---
"title": "Rethink app retargeting: Unify web and app into one customer journey"
"date": "2026-10-08T14:06:13-04:00"
"url": "https://www.criteo.com/blog/rethink-app-retargeting/"
"description": "Discover how app retargeting fits into your acquisition and retargeting strategy to re-engage users and grow customer lifetime value."
"image": "https://www.criteo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AdobeStock_384586340-scaled.jpeg"
"author": "Elizabeth Kim"
"category": "Performance Media"
---

Today’s shoppers move fluidly between web and app. They might discover a product on desktop, compare options on mobile web, and complete their purchase in your app. Every interaction builds intent and creates another opportunity to engage that customer. 




For brands with a mobile app, connecting those touchpoints is key to creating a seamless customer experience and driving long-term growth. Reconnecting customers throughout that journey is where app retargeting comes in. 




### What is app retargeting?




**App retargeting**is a strategy that re-engages people who already have an app installed by showing personalized ads across mobile web and in-app environments, then directing them back into the advertiser’s app through deep or universal links to complete a desired action. 




### The value of app retargeting 




Getting users to install an app is only the first step. Without an effective re-engagement strategy, many users won’t return after downloading it—limiting the value of the initial user acquisition. That makes continued engagement essential to turning app installs into active customers and long-term growth. 




Yet many advertisers underutilize their installed user base. App users are often a brand’s highest-intent customers, but engagement drops quickly after installation. Industry benchmarks show that up to 94% of app users churn within 30 days of installing an app.¹ Without a strategy to bring those users back, brands risk leaving the value of those hard-won installs unrealized. 




App retargeting helps brands stay connected with existing app users by delivering relevant, personalized ads that encourage them to return and take action. By re-engaging customers throughout their journey, brands can increase purchase frequency and grow customer lifetime value. 




### How app retargeting fits into your acquisition and retargeting strategy




Acquisition and retargeting across app and web each play a different role in the customer journey. Understanding where each fits can help marketers build a more connected strategy across acquisition, conversion, and retention. 





| Strategy | Primary goal | Audience | Conversion destination |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| App user acquisition | Acquire new app users | Shoppers without the app installed | App store |
| App retargeting | Re-engage existing app users | Shoppers with the app already installed | Mobile app |
| Web user acquisition | Acquire new customers or site visitors | New or prospective shoppers | Website |
| Web retargeting | Re-engage website visitors | Shoppers who have visited the website | Website |





Together, these four strategies help marketers connect acquisition and re-engagement across web and app:




- **App user acquisition **helps brands grow their audience by encouraging new users to download the app. 
- **App retargeting** focuses on customers who already have the app installed. Instead of directing someone back to a website, it brings them directly into the app to continue shopping or complete an in-app action.
- **Web user acquisition** helps brands reach prospective customers and encourage them to visit the website, explore products, and take action.
- **Web retargeting** encourages previous website visitors to return to a website and complete an action, such as making a purchase or submitting a lead. 




Together, these strategies help marketers engage customers throughout the entire lifecycle, from acquisition to conversion to long-term retention.  




### How app retargeting works 




1. **A customer shows intent.**Every interaction helps build a picture of customer intent. Product views, searches, abandoned carts, purchases, and browsing activity across both web and app all provide valuable signals. 




1. **Intent becomes an audience.**Advertisers create audiences made up of people who already have the app installed. These audiences can be segmented by shopping behavior, lifecycle stage, purchase history, or customer value. 




1. **Personalized ads are delivered.**Relevant ads are shown across both mobile web and in-app environments, helping brands reconnect with customers wherever they’re browsing. Dynamic creative can automatically feature the products or offers most relevant to each shopper. 




1. **Customers return to the app.**When a customer clicks an ad, a deep link or universal link opens the relevant page inside the app, creating a seamless experience that makes it easy to continue shopping or complete a purchase. 




1. **Results are measured.**Campaign performance is typically measured through the advertiser’s MMP, which attributes in-app conversions and provides consistent reporting across campaigns.  





| What is an MMP? |
| --- |
| A Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) measures app installs, in-app events, and conversions across advertising platforms. It serves as the source of truth for app performance, helping advertisers accurately attribute results and optimize campaigns. |





### Why unified web + app journeys matter 




Customers rarely follow a single path to purchase. 




