Retention reports and market data
484 documents·35 writers·1,026 charts and tables
Documents
PocketGamer.biz9 min
Rewarded marketplaces and how surprise equals engagement | Lisanne Vera from Kashkick #PGConnects
Rewarded marketplaces function as a specialized user acquisition channel for mobile gaming, bridging the gap between casual play and financial incentives.
- Rewarded marketplaces like Kashkick generate higher-intent users by nurturing them through a funnel that educates players on specific game objectives and reward requirements before they reach the App Store.
- User acquisition for rewarded platforms relies on 'surprising' the audience with unique content to overcome ad fatigue, as generic ads are frequently ignored by users accustomed to scrolling past promotional material.
- Personalized, UGC-style (User Generated Content) advertising is more effective than standard display ads because it frames the rewarded gaming experience as a relatable, authentic opportunity rather than a traditional advertisement.
PocketGamer.bizFeb 2026
PocketGamer.biz42 min
Curated Panel: Giving New Life To Established Games - Live Service Strategies To Boost Retention & .
Established games frequently encounter growth plateaus that necessitate a shift from passive maintenance to active, strategic recalibration.
- Rebalancing a game economy can drive significant growth even in mature titles; one panelist reported a 50% increase in LTV for a four-year-old game through systematic rebalancing.
- Live service teams should shift their mindset from constant content production to problem-solving, as some developers have successfully broken growth ceilings by pausing roadmap production for months to focus on better decision-making.
- Player trust is a form of capital that must be managed by communicating expectations clearly; using 'beta' tags or direct community feedback via Discord allows studios to iterate on features without alienating the existing player base.
PocketGamer.bizFeb 2026
PocketGamer.biz29 min
Panel: Full-Funnel Growth for Mobile Apps: From Install to Lifetime Value.
This panel discussion explores the transition from acquisition-focused marketing to a holistic, full-funnel growth strategy for mobile applications.
- Full-funnel growth requires treating user acquisition, onboarding, and monetization as a continuous loop rather than isolated stages, focusing on activating users on Day 0 to prevent early churn.
- Ad monetization data serves as a powerful predictive signal for user value; developers can bucket users by eCPM to identify high-value segments and tailor retention strategies like offer walls or subscription prompts.
- User segmentation should be informed by the 'jobs to be done' framework, where developers identify the specific core value proposition users are hiring the product for to align creative messaging with actual user intent.
PocketGamer.bizFeb 2026
PocketGamer.biz32 min
Panel: From App To Super App: Expanding Mobile Apps Beyond A Single Experience.
Mobile applications are increasingly evolving into super apps, platforms that integrate diverse services into a single ecosystem to enhance user retention and overcome distribution hurdles.
- Successful super app expansion relies on identifying 'value leakage'—tracking when users leave an app to complete a related task—and building features to capture that activity within the existing ecosystem.
- When expanding into new categories, companies should prioritize a unified brand identity, as seen with Duolingo consolidating math, music, and language learning under a single app to maintain a consistent user experience and simplify internal growth optimizations.
- To avoid internal competition and 'Lord of the Flies' style silos, organizations must establish clear, company-wide objectives where user engagement and experience take precedence over short-term monetization.
PocketGamer.bizFeb 2026
PocketGamer.biz23 min
Session: How Does Duolingo Drive Growth At Scale Without Losing Speed Or Quality? - Osman Mansur.
Duolingo maintains its position as a leading language-learning platform by fostering a culture of rigorous experimentation and data-driven product development.
- Duolingo scales its user base by maintaining a 'green machine' culture of continuous A/B testing across all product surfaces to identify and rapidly deploy successful interventions.
- The company prioritizes long-term retention over short-term monetization, evidenced by the success of over 10 million users maintaining learning streaks of 365 days or more.
- Growth strategy is driven by a sophisticated model that segments users and focuses resources on high-leverage metrics, such as the 'inactive weekly active user return rate' (IWAR), to boost daily active users.
PocketGamer.bizFeb 2026
PocketGamer.biz18 min
Session: Leveling Up Loyalty: Essential Lessons From Rewarded Gaming For Loyalty Leaders.
Rewarded gaming programs serve as a powerful tool for app developers to drive user retention and incremental revenue by creating an equitable value exchange.
- The global gaming market is projected to reach $125 billion by 2025, presenting a significant opportunity for non-gaming sectors like fintech and e-commerce to leverage rewarded engagement.
- Rewarded gaming programs drive user retention and incremental revenue by establishing an equitable value exchange where users receive real-world benefits for active participation.
