We’re in the era of multi-device touchpoints, with the average person using 13-14 connected devices (Telecoms) and numerous attribution models that don’t necessarily help secure organic growth or increase return on investment (ROI).
And even then, it’s not always the marketing attribution models that are the issue.
The average customer interacts with 6.5 touchpoints, with 52% of conversion paths including at least one remarketing touch, before they convert (Marketing LTB). With 83% of marketers believing customer paths are becoming longer and 36% of consumers switching devices during their life cycle (Marketing LTB), it has never been more essential to measure impact by turning the endless data into actionable steps.
Read on to find out about marketing attribution platforms, like AppsFlyer, turn fragmented data into measurable, confident growth and specific models, and how to use them to measure impact across devices.
Mobile Attribution Best Practices
Mobile apps are a mature but fragmented marketing environment. According to AppsFlyer, growth was driven almost entirely by iOS, surging 35% as Android stayed flat, with non-gaming spend increasing by 18% to $53 billion. And thanks to Chinese-based eCommerce apps, shopping increased 70% overall and a massive 123% on iOS.
Without a doubt, to monitor and measure impact, using a dedicated mobile measurement partner (MMP) is essential. An MMP like AppsFlyer (the market leader) provides an SDK for app installation, which then records installs and in-app events and matches them to ad engagements across different networks.
This means marketers can connect post-install user activity back to acquisition sources, through AppsFlyer, solving the fundamental problem of knowing which campaigns drive app downloads and revenue. If you use an attribution model like AppsFlyer, specifically their measurement suite, you can also expect an average of:
- 2X higher campaign ROI
- +22% increase in conversion rate
- +40% increase in productivity
- 90% time saved on manual reporting
- 20% Avg. increase in ROAS
- 62% Avg. increase in revenue
- 60% Avg. reduction in eCPI
- 4x Avg. increase in ARPU
The standard model on mobile is last-click attribution with lookback windows. That means the last ad click (or eligible ad impression) within a set timeframe gets full credit for the install.
To implement mobile attribution effectively, integrate through the SKAdNetwork with AppsFlyer in your app, using unique tracking links for each campaign.
Marketers should also track post-install events (purchases, subscriptions, etc.) and lifetime value (LTV) per source to go beyond the install and measure true ROI. Like with AppsFlyer, for example, you get a dashboard that connects fragmented data points into clear performance metrics to see which channels truly drive growth on mobile.
Tools and vendors: AppsFlyer is a popular choice for mobile attribution. You’ve got an incredibly stable SDK and extensive integrations with nearly every ad network. It supports deterministic matching (when user IDs like IDFA or GAID are available) and probabilistic matching (fingerprinting) to attribute installs even when identifiers are limited.
AppsFlyer also offers built-in deep linking (OneLink) to route users correctly to the app content, and fraud detection features to filter fake installs.
CTV Attribution Best Practices
Connected TV is now mainstream, with platforms like Netflix, YouTube, Disney, and Amazon Prime, and any app, for that matter, meaning that CTV has become the fastest-growing ad channel in the US. CTV accounts for 1 in 10 US dollars spent on digital advertising, and 90% of that is transacted (Stack Adapt).
With marketing attribution platforms like AppsFlyer, you can confidently scale CTV like any other channel. Using their unified Measurement Suite package, you can connect ad views to app installs, web signups, and purchases.
Considering connected TV has rapidly evolved into a measurable performance channel and CTV advertising spend is surging more than any niche, effectively measuring impact is essential. However, measuring CTV’s impact requires bridging the gap between a TV ad impression and conversions on other devices.
Users still can’t typically click a TV ad to install an app. For CTV attribution, focusing on cross-device linkage, or connecting what happens on the TV screen to actions on mobile apps or websites, works well.
An effective approach is using household-level matching using an identity graph. For example, AppsFlyer’s integration with Roku, one of the largest CTV platforms, enables linking a Roku ad impression to subsequent app installs or events on mobile devices in the same household.
When a user sees an ad on their Roku TV and installs the advertiser’s mobile app, Roku’s data, through a user or household ID or IP address match, informs AppsFlyer so the install is attributed back to the CTV campaign.
According to AppsFlyer, CTV-driven app installs have been growing dramatically. The total CTV-to-mobile installs nearly doubled between late 2024 and early 2025 as more advertisers turned to this cross-device strategy.
Tools and comparisons: AppsFlyer’s CTV attribution solutions, especially with its Roku partnership, are excellent. You get cross-device, cross-platform measurement in one dashboard. With AppsFlyer, you’ll also likely get an average of:
- 10% improvement in CTV-to-CTV conversion rates
- 12% lift in CTV-to-mobile conversions
- 4× increase in ROAS
- 20% lift in LTV
Gaming Platforms Attribution Best Practices (PC & Console)
Attribution for gaming platforms is historically difficult. Gamers often see an ad on one device, such as a mobile ad or web page, but complete the install or purchase on another. It’s the norm for them to download PC games using Steam or on a PlayStation console rather than directly through an ad.
And marketplaces, such as Sony’s PSN, Microsoft’s Xbox Store, Steam, Nintendo eShop, etc., have been “black boxes” that don’t readily share user-level data. That instantly breaks the attribution chain.
This multi-device journey and data fragmentation meant game marketers couldn’t easily tell which campaigns led to actual game installs or revenue on those platforms.
That said, it’s not impossible.
Integrate a cross-platform attribution SDK or API into your game across all available platforms. AppsFlyer, for example, expanded its mobile attribution platform into a cross-platform solution covering CTV, PC, and console endpoints. It supports SDK or server-to-server integrations for various gaming platforms, including:
- Steam
- Epic Games (PC stores)
- PlayStation
- Xbox
- Nintendo Switch
There, you can collect, install, and process in-game event data. It’s so easy to capture when a user installs the game or makes purchases. AppsFlyer then matches those events back to marketing touchpoints. For example, if you run a Facebook ad for your PC game, the SDK can log the install, and AppsFlyer can attribute it to the Facebook campaign, either from a click ID match or a probabilistic match on user information.
With all that, you have consistent performance metrics from installs, cost per install, ROAS, etc., across mobile and non-mobile platforms in one dashboard.
Considering players often transfer across platforms, use cross-device attribution flows to capture these journeys.
One common best practice is implementing cross-platform deferred deep links or landing pages. Say if you want to advertise a console/PC game on mobile web or social media, a user clicking the ad on their phone can be taken to a dedicated landing page that offers download buttons for each platform (Xbox, PlayStation, Steam, etc.).
This landing page, when powered by an attribution provider’s smart script, immediately fires an impression event to the attribution system and provides platform-specific tracked links for each store.
Tools and options: AppsFlyer’s support matrix covers virtually all major gaming devices, making it a one-stop shop if you already use it for mobile. You can efficiently measure gaming performance across PC and console, where players actually spend up to 3x the amount compared to mobile. With every conversion tracked to its source campaign, you get an IAP revenue overview and LTV metric that’ll show you how the platforms deliver real returns. You’ll also get:
- 12% increase in web-to-console conversion rates
- 23% lift in LTV
- 4× increase in ROAS
Measuring impact across devices is easy when you access the marketing attribution platforms with the sophisticated tools you need to actually see the data in a way that makes sense. AppsFlyer is the market leader, but understanding what to do with the data they give you is just as important.