Connected Interactive’s SDK and the Revolution of Mobile Attribution

Remember when the Motorola Razr was the coolest thing since sliced bread? Fast forward a decade or so, and we are now living in an entirely mobile age. In 2016, 59.95% of people in the country regularly used a smartphone, and by 2018 this number is predicted to jump to 64.6%! We use our phones to communicate, research, purchase and complete a large majority of our daily tasks. It has become crucial for advertisers to access the devices that singlehandedly have the largest influence on consumer interactions.

Smartphone Users by Year (@ eMarketer):

Digital marketers have rapidly picked up on the mobile trend. After all, successful advertising largely involves accessing the mediums that influence how consumers connect with a product. In today’s case, most brands have developed their own mobile apps in hopes of increasing user engagement, driving ROI, and creating winning marketing campaigns.

Time Spent on Mobile Web vs. In-App:

The shift to an app-based society has posed a considerable challenge for the advertising industry. The main reason for the challenge is this: attribution becomes difficult when a campaign’s KPI revolves around app installations or in-app conversions. Attribution by definition is the study of user activity that is caused by a particular advertisement or marketing strategy. When a strategy leads to an app install, sign up, or in-app purchase, advertisers need to track and attribute that action in order to optimize campaigns and drive performance.

In the good ol’ days of early internet advertising, there were the long-established, dependable attribution methods: cookies and pixels. These tools gave advertisers visibility into how users interacted with impressions, when an acquisition was made, and which campaign strategy was performing better overall.

When it comes to mobile-app marketing, it becomes difficult to attribute in-app activities such as an install. Once an ad leads to an app, vendors and advertisers encounter walls that bar them from viewing a consumers in-app activity. This reality makes it challenging for advertisers to calculate install/conversion rates and optimize towards strategies and/or users that are performing the best.

Connected Interactive recognized this industry problem in early 2015 and set out to devise a solution: the ConnectTrack SDK.

Connected’s SDK, or software developer kit, is a line of code used to track user data within a mobile app. With the use of the ConnectTrack SDK, advertisers can attribute installs and then track the subsequent user activity taking place- revolutionizing the ecosystem of mobile advertising and pushing towards a greater industry understanding of mobile attribution.

What is the ConnectTrack SDK and why is it essential for tracking installs and driving user engagement?

 

Connected Interactive’s SDK is a line of code that is installed into the software of an app and used to track where the install originated from/the occurrence of user movement. It is able to track this by creating data pools based off of the unique device ID numbers assigned to a smartphone.

By creating data pools, advertisers are given access to groups of information formed and organized based on the events completed by a users device ID. They can track virtually all user interaction, ranging from the initial install to specific events completed by a user within a mobile app.

An example of a specific in-app event: users who install an app but delay in signing up for the product/service the app offers. Once this data is collected and organized, advertisers can utilize ConnectTrack’s push notification system in order to re-engage non-active users via contextualized messaging (I.E “don’t forget to sign-up in order to redeem your free coupon!”). Contextualized notifications such as this one have proved to be incredibly successful at raising app launch growth rates, see eMarketers research below:

App Launch Growth due to Push Notifications:

The ConnectTrack SDK offers several unique features that surpass other industry models. These four functions are improving mobile app efficiency and giving advertisers the tools they need to drive scaled, quality app install campaigns.

1. ConnectTrack SDK is Universal:

Connected’s SDK is a universal product; it can be used across both IOS and Google Play platforms and is adaptable to fit virtually any vendor. Instead of having different tracking systems for different vendors, advertisers now have access to one universal platform. By alleviating the amount of software written into an app, Connected’s SDK simultaneously optimizes an apps speed and functionality.

 2. Connected Interactive’s SDK gives advertisers access to their own push notification system:

As highlighted above, the ConnectTrack SDK gives advertisers access to their own push notification system. Instead of having to work through developers, advertisers can now access a self-service platform where they can push contextualized notifications based on the collected user data, at any time that they choose. This function allows advertisers to choose the best possible times to engage and re-engage users with personalized CTAs.

3. The ConnectTrack SDK can be installed in stages:

App developers everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief- Connected’s SDK allows developers to install software in stages. Advertisers can begin by tracking app installs and eventually progress to tracking specific events. This functionality alleviates the demand put on developers and allows them to take on the installation in a simple, step by step process.

 4. The Data Collected is basically permanent:

Unlike cookies on the internet that can be cleared, data formed based on device ID numbers has no way of being erased. Because SDK data is formed off of these unique ID numbers the information collected by advertisers will be tracked for however long that user decides to keep their phone.

For more information on the proprietary ConnectTrack SDK, please contact info@connectedinteractive.com