Apsalar started out with an analytics business and it is gradually adding more services that take advantage of its data mining capabilities. And that’s going to make a lot more money for mobile app makers, the company says.
Today, Apsalar is introducing its “behavioral advertising solution,” called ApEngage. It allows developers to look at a dashboard application and then figure out which users are worth the extra effort and are most likely to spend money on an app by buying virtual goods. Apsalar enables developers to target highly engaged users or big spends and then hit them with tailored marketing messages such as offers for reactivation, completion, or promos. This kind of personalized targeting is important in an age of too many apps.
“We saw a need in the mobile market from our many conversations with customers, and we are excited to be able to offer an intelligent solution for better acquisition and monetization of engaged users with the launch of ApEngage,” says Michael Oiknine, chief executive of Apsalar. “We strive to continually innovate in order to better help mobile app marketers find the best, most profitable customers for their apps.”
Apsalar already keeps tables 225 million users and records more than 100 billion user events (such as opening an app). It can analyze the data from those users and generate predictions that are useful for marketers or developers. It allows marketers to find users who match the profile of the app equivalent of a Las Vegas high roller. Then it lets them communicate with those users and drive them to become more engaged. The users may spend more money and help to improve the overall monetization for the app.
ApEngage targets only the right users, the company says, or those who have shown a liking for specific types of apps. It also finds users who buy a lot of stuff when they play an app or stay engaged with it for a long time. And the tool allows marketers to target users on a large-scale in real-time, while the users are in the midst of using an app within a larger third-party network of apps.
The company designed ApEngage to let marketers do different types of campaigns. They can acquire new users, hunt for users who have certain characteristics or tastes, or find the ones with the high-purchasing behavior. App marketers can also re-target users who have become inactive and try to entice them to come back.
In the current saturated app market, marketers are all struggling with user engagement. As you can see from the chart at the bottom, as users download more apps, they use each individual one for a shorter period of time. So more and more apps are fighting for a thinner slice of the consumer’s attention. Focusing on mass downloads isn’t enough, particularly as user acquisition costs rise.
“We are excited to be one of Apsalar’s inaugural partners for ApEngage and have a variety of audience segments we wish to test out as part of our user acquisition strategy. As the first true data driven solution that offers the ability to target the right type of high value users for our apps, Apsalar continues to push the envelope for the mobile advertising industry,” says Christophe Bach, founder & chief executive officer of TextMe.
ApEngage is available today in a private beta test with certain partners. Those include TextMe and Midverse Studios.
Apsalar was founded in 2010 and is based in San Francisco. Investors include Thomvest Ventures, Battery Ventures, and DN Capital. The company has raised $5.8 million and has less than 30 employees.