With the release of iOS 14.5 and Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, the world of mobile app marketing and attribution has not seen the happiest of times. Now that users must consent to tracking in apps and on websites (in the dialog popup), it has become more difficult for marketers to analyze user behavior. They used to rely on deterministic attribution methods such as device IDs to measure the performance of their campaigns.

Statistically, a small percentage of users - around 30% - consent to being tracked. In addition, it is now necessary to take into account users whose data cannot be obtained. They may be underage users or corporate devices, access to whose identifiers is systematically closed. And according to our data, there are about 13% of such users.

There's another problem: consent to send IDFAs must be obtained not only in your app, but also in the ad platform's app. Take Facebook, for example. If a user gives consent to data processing in your app but doesn't give it in the Facebook app, you won't be able to attribute that user. And vice versa.

So, here we come with the Attribution Challenges

1. Less data and accuracy: Not every user gives their agreement to track activity. Now marketers simply can’t understand what ad their users saw and what call-to-action finally worked, which makes tracking users hardly possible.
2. Data Inconsistencies: Facebook and Google Ads have troubles when it comes to adapting to ATT iPhone and the new SKAdNetwork (SKAN) framework. As a result, the data is not consistent and not complete. The full impact of a marketing campaign is hard to see, making it difficult to measure campaign performance.
3. Limited Tracking: Unfortunately, SKAN limits how much data marketers can track. It makes us choose between user events or revenue numbers. As a result, we can’t get a clear understanding of how users interact with the app, affecting user-based tracking.
4. Delayed Feedback: SKAdNetwork causes data delays. Because of this, it is impossible to change a campaign quickly as managers cannot see most of the metrics in real time. This reduces the return on advertising spend (ROAS) and hinders the ability to effectively manage an iOS campaign.

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How to solve these problems?

1. Testing and experimentation: Try using SKAdNetwork and IDFA together for better results.
2. Make sure you are tracking the most important user events. We understand that many analysts prefer to track every step in the user journey, this is no longer possible with ATT on ios.
3. Optimize your blog, social media and other channels to increase awareness of your app.Start using your own web-based onboarding to soften the limitations of iOS privacy features.

Web2Wave Solution

Web2Wave helps solve these and other problems. The service offers a tool that allows mobile app developers to create a web-based onboarding funnel. This approach avoids many of the problems caused by iOS privacy features, including ATT prompt limitations.

1. More efficient data collection: With web funnels, Web2Wave collects important engagement data that allows marketers to better track and measure campaign performance. This way, managers get a clear picture of how users are interacting with the app, even with the limitations of SKAN and ATT on ios.
2. Consistent tracking across all channels: Web2Wave supports multiple channels: web, email, social media. So all user touchpoints can be tracked, reducing the impact of data limitations in the current iOS environment.
3. Confidential Tracking: Web2Wave runs in the browser, adhering to Apple's strict privacy guidelines. This means you can effectively track user behavior, rather than relying on device-level identifiers (like IDFA), while still respecting user privacy.

How Web2Wave works

1. You show an ad to the user. Anything you find performing: Facebook Ads, Instagram, TikTok, Google Ads or your website.
2. You send them to a web quiz built on web2wave.com. We create the quiz for you and integrate it with all required systems.
3. User completes the quiz, which explains the product to the user and warm-ups them before the payment.
4. The user subscribes to the paid version of the app on web using Stripe/PayPal.
5. User gets a deep link to install the app or logins to the app using an email.
6. Web2wave processes all payments from systems and sends this information to the app using API

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The more stringent privacy protections become, the more mobile app marketers must adapt to keep campaigns effective. Web2Wave offers an easy-to-use solution that solves the problems associated with iOS 14.5. It also better engages and retains users through a seamless web experience.

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To learn more about how Web2Wave help overcoming attribution challenges try it yourself!

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