If anything has become clear since Apple released its ATT Framework two years ago, it’s that data privacy and user consent are key topics in the mobile marketing ecosystem. But much has changed since Apple first announced its groundbreaking privacy restrictions at WWDC 2020.
For one, the apocalyptic outcomes expected from the IDFA’s deprecation are not as bad as the industry originally suspected. In fact, over the past two years App Tracking Transparency (ATT) opt-in rates have consistently increased.
In part one of our iOS Retargeting Series, we’re focusing on the latest iOS data privacy topics. This includes a deep dive on ATT opt-in rates across verticals and countries as well as tips for enhancing your app’s opt-in rate based on the latest data.
ATT opt-in rates in 2023
Given the different approaches to personalization and onboarding of brands in different verticals and countries, ATT opt-in rates can vary. Currently, the industry-wide average opt-in rate is 34% — up from 29% in 2022.
By vertical
According to data from Adjust, as of Q2 2023, the gaming vertical has the highest opt-in rate at 37%. This tracks the ongoing dominance of the gaming vertical in which users are most likely to give their consent to share their IDFA. After game apps, food and drink apps came in second at 36% opt-in. Both of these verticals sit above the industry-wide average (34%).
Source: Adjust
Following gaming and food & drink came the e-commerce vertical, which is on par with the industry average of 34%. Next, was fintech (29%), social (26%), and travel and entertainment (both 25%). The education vertical had the lowest opt-in rate at 7%. This was largely due to privacy restrictions around data collection from minors, protected under COPPA and GDPR.
By country
On a country level, the United Arab Emirates had the highest opt-in rate at 49.6%. Next was Brazil at 47% and Vietnam at 45%.
Source: Adjust
The countries with the lowest opt-in rates were Germany (20%), Japan (22%), followed by Australia and Canada (23%). The U.S. and Italy had slightly higher opt-in rates at 24%.
Snapshot: opt-in in the gaming vertical
Looking closer at the gaming vertical, opt-in rates differed greatly for games in different sub-verticals. Hyper-casual games continue to see the highest overall average opt-in rate at a high 44%. Next were sport game apps (43%), racing (40%), and hybrid casual apps (39%). The lowest were family (2%) and educational (4%), again because of compliance reasons when collecting data from minors.
Source: Adjust
What accounts for hyper casual games’ opt-in rate lead? First, the low commitment games offered in this category tend to attract casual players who might be less concerned with sharing their IDFA. Second, many hyper casual games are created by app developers with large portfolios of games. This gives them the ability to cross promote their hyper casual title across their publishing suite of games — contributing to even higher opt-in rates. In fact, when users are targeted with cross promotion within an app developer’s owned portfolio of apps, average opt-in climbs to an impressive 59%.
A note on dual consent
As we’ve noted, from a user-facing perspective, ATT consent is fairly high. Around 40% and, in some cases, more than 50% of people consent to sharing their IDFA when shown an ATT prompt from an advertiser. However, to enable the comprehensive use of a user's IDFA for attribution and marketing optimization, marketers must secure dual opt-in. This means opting in to being tracked by both the publisher on the supply side and the advertiser on the demand side.
For a better understanding of dual, demand-side, and supply-side opt-in, watch our recent webinar on iOS User Acquisition and Retargeting in The Privacy-First Era with Splitmetrics.
According to AppsFlyer, currently, the opt-in rate for users consenting to share their IDFA on both the publisher and advertiser side is 27%.
How to enhance your app’s ATT opt-in rate
Below, find top strategies for achieving a higher ATT opt-in rate for your app.
Inspire confidence
When approaching your ATT prompt and pre-prompt design, the most important task is designing an aesthetically pleasing prompt screen that demonstrates why giving consent is a positive decision.
This can be done in the following ways:
- Explain the benefits of opting including more personalized recommendations, offers and experiences.
- Embed social approval in your messaging by communicating how the decision is part of a social act, like joining a larger community.
- Speak to your users honestly, using clear, non-promotional language.
A/B test your opt-in message
Create several versions of your ATT prompt and pre-prompt to test for resonance. You might create a prompt that’s more product-focused and test it against a prompt that’s more community-focused. As with any aspect of your mobile marketing campaign, are you testing each aspect of your product, growth strategy, user journey, and messaging to ensure consistent peak performance?
Identify the right moment to show your opt-in prompt
Have I identified the perfect moment in your app’s user journey to serve the opt-in prompt? This might be at the beginning of your onboarding journey. It might also be later on in your onboarding after you’ve communicated the value of your app and brand. Be mindful of showing your ATT prompt before a user has been properly introduced to your app. Finding the right moment to prompt them after you’ve established your trust and your value proposition could be key in enhancing your opt-in rate.
Takeaways
Since the introduction of Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) Framework in 2020, the data privacy landscape in mobile marketing has seen significant changes. In contrast to initial predictions, opt-in rates have risen consistently.
- The average industry-wide ATT opt-in rate is 34% in 2023, increasing from 29% in 2022.
- Opt-in rates vary across verticals, with gaming recording the highest rate at 37%. The education vertical has the lowest rate at 7%, largely due to COPPA and GDPR data collection restrictions.
- Opt-in rates also differ across countries, with the United Arab Emirates having the highest rate at 49.6%, and Germany recording the lowest rate at 20%.
- In the gaming vertical, hyper-casual games have the highest average opt-in rate at 44%, primarily due to developers’ ability to cross-promote within their portfolio.
- To effectively use a user's IDFA for marketing optimization and attribution, marketers must secure dual opt-in (both the publisher and advertiser side). Currently, the dual opt-in rate is 27%.
- Strategies to enhance an app's ATT opt-in rate include designing a compelling prompt screen, clearly explaining the benefits of opting in, testing different versions of the opt-in message, and identifying the perfect moment to serve the opt-in prompt.
Looking to establish long-term relationships with valuable customers on iOS? Reach out to our team of re-engagement experts to discuss mobile retargeting campaigns on iOS.
