Casual gaming is continuously growing with a 42% year on year change in the number of apps available in the app stores. Due to their nature, casual games have low daily active users (DAU) and stickiness, yet despite this, according to AppsFlyer 2020 Retargeting report, app developers have been slow to embrace retargeting for their apps.
In this article, we will discuss some strategies to deliver strong performance with a retargeting campaign for casual games, specifically on classic card games - Solitaire apps.
Segmentation that Works
Solitaire apps have different types of monetization. Some rely on in-app purchase (IAP) for revenue but there are also those who generate better revenue selling in-app advertising inventory (IAA). For an IAP driven app, we can segment users for targeting based on their lifetime IAP while for IAA apps, we can use ad revenue, opens, or ad views to target users.
Non-paying users for IAP driven apps are also worth targeting and can be further filtered based on the highest level reached, number of ad views, or number of opens. Given that most of the users of casual apps have low stickiness, you can retarget users that are lapsed for as few as 7 days. The number of target user groups you need depends on how big your target audience is.
Creative that Resonates
There are some fundamental strategies that will help you rekindle the hearts of your Solitaire app players.
1. Help the users with some tips and tricks
Inspire the users of your solitaire app and encourage them to come back by showing tips and tricks on clearing levels or highlighting some boosters.
This creative strategy delivered 25% higher return on investment (ROI) than highlighting sad characters (the tried-and-tested strategy for re-engagement ads) and in fact delivered 5% lower cost per reactivation and install rate on our retargeting campaigns.
2. Offer rewards
Showcasing rewards can be another effective strategy to bring back lapsed users. Rewarding users elicits positive emotions; they evoke excited anticipation of making in-game purchases using those free rewards.
Highlight the elements or features of the app that the target users have not been exposed to before. Let them feel that something exciting awaits them and you will be able to keep high-level players engaged.
KPIs that Matter
Paying and non-paying users can be evaluated separately and with different key performance indicator (KPI) metrics. Given that most of the non-paying users rarely make IAP even after being reactivated, it is better to measure success with cost per reactivation (CPR) or retention rate while paying users as usual should be evaluated based on ROI which can be a combination of IAP and IAA revenue. Since almost all solitaire apps have ads, you can still maximize revenue from your non-paying users through IAA.
Using the strategies above, Aarki was able to deliver strong performance for a solitaire retargeting campaign. The campaign’s ROI performance for paying users was 2X the client’s goal, whilst for non-paying users, we delivered a 57% lower cost per install (CPI) than the client’s target CPI.
Do you need help in taking your next Solitaire ad campaign to a whole other level? Let’s work together!
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