- Implementation should follow a phased strategy, starting with low-friction tests like simple ad units before scaling to permanent, integrated features.
PocketGamer.bizFeb 2026
PocketGamer.biz17 min
Session: Beat The Uninstall Button: How AI-Native Engagement Rewrites The Player Retention Playbook.
The primary objective of this analysis is to demonstrate how AI-native engagement tools can transform player support from a reactive, transactional cost center into a proactive, retention-focused asset.
- Poor player support is a primary driver of churn, with over 60% of surveyed players stating they would abandon a game due to long wait times or unhelpful responses.
- High-quality support significantly impacts retention and monetization, as 75% of players report they would spend more time or money in a game if they received a high-quality support experience.
- Player survey data indicates that users are not inherently resistant to AI in support, provided the technology delivers effective, personalized resolutions rather than generic, transactional automation.
PocketGamer.bizFeb 2026
PocketGamer.biz19 min
Session: Re-Engagement In 2026: How To Design & Scale Winning Retargeting Campaigns - Joseph Iris.
Retargeting has evolved into a critical component of mobile marketing, now accounting for approximately 30% of total app marketing spend.
- Retargeting now accounts for approximately 30% of all mobile app marketing spend, driven by shorter user attention spans and the maturation of probabilistic retargeting on iOS.
- Probabilistic retargeting, which matches IP addresses to users, has seen a 600% growth in industry adoption over the past year as a primary method for measuring iOS campaigns.
- Inactivity windows—the time before a user is considered dormant—are trending shorter, with many apps shifting from 7-day windows to 4-day windows or 28-day windows to 14-day windows to remain competitive.
PocketGamer.bizFeb 2026
PocketGamer.biz26 min
Session: From Installs To Lifetime Value How Snapchat Powers Gaming Growth - Sara Antonelli, Snap.
Snapchat’s strategy for driving growth in the gaming sector centers on a four-pillar framework: scalable audience reach, performance-driven solutions, accurate measurement, and automated onboarding.
- Snapchat's 'App Power Pack' suite of performance solutions has demonstrated a 25% lift in app installs for advertisers focusing on mid-funnel volume.
- Snapchat's audience is highly relevant to gaming, with 78% of daily Snapchat users engaging with gaming apps and a significant portion playing multiple times per day.
- Target Cost bidding solutions have enabled gaming advertisers to achieve up to 84% lower CPIs and 90% lower cost per purchase, while simultaneously driving six times more first-time depositors.
PocketGamer.bizFeb 2026
Two & a Half Gamers35 min
How Finch turned self-care into a $100M+ game
Finch has established itself as a dominant force in the mental health and stress management sector by successfully merging productivity tools with addictive, Tamagotchi-style gamification.
- Finch has achieved a valuation exceeding $100 million by merging mental health utility with Tamagotchi-style gamification, reaching 10 million daily active users.
- The app maintains a strong 20% day-60 retention rate by utilizing streak mechanics, collectibles, and emotional engagement to sustain its core loop.
- The company bypasses mobile store fees by utilizing a direct-to-consumer web model powered by Stripe, which includes a 'Guardian' program for gifted subscriptions.
Two & a Half GamersFeb 2026
Report22 pages
Mobile App Trends: Vietnam 2025
Vietnam’s mobile app economy is experiencing rapid expansion as of early 2025, driven by high smartphone penetration and a tech-forward population.
- Vietnam’s finance sector experienced massive Q1 2025 growth, with app installs rising 64% and sessions increasing 84% year-over-year, driven by mobile wallet adoption and cryptocurrency usage.
- The gaming sector saw a 9% year-over-year decline in installs and sessions during Q1 2025, despite maintaining a resilient 49% App Tracking Transparency (ATT) opt-in rate.
- Vietnam is a top-tier global mobile market, ranking 11th in total app downloads and 9th in time spent within apps during 2024.
AdjustFeb 2026
Two & a Half Gamers20 min
🎯 Mobile Ad Monetization Checklist: From Soft Launch to Scale by Felix Braberg
This guide provides a strategic framework for mobile game developers to implement and scale ad monetization, covering the transition from soft launch to full-scale operations.
- Prioritize user retention by enforcing strict ad creative standards, as networks often default to intrusive, long-form end cards that degrade the user experience.
- During soft launch, target a 45% viewer rate for rewarded video ads and a 70% viewer rate for interstitials to balance monetization with retention.
- Maintain an updated app-ads.txt file to ensure full access to reseller demand and maximize potential ad revenue.
Two & a Half GamersJan 2026