App retargeting campaigns aim to bring back people who already installed your app but stopped short of a valuable action, such as finishing sign-up, making a first purchase or renewing a subscription. Done well, they recover revenue that would otherwise leak out of the funnel. Done poorly, they spend money showing ads to users who were going to come back anyway.
The guides in this category cover how to run re-engagement that pays for itself. They explain how to build audiences from in-app behavior, such as cart abandoners, lapsed subscribers or users stuck at onboarding; why deep links that open the right screen matter more than the ad itself; how to set frequency caps and exclusion windows so loyal users are not overwhelmed; how privacy changes on iOS limit what can be targeted and measured; and how to test incrementality with holdout groups instead of trusting last-touch attribution.
Retargeting works best alongside push, email and in-app messaging rather than as a replacement for them. Appryze's founder has run re-engagement and acquisition programs for consumer and fintech apps. Our app marketing page explains how we plan the full funnel with clients.
User acquisition targets people who have never installed the app, aiming for new installs and first actions. Retargeting, also called re-engagement, targets existing or lapsed users to bring them back to complete a purchase, return after inactivity or upgrade. The audiences, creative and success metrics differ.
Start with high-intent groups close to a valuable action, such as users who added items to a cart, started but did not finish sign-up or KYC, trialed but did not subscribe, or were active recently and then stopped. These segments usually respond better than users who churned long ago.
Deep links are strongly recommended. They send users who tap an ad straight to the relevant screen, such as their cart or a specific product, instead of the home screen. That shortens the path to action, improves conversion and makes measurement through your MMP more accurate.
Share your app and goals. We'll send a channel plan, starting budget and the first creatives we'd test — free, within 48 hours.
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