Mobile Marketing Trends: 64% Surge in Conversions Marks 2024’s Digital Transformation

Spending on User Acquisition Hits All-Time Highs

After a difficult 2023 in which the economic downturn led to a 6% decline, user acquisition advertising has recovered well. In 2024, spending increased by 5% to $65 billion worldwide (not including China). The recovery wasn’t consistent across industries; gaming saw a 7% drop, while non-gaming apps grew by 8%.

FinTech and cryptocurrency innovations drove a remarkable 61% year-over-year surge in finance apps, making them the standout performers. Additionally, travel apps recovered well, increasing by 20% and almost reaching their pre-COVID levels. However, after their 2023 surge, which was mostly driven by Asian shopping platforms, shopping apps saw a decline in ad spend.

Casual games increased their market share from 61% to 64% in the gaming industry with a modest 3% growth. For other gaming categories, the outlook was less promising, as mid-core and casino games saw declines of 21% and 12%, respectively.

Revenue Streams Change: Significant Growth in IAP and IAA

In 2024, in-app purchase (IAP) revenue increased by almost 20% in non-gaming sectors, with travel and shopping driving the most growth (both by about 20%). Both sophisticated monetization techniques aimed at high-value users and inflation-driven price adjustments that were generally accepted by consumers are to blame for this surge.

In terms of IAP revenue, gaming showed a mixed picture. Mid-core and casual games saw declines of 2% and 5%, respectively, while casino apps saw a 4% growth.

 

Developments in the in-app advertising (IAA) space were especially intriguing. While gaming grew by 7% year over year, non-gaming sectors saw a 26% increase. Innovative hybrid monetization techniques, whereby historically IAP-focused apps started integrating advertising, were the driving force behind this growth. For example, the IAA revenue of mid-core apps increased by 21%.

Deep Linking Fuels Abundant Growth in Conversions

Conversions on owned media channels skyrocketed by 64% in 2024, demonstrating impressive results. Deep linking technology was essential in establishing smooth connections between different touch points and particular app content.

• Conversions from email to apps increased by 45%
• Text to apps by 29%
• QR codes to apps by 16%

With a notable 77% year-over-year growth, the web-to-app channel did especially well in Western Europe (+78%) and Latin America (+88%). These findings highlight how cross-platform user experiences are becoming more complex.

The Focus Is on Remarketing

Remarketing became a significant growth engine in 2024, whereas paid installs grew only 2%. With a 22% growth, remarketing conversions greatly outpaced new installations. This trend, which was especially noticeable in the areas of finance (+22%) and shopping (+29%), demonstrated the growing emphasis on optimizing current user value.

Experts predict that these trends in mobile marketing will continue to develop through 2025. Given that the global economy is expected to grow by 3% and that the lines separating gaming from non-gaming are becoming increasingly hazy, we should expect to see even more creative methods of attracting new users and making money.