A shopper might discover a product on desktop, compare prices on mobile web during their commute, and complete the purchase inside your app that evening. Every interaction signals intent, but those signals often become disconnected when each channel is optimized independently. 




App retargeting becomes significantly more effective when brands can connect those touchpoints into one continuous customer journey. 




Instead of treating web and app activity as separate campaigns, marketers can recognize the same customer across environments, build richer audience profiles, and deliver product recommendations based on the complete shopping journey.  




### Common app retargeting use cases 




App retargeting supports a wide range of commerce objectives. The following scenarios illustrate how brands use it to reconnect with customers throughout the shopping journey. 




- **Recover abandoned shopping journeys:**A shopper browses running shoes but leaves without purchasing. Later, a personalized ad featuring relevant products can encourage them to return to the app and continue shopping.




- **Re-engage high-intent shoppers:**A traveler browses several hotel options in your app but doesn’t book. A relevant ad can bring them back to continue their search and complete a reservation.




- **Encourage repeat purchases:**A customer who has previously purchased pet food sees a personalized ad for relevant products, encouraging them to return to the app for their next purchase.




- **Reactivate dormant customers:**A loyal shopper hasn’t opened the app for several weeks. Personalized ads featuring products they’ve previously purchased encourage them to return and shop again.




### What to look for in an app retargeting partner 




Not every mobile app retargeting solution is built the same. Use this checklist when evaluating potential partners. 




✔ Connects web and app behavior into a unified customer journey 




✔ Builds audiences using customer lifecycle, purchase value, and intent 




✔ Reduces ad fatigue through intelligent audience management and exclusions 




✔ Delivers dynamic product recommendations and personalized creative 




✔ Supports deep links and universal links for seamless app experiences 




✔ Reaches customers across both mobile web and in-app inventory




✔ Measures performance through your existing MMP attribution framework 




✔ Supports commerce-focused use cases like repeat purchases, retention, and customer lifetime value 




### Smarter app retargeting, powered by Criteo  




Effective app retargeting starts with understanding more than what a customer did during a single app session. Shoppers move between websites, apps, retailers, and other digital environments as they discover, consider, and buy. 




**Criteo brings commerce intelligence to that fragmented journey.** By connecting commerce signals across web and app, Criteo helps advertisers build a richer understanding of shopper intent and use those insights to determine who to engage, when to engage them, and which products are most relevant. 




Criteo AI is built specifically for commerce and informed by real shopping behavior. It powers capabilities including audience targeting, predictive bidding, product recommendations, and dynamic creative optimization—helping advertisers personalize engagement around the outcomes that matter, from bringing high-intent users back to driving additional purchases. 




And because the customer journey doesn’t stop at the edge of an app, advertisers can extend their performance strategy across digital environments, including the open web and social inventory such as Meta, while continuing to use their existing MMP framework for app attribution and reporting. 




**The result is a more connected approach to growth: Acquire customers, recognize intent across their journey, re-engage them with relevant experiences, and turn more of those interactions into measurable commerce outcomes.**




To learn more about Criteo’s approach to app retargeting, explore our [retargeting solution](https://www.criteo.com/solutions/dynamic-retargeting/) or [talk to an expert](https://www.criteo.com/talk-to-an-expert/) about your app growth strategy. 




### FAQs 




**What is the difference between app retargeting and app install?** 




App install campaigns acquire new users by encouraging people to download an app. App retargeting re-engages people who already have the app installed and encourages them to return and complete an in-app action. 




**What is the difference between app retargeting and web retargeting?** 




Web retargeting brings visitors back to a website, while app retargeting brings existing app users back into a mobile app using deep or universal links. 




**How is app retargeting measured?** 




Most brands measure app retargeting through their Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP), which attributes in-app conversions and provides consistent reporting across advertising platforms. 




**When should ecommerce brands use app retargeting?** 




Ecommerce brands should use app retargeting when they want to increase repeat purchases, recover abandoned shopping sessions, reactivate dormant users, reduce churn, and grow customer lifetime value among people who already have their app installed. 




  




###### **Source** 




¹[Adjust, What makes a good app retention rate?](https://www.adjust.com/blog/what-makes-a-good-retention-rate/)