Sparks Info

Maximizing Retargeting Incrementality and ROI with AI-Driven Solutions 

In the highly competitive mobile gaming industry, achieving sustainable growth requires more than just acquiring new users. For Hunting Sniper, an action RPG game with in-app purchases as its primary revenue stream, increasing user retention and re-engagement became the central strategy. With Appier’s AI-powered retargeting solutions, the game successfully maximized retargeting incrementality and ROI, achieving 1.5X D7 ROAS and consistently outperforming industry benchmarks. This case study highlights how AI-driven retargeting strategies can drive higher ROI while reducing dependency on costly user acquisition campaigns.

Client Challenge: A Shift from User Acquisition to Retargeting

Hunting Sniper, after two years of growth, encountered a critical challenge: The CPI began rising due to aggressive competition from similar games and a limited pool of new users, making  their UA less sustainable. The focus then shifted to retention, where re-engaging existing users offers higher ROI. 

Boosting Retargeting Incrementality: Appier's Retention Analysis Identifies the Ideal Window

To optimize retention and incrementality, Appier used its retention analysis to determine the ideal window for re-engaging lapsed users. This analysis focused on predicting the best time to target users based on their likelihood of converting, maximizing the chances of reactivation. Appier’s AI assessed user behavior patterns and identified the right moment to re-engage users, significantly improving retargeting performance. This approach ensured that Hunting Sniper could focus on users who were most likely to return, boosting retention without wasting resources.

AI-Driven Incrementality: Retention analysis, churn prediction, and ROAS- oriented ranking increased ROAS by 109%, achieving 1.5X the target

Appier’s AI-driven retargeting strategy for Hunting Sniper leveraged three key approaches to maximize incrementality and ROAS, ensuring more efficient re-engagement of high-value users:

1. Retention Analysis to Define Inactivity Window

By analyzing user inactivity, Appier identified the ideal time to re-engage users before they churn, optimizing retention and reducing the need for new user acquisition.

2. Churn Prediction

Machine learning models were used to identify high-value users at risk of churning. This early detection allowed for targeted retargeting efforts, reactivating users before they disengaged completely.

3. ROAS-Oriented Ranking

Appier employed predictive AI to rank users based on their potential to make purchases. This ensured that ad spend was focused on high-value users, optimizing return on ad spend (ROAS).

Through these strategies, Hunting Sniper achieved a 1.5X improvement in D7 ROAS, significantly boosting revenue with optimized ad spend and efficient user re-engagement.

Unlocking Creative Efficiency with our Creative AI Models

Appier’s Creative AI Models offer a powerful combination of creative versatility and impression control to enhance campaign performance. By leveraging full-screen video, advertisers can build brand awareness and drive user engagement, while in-banner videos focus on high performance and cost-efficiency. Our AI optimizes creative delivery to ensure ads reach the most relevant and high-value users, improving overall ad effectiveness. Additionally, our personalized frequency cap feature dynamically adjusts ad exposure based on individual user interactions, effectively preventing ad fatigue and eliminating wasted impressions, ensuring that campaigns maintain relevance and maximize their impact.

Elevate Your Creatives: Top Creatives Analysis

Our data-driven creative analysis reveals that certain ad formats significantly outperform others. For instance, in-banner videos delivered 2.3x higher ROAS by showcasing dynamic gameplay highlights and a clear call to action (CTA) with prominent brand placement, resulting in higher player engagement. Meanwhile, 30-second landscape videos achieved a remarkable 13x higher CTR by immersing users in captivating gameplay scenes, while incentivized CTAs utilizing promotional codes further maximized conversions. This analysis underscores the importance of format and creative strategy in driving better campaign results.

A Partnership Built on Trust and Results

Lowry Li, Marketing Director at Sparks Info, shared: "Appier has been a pivotal partner in our growth journey. We initially experienced significant success with their UA solution, AIBID, which laid a strong foundation for expansion. Building on this positive experience, we were eager to explore their retargeting capabilities. What truly distinguishes Appier is their consistent D0 ROAS performance and their ability to achieve our D7 ROAS goals sustainably. Their AI-driven segmentation and predictive modeling proved invaluable, enabling us to efficiently reactivate high-value users and generate incremental revenue. Moreover, their dedicated team's proactive performance optimization has been instrumental in maximizing our results. We're thrilled with the partnership and look forward to continued growth together!"