AppLovin subsidiary Adjust has released a new report with TikTok providing insight into the scale of iOS SKAdNetwork (SKAN) campaigns for mobile marketers.

Among the findings, the report revealed that SKAN 4 migration decreased costs per acquisition while increasing conversion rates, with evidence of scalability on iOS surely a boon to marketers looking to refine their optimisation strategies.

A study in conversion

Adjust’s SKAN 4 officially launched in October 2022 with features like conversion mapping, value graining and an expanded privacy threshold, having come at a time when user and data privacy became increasingly important in the tech world. As a result, post-ID attribution on iOS is growing too as Apple has slowly brought back analytics opportunities.

Adjust’s new report suggests tactics to maximise iOS success and is designed to give insight to mobile marketers looking to boost conversion rates on mobile apps. To provide such insight, Adjust worked with TikTok to look at 37 apps in the latter’s beta testing in the UK, US and Japan, determining how SKAN 4’s elongated 35-day attribution window affected conversions.

Through the study, results showed TikTok’s overall cost per acquisition improved by 37% and conversion rates improved by a massive 220%, demonstrating strong advantages for mobile app makers and marketers in using SKAN 4. Naturally, these boosted numbers then also facilitated more precise evaluations of effectiveness.

Of the 37 apps studied in the beta test, TikTok confirmed to us that 17 came from mobile gaming clients.

“Mobile app marketers are eager to refine their iOS campaign measurement and optimisation strategies with privacy-centric attribution, but there’s still hesitancy about moving to SKAN 4,” Adjust chief product officer Katie Madding said.

“With the continued industry shift toward prioritising user and data privacy, now is the time for a shift in mindset toward the possibilities of post-ID attribution on iOS. The data-backed insights detailed in our guide empower growth marketers to dig into and embrace SKAN 4’s functionality.”

Adjust’s full report dives deeper into making the most of campaigns and boosting their performance on iOS, while also providing a sneak preview of SKAN 5.

The announcement of SKAN 4 last year came at a time when Android accounted for over 70% of ad creatives, with Apple looking to simplify iOS campaigns.