide range of advertisers, increasing competition and thereby potentially raising the value of ad spaces.
![Examples of supply-side platforms](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/1067x730/574c927955/ssp-examples.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Check out the Adjust Partner Marketplace to get an idea of some of the SSPs we partner with.
Ad network
Ad networks are intermediaries that aggregate ad inventory from multiple publishers and sell it to advertisers, helping to fill ad spaces more efficiently by matching supply with demand.
Ad networks bridge the gap between advertisers looking to distribute their ads and publishers seeking to monetize their web spaces. They aggregate ad inventory from multiple publishers, offering advertisers a wide range of options to place their ads across different websites and apps with a single platform.
This consolidation not only simplifies the ad buying process, making it more efficient and cost-effective for advertisers, but also maximizes publishers' revenue by filling their ad spaces with relevant ads. Additionally, ad networks use sophisticated targeting and optimization algorithms to ensure that the right ads reach the right audience at the right time, enhancing the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and improving the overall user experience.
![Examples of ad networks](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/1067x521/3449401b23/ad-network-examples.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Check out the Adjust Partner Marketplace to get an idea of some of the ad networks we partner with.
Self-attributing networks
A self-attributing network (SAN) is an advertising platform that serves as both the publisher and network, attributing conversions on its platform and verifying them through APIs with attribution partners.
SANs like TikTok, Google Ads, Meta, and X (formerly Twitter), offer a dual function. They not only serve as platforms where advertisers can launch and manage their campaigns but also act as the entities that attribute conversions to these campaigns. This dual capability is significant because it enables marketers to directly measure the effectiveness of their advertisements on these platforms without needing to rely solely on external attribution services (however, a mobile measurement partner is super important for data integration and integrity–more on this later).
Chen-Lin Lee
Global Lead of Adtech & Measurement Partnerships, TikTok
![Examples of self-attributing networks](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/1067x730/23fb58dc0b/san-examples.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Check out the Adjust Partner Marketplace to get an idea of some of the self-attributing networks we partner with.
Ad exchanges
An ad exchange is a digital marketplace that facilitates the buying and selling of ad inventory between advertisers (via DSPs) and publishers (via SSPs).
Ad exchanges facilitate access to a diverse inventory, which enables mobile marketers to target audiences more precisely, at scale, and at optimal prices. Furthermore, ad exchanges offer improved transparency in the ad-buying process, giving marketers insight into where their ads will appear and the ability to adjust strategies based on performance data.
![](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/2400x1260/fb1fee6884/ad-exchange.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Meagan Martino,
Senior Director, Global Exchange, AppLovin
Check out AppLovin ALX, the leading programmatic exchange.
Connected TV distribution and measurement
A connected TV (CTV) is any TV set connected to the internet including smart TVs and TVs connected via set-top boxes, TV sticks, and gaming consoles.
Since the TV is the largest screen in the home, it has proven to be an indispensable marketing channel, capturing the attention of a large, engaged audience increasingly drawn to streaming for entertainment. Now, with more consumers shifting from traditional linear television to CTV for its varied content, personalized viewing experiences, and access to a plethora of entertainment options, marketers have a golden opportunity to reach target audiences with increasingly interactive and engaging ad formats.
![](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/2049x1076/dfdcd4d26f/ctv-cta-banner.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Peter Crofut
VP Business Development. Agencies and Brands, Wurl
![](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/1067x521/86c0069160/ctv-partner-examples.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Check out the Adjust Partner Marketplace to get an idea of some of the CTV partners we integrate with. Check out Wurl, the leading CTV distribution platform.
Manage
The data stack
As you run more campaigns and attract more users, you’ll begin to gather a lot of data. This data needs to live somewhere, which is where your data tech stack comes into play.
Data warehouse
A data warehouse is a centralized data management system that aggregates, cleans, organizes, and stores structured and semi-structured data from various sources to support business intelligence activities and enable easy data analysis.
For mobile marketers, a data warehouse has a pivotal role in consolidating diverse data streams into a single, centralized repository. It enables the integration of data from various mobile marketing campaigns, user interactions, and other sources, providing a comprehensive view of customer behavior and campaign performance. This consolidation facilitates deep analytical insights, allowing marketers to craft data-driven strategies, optimize campaign effectiveness, and tailor user experiences.
![Examples of data warehouses](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/1067x521/ab955f6b4e/data-warehouse-examples.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Customer relationship management
A customer relationship management (CRM) platform is a software system designed to manage a company's interactions and relationships with current and potential customers.
