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Apple beefs up iTunes analytics and attribution as it extends control over user acquisition

Full conversion funnel transparency

Apple beefs up iTunes analytics and attribution as it extends control over user acquisition

Lots of changes have come with iOS 8, but in light of the current situation over incentivised actions some are looking more strategic than they first appeared.

One such are the analytics and attribution features added into the iTunes Connect console.

It sounds dry, but Apple now enables developers to see the working of their entire user funnel - from user acquisition through in-app session and purchasing activity to the fall-off of retention and eventual churn.

Got your number

One of the key elements of this is the new attribution piece, which enables developers to add a campaign ID to their game's App Store url so they can track the performance of different advertising campaigns.

This would see the usual url

https://itunes.apple.com/app/game-name/idxxxxxxxxx?mt=8

gain the addition of a Provider ID (ex: "pid=1234″) and a Campaign ID (ex: "cid=My_Campaign")

becoming

https://itunes.apple.com/app/game-name/idxxxxxxxxx?mt=8&pid=1234&cid=My_Campaign

These added IDs mean that developers can track how each campaign works in terms of downloads and installs to sessions, IAPs and ARPU, also including per days retention percentages.

Rentention displayed in iTunes Connect

All mine

Of course, in one way this move just sees developers gain what they already have on Google Play.

Yet, given what looks like Apple's move to shut down the whole incentivised actions part of user acquisition on iOS, these features seem likely to go hand-in-hand with improvements to iAd, as well as the already announced App Store discovery improvements.

Certainly, the new atrribution features are focused on making the App Store the core element in advertising campaigns.

[source: AppLift]

Contributing Editor

A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.