5 Tips for Mastering Mobile Game Retargeting 

The mobile gaming industry has experienced explosive growth in recent years, making it crucial for app developers and marketers to implement effective retargeting strategies. Below, learn the importance of mobile app retargeting in today's marketplace and explore five key tips for mastering this essential marketing technique.

Mobile Games Win Across Every  Generation

Mobile gaming has become a dominant force across age groups, income brackets, and global markets. In fact, across every generation, mobile is the most common platform for playing games. This is due to mobile gaming’s low barriers to entry which make it the most accessible option with which to play games across platforms.

According to Newzoo, younger demographics — Gen Alpha and Gen Z — show the highest engagement with mobile games at 81% and 80%, respectively. That being said, across generations, from Gen Alpha to Baby Boomers, mobile is the top platform to engage with games.

Source: Newzoo’s “Gaming Across Every Generation” report

According to Statista, games generated $172.37 billion in revenue in 2023. More than half of this revenue (52.25%) was driven by paid advertising. Revenue in games is expected to grow to $196.10 billion in 2024.

Zeroing in on mobile games specifically, according to Data.ai, mobile games drove $107.31 billion in revenue overall last year. Overall, global downloads of games were 88 billion. This amounted to over 1.1 billion global downloads of mobile games and $1.5 billion in spend generated per week.

Source: Data.ai's "State of Mobile 2024" Report

The Critical Role of Retargeting in Mobile Gaming

Given the immense popularity and widespread usage of mobile games across all demographics, retargeting is an indispensable strategy for game developers and marketers. The sheer volume of mobile game downloads and revenue underscores the necessity for effective retargeting campaigns.

Why Retargeting Matters:

  • User Retention: With over 1.1 billion global downloads of mobile games per week, retaining users is crucial. Retargeting helps re-engage players who may have downloaded a game but stopped playing, encouraging them to return and continue their gaming experience.
  • Massive User Base: With 2.4 billion users expected by 2029, retargeting helps re-engage the large pool of existing players who may have become inactive.
  • Maximizing ARPU: The average revenue per user of a mobile gamer will reach $49.39 in 2024. Mobile games’ ability to reach this ARPU can be significantly increased through effective retargeting campaigns that encourage more frequent play and in-app purchases.
  • Increasing Revenue Potential: As the market grows to an anticipated $132 billion by 2029, retargeting can help capture a larger share of this expanding pie by encouraging more in-app purchases and user engagement.

5 Tips for Mastering Mobile Game Retargeting

1. Strategic Segmentation of Players

Effective segmentation is the foundation of successful retargeting campaigns. By dividing your audience into specific groups based on their behavior, preferences, and in-game progress, you can create highly targeted and relevant ads.

Key segmentation strategies:

  • Recent installers who haven't made a purchase
  • Players who have reached a certain level but haven't engaged recently
  • High-value users who have made multiple in-app purchases
  • Users who have abandoned their carts or in-game purchases

Segmentation allows you to tailor your messaging and offers to each group's specific needs and motivations, significantly increasing the effectiveness of your retargeting efforts.

Pro Tip: Use predictive analytics to identify users who are most likely to churn and create a specific segment for them. Target this group with personalized retention campaigns before they become inactive.

2. Personalize Ad Creatives

Tailoring your ad content to specific user segments significantly improves engagement and conversion rates. Personalized ads can deliver five to eight times the ROI on marketing spend — and lift sales by 10% or more.

Personalization techniques:

  • Showcase new levels or characters based on a player's progress
  • Offer personalized in-game rewards or bonuses
  • Use dynamic creative optimization (DCO) to automatically adjust ad elements
  • Incorporate user's game achievements or favorite characters in the ad creative

By making ads more relevant and personal, you can create a stronger connection with the user and increase the likelihood of re-engagement.

Pro Tip: Implement A/B testing for your personalized creatives to continually refine and improve your ad performance. Test different elements such as visuals, copy, and calls-to-action to determine what resonates best with each segment.

3. Optimize Timing and Frequency

The timing and frequency of your retargeting ads play a crucial role in their effectiveness. Avoid ad fatigue by implementing smart scheduling and frequency capping.

Best practices:

  • Retarget users within the first week of install for maximum impact
  • Limit ad frequency to 3-5 impressions per user per day
  • Use AI-powered tools to determine optimal ad serving times
  • Consider the user's time zone and typical playing hours

Pro Tip: Implement a "cool-down" period after a user makes a purchase or completes a desired action. This prevents unnecessary ad spend and allows you to focus on re-engaging the user when they're more likely to need another incentive to play. 

4. Leverage Cross-Channel Retargeting

Engage users across multiple channels to create a cohesive retargeting experience. This multi-touch approach ensures your message reaches players wherever they are.

Effective channels:

  • In-app ads
  • Social media platforms
  • Email marketing
  • Push notifications
  • Connected TV (CTV) ads

YouAppi's CTV retargeting solution has shown a 2-3x increase in return on ad spend (ROAS) for mobile game advertisers.

Pro Tip: Use deep linking in your cross-channel retargeting efforts. This technique allows you to send users directly to a specific in-game location or offer, reducing friction and improving conversion rates. 

5. Continuously Test and Optimize

The mobile gaming landscape is constantly evolving, making it essential to regularly test and refine your retargeting strategies.

Areas to focus on:

  • A/B testing ad creatives
  • Experimenting with different audience segments
  • Adjusting bidding strategies
  • Analyzing performance across various channels

Pro Tip: Leverage incrementality testing to measure the true impact of your retargeting campaigns. This involves comparing the behavior of a retargeted group against a control group to determine the actual lift provided by your retargeting efforts.

Ready to Elevate Your Mobile Game Retargeting Strategy?

Don’t let your valuable players slip away! Implementing effective retargeting strategies can significantly boost user engagement and revenue for your mobile game. Contact us today to learn how we can help you maximize your marketing efforts and turn casual players into loyal fans!