In this article, on behalf of
Mobio Mobile Marketing Technology Agency, we will describe and compare the basic methods of attribution Device ID Matching, Install referrer and Fingerprint, which use mobile app trackers.
Imagine a situation: the application is promoted in-house by a team, as well as by several agencies. The owners of the application need to understand who brought the user: their own team, agency, or is it organic traffic. This task helps to solve the mobile tracker. The main task of trackers, for example, such as Adjust, AppsFlyer, Appmetrica, is to compare the installation with a click on an advertisement that led to this installation. In this article we will talk about the basic methods of attribution.
Device ID Matching
Device ID Matching is an attribution method that uses a device id / advertising id - GAID (Google Advertising ID) or iOS IFA (Apple Identifier for Advertising). This is the main and most accurate method of attribution.
How it works:- When clicking on a banner, the advertising network inserts various parameters into the tracking link, including GAID or iOS IFA, depending on the OS;
- The user passes the redirect through the mobile application tracker; the server saves the click parameters substituted by the advertising network;
- After installing and opening the application, the SDK of the mobile tracker sends information about the device to the server, including an advertising identifier;
- On the server, the device settings are mapped when you first open the application and when you click.
Features of Device ID Matching:- The most accurate, 100% attribution method;
- Works only if the ad network transmits device id / advertising id;
- The attribution window in different trackers reaches 30 days.
Install referrer
Install referrer is an attribution method based on the unique parameter INSTALL_REFERRER, which is passed by reference.
How it works:- The user clicks on the banner ad and passes the redirect through the mobile application tracker, the tracker adds the & referrer parameter to the link, the value of which is replaced with a unique identifier;
- The user installs and opens the application, after which the mobile application tracker gets the value of the referrer parameter from the application store;
- The tracker compares the referrer, substituted in the link, with the one that issued the app store, and makes an attribution.
Install Referrer Features:
- Accuracy when used is not inferior to Device ID Matching;
- Attribution is possible without the transfer of device id / advertising id from the advertising network;
- Works only for Google Play;
- The attribution window is the same as for Device ID Matching.
Fingerprint
Fingerprint is a method based on information about the device that the tracker collects at the time of the redirect.
How it works:- When clicking on a banner, the user redirects through the mobile app tracker, at this point the tracker collects available information about the user's device: the browser's User-agent, the device’s IP address, time, etc. Then the user is redirected to the app store;
- When the user installs and opens the application, the SDK tracker collects information about the device and sends it to the tracker server;
- The tracker compares the parameters when clicking and when installing. Associates the installation with a click;
Features fingerprint:- Attribution window (the time interval between a click and the first opening of the application) in most trackers no more than 24 hours;
- Allows the possibility of attribution without the transfer of advertising identifier by advertising networks. For example, when using mailing lists;
- Not a 100% accurate attribution method.
We reviewed the basic attribution methods used by mobile app trackers. First of all, the Device ID Matching method is used. Despite the high accuracy and the ability to establish a fairly large attribution window - the method requires receiving device id / advertising id from ad networks, and this is not always possible. For Android, there is an equally accurate alternative - Install Referrer with the same attribution window, which does not require a device id / advertising id transfer. If these two methods are impossible, fingerprint is used, it is not as accurate as the methods mentioned above, it has a rather small attribution window, but it still has a place to be.
Article author: Pavel Emelkin Analyst in
Mobio