Every action counts in the new era of shopping and reward apps. To find out how brands are keeping users hooked on the “earn-and-redeem” cycle