Mobile Retargeting in 2024: The Greatest Hits

As we wrap up another year of mobile marketing innovation, our team is reflecting on the most impactful trends and strategies from the past year. In 2024, we saw mobile usage continue to gain momentum and incredible innovations in how brands engage, re-engage, and retain their audiences. Taking a survey of all of our re-engagement insights from 2024, here are our top five “greatest hits” of mobile retargeting.

1. Holistic Marketing Funnel Approach

One of the standout themes of 2024 was the emphasis on taking a holistic approach to the marketing funnel. Marketers who excelled this year focused not just on user acquisition but on nurturing the entire user lifecycle—from onboarding to retention and, ultimately, re-engagement. By addressing the entire funnel, they created a seamless experience that turned one-time users into loyal, long-term customers.

Key insights:

• Campaigns that integrated messaging and creative strategies across all funnel stages consistently delivered better results. For example, acquiring users with appealing app install campaigns while simultaneously preparing robust retargeting initiatives for lapsed users helped brands maximize their ad spend.
• Personalization at every touchpoint within the funnel increased engagement dramatically. Targeted push notifications or retargeting ads designed to re-engage users with abandoned shopping carts or unfinished app levels enhanced retention and boosted conversions.
• A continuous optimization loop was the secret to success. By analyzing performance at each stage of the funnel, marketers were able to iterate and refine their strategies, leading to higher lifetime value (LTV) for users.

Quick tip: Create a cohesive strategy that supports users at every stage of their journey. From onboarding to re-engagement, ensure personalized experiences and smooth transitions between touchpoints to keep users engaged.

2. Advanced Audience Segmentation

In 2024, the ability to deeply understand and segment audiences was a game-changer in mobile retargeting. Sophisticated audience segmentation allowed marketers to better allocate their budgets and maximize ROI by targeting the most valuable users. Tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) enabled brands to go beyond basic demographics and segment users based on behavioral patterns, preferences, and intent.

Impact on performance:

• Marketers who use segmentation see a 20% increase in ROI.
• Segmentation can help businesses improve their customer lifetime value (CLV) by up to 25%.
• Segmentation can help businesses reduce their marketing costs by up to 30%.
• Precise audience targeting enabled marketers to focus their efforts on users most likely to convert, resulting in better budget efficiency and stronger ROI.

For instance, mobile game developers achieve great success by segmenting users into cohorts such as “big spenders,” “social gamers,” and “lapsed players,” tailoring their retargeting campaigns accordingly. This targeted approach not only increases engagement but also fosters a more personalized user experience.

Quick tip: Leverage AI-driven tools to identify user segments with the highest potential for re-engagement. Use insights such as purchase behavior, session frequency, and in-app activity to design campaigns that speak directly to each segment.

3. Creative Iteration Is Key to Campaign Longevity

If there was one creative lesson to take away from 2024, it’s this: stale creatives don’t work. In an era where users are inundated with ads, repetitive content leads to ad fatigue—and plummeting engagement. The most successful brands this year embraced a strategy of constant creative iteration, testing new formats, visuals, and messages to keep their campaigns fresh and relevant.

Benefits observed:

• Ad fatigue occurs quickly, with Facebook noting that ads shown around 3 times or more tend to decline in performance, even if initially successful.
• Continuous creative updates reduce ad fatigue, leading to longer campaign lifespans and better ROI.
• Improved brand recognition comes from thoughtful storytelling and dynamic visuals, which keep users engaged.

Marketers who incorporate storytelling into their creatives see strong results. For example, using a series of video ads to tell an evolving story can capture users’ attention while building anticipation for the next chapter. Additionally, gamified and interactive ad formats prove incredibly effective at holding users’ interest.

Quick tip: Make A/B testing a core part of your retargeting strategy. Regularly refresh your ad creatives, and explore innovative formats like interactive playables or video ads to capture and retain user attention.

4. Deep Linking Enhances Conversion Rates

In 2024, deep linking continued to be one of the most powerful tools for improving user experience and boosting conversions. Deep links seamlessly direct users to specific app sections, reducing friction and creating a smoother path to purchase or engagement.

Key developments:

• Campaigns that used deep linking saw 3x higher conversion rates compared to those relying on standard links. This was particularly effective for e-commerce and gaming apps.
• Apps using deep links reported a 2.5x increase in 30-day user retention rates, showcasing how a better user journey can positively impact long-term engagement.
• Users arriving via deep links completed desired actions—such as making a purchase or resuming a paused game—at a 2.5x higher rate than users coming from generic app links.

Deep linking was particularly impactful for campaigns targeting users who had abandoned actions, such as adding items to a cart but not completing the purchase. By taking users directly back to their abandoned carts, these campaigns minimized the steps required to complete the journey, leading to significant increases in conversion rates.

Quick tip: Implement deep links across all your marketing channels—including retargeting ads, email, and social media. Make it as easy as possible for users to pick up exactly where they left off.

5. Hyper-Personalization Drives Re-Engagement

If there’s one strategy that dominated mobile retargeting in 2024, it’s hyper-personalization. Simply put, users expect personalized experiences. In fact, targeted campaigns bring in 77% of marketing ROI. Brands that used AI and machine learning to deliver highly targeted, real-time content saw better engagement and retention across the board.

Effective tactics:

• Hyper-personalized in-app experiences increased conversion rates by over 35%. Whether it was dynamic pricing based on user behavior or personalized product recommendations, tailoring experiences drove results.
• Customized messaging—such as push notifications addressing users by name and referencing their most recent activity—led to a 20% increase in engagement.
• Real-time offers based on user context (e.g., location or time of day) proved highly effective at reducing churn and boosting retention.

For example, food delivery apps can use hyper-personalized ads to recommend dishes based on past orders or local preferences. Similarly, gaming apps can tailor rewards to users’ specific playing styles, creating a sense of exclusivity and boosting re-engagement.

Quick tip: Use machine learning algorithms to analyze user behavior in real time. Deliver personalized content and offers that feel timely, relevant, and unique to each individual user.

Wrapping Up: What’s Next for 2025?

As we look ahead to 2025, our takeaways from 2024 will continue to shape our mobile retargeting strategies. By adopting a holistic funnel approach, embracing segmentation, iterating on creative, leveraging deep linking, and prioritizing hyper-personalization, marketers can set themselves up for success in the year ahead.

The mobile marketing landscape is constantly evolving, but one thing is clear: users expect more. They want seamless experiences, relevant content, and meaningful interactions. By implementing these takeaways into your strategy, you can deliver on these expectations while achieving higher engagement, retention, and ROI.

Ready to elevate your mobile retargeting campaigns? Let’s make 2025 your best year yet. Contact the YouAppi team today!