For mobile marketers, a CRM helps build customer relationships, increase sales, improve customer service, and increase profitability. By centralizing customer information, tracking interactions, and automating sales and marketing processes, a CRM platform enables companies to better understand their customers’ needs and behaviors, leading to enhanced customer experiences and business growth.
Check out the Adjust Partner Marketplace to get an idea of some of the CRM platforms we partner with
![Examples of customer relationship management partners](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/1067x521/747d0cadac/crm-partner-examples.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Measure
The analytics tech stack
The analytics or measurement stack stands as the cornerstone of deep data analysis and the strategic optimization of marketing campaigns. In today's data-driven marketing environment, harnessing the power of this stack is essential for marketers aiming to maximize their budget efficiency and attract the most relevant users.
Key terms
- Attribution: The process of linking ad spend and user actions.
- Biased attribution: When the process of assigning credit for user actions is influenced by partiality or lacks neutrality.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the techs involved in this building block.
Mobile measurement partner
A mobile measurement partner (MMP) provides app marketers with attribution analytics, helping them identify the most effective channels and optimize the ROI of their marketing campaigns by organizing and analyzing campaign data across multiple networks.
Katie Madding
Chief Product Officer, Adjust
![](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/1067x560/572abacb21/mmp-buyers-guide-cta-card.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Learn more about how to choose the right MMP in this privacy-focused era.
App store optimization
An app store optimization (ASO) platform is a tool designed to help developers and marketers improve the visibility and ranking of their mobile apps within app store search results.
ASO platforms provide crucial insights and strategies for optimizing app titles, descriptions, keywords, and reviews, aiming to increase downloads by making apps more discoverable to potential users. These platforms take the guesswork out of your app store optimizations.
![](https://a.storyblok.com/f/47007/832x437/38e72378da/become-an-aso-expert-cta.png/m/1440x0/filters:quality(95))
Antoine Bentin
Product Manager, AppTweak
Check out the Adjust Partner Marketplace to get an idea of some of the ASO platforms we partner with.
Streamline
The AI tech stack
The AI stack is pivotal in streamlining processes and creating resource efficiencies, serving as the technological foundation for automating complex tasks and enhancing decision-making capabilities. For teams aiming to refine workflows and reduce operational costs, understanding and implementing the right components of the AI tech stack is crucial.
Automation
Marketing automation leverages tools that perform tasks automatically, often using predefined rules or simple algorithms to streamline processes.
By streamlining traditionally repetitive and time-intensive tasks, automation tools enable marketers to focus their efforts on strategy and creativity, thus improving efficiency and reducing the time-to-market for campaigns.
Adriana Gil Miner
CMO, Iterable
Learn about Adjust’s industry-leading Campaign Automation tool.
Predictive analytics
Predictive analytics tools evaluate historical data to forecast future events, trends, and behaviors, enabling more informed decision-making.
Predictive analytics removes the guesswork from campaign optimization with accurate, data-backed forecasts to optimize as much as possible before budget has even been spent on a campaign.
Learn about Audience Builder, Adjust’s predictive segmentation tool.
Generative AI
Generative AI is a system capable of creating new content, such as images, videos, or music, that resembles human-generated works by learning from existing datasets.
From ad copy to creative ads, leveraging generative AI allows mobile marketers to scale personalized content creation that resonates with diverse audience segments, thereby boosting engagement rates and campaign performance.
Learn more about how ChatGPT is changing the mobile app marketing game.
Conversational AI
Conversational AI is a system designed to simulate conversation with human users, often used for customer service, information retrieval, or transaction processing.
Conversational AI offers mobile marketers a dynamic way to interact with users through AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants. These tools can provide instant customer support, engage users in personalized conversations, and guide them through the customer journey, from onboarding to purchase. By automating interactions and delivering personalized experiences, conversational AI helps increase user satisfaction, boost retention rates, and gather insights for further optimization of marketing strategies.
Conclusion
Assembling the best tech stack is not just about adopting the latest technologies; it’s about strategically selecting tools that align with your marketing objectives and enhance your capacity to engage and retain users. The integration of tools like Adjust not only simplifies the complexity of mobile marketing but also empowers marketers to navigate the digital space with precision and agility.
By leveraging the insights and functionalities of a comprehensive measurement stack, you're equipped to make data-driven decisions, optimize your marketing efforts, and ultimately, drive growth for your app. Remember, the goal is to build a tech stack that not only addresses your current needs but is also scalable and adaptable to the future trends of mobile marketing.
To learn more about how you can integrate Adjust with tools across your tech stack, simply set up a demo and we’ll walk you through our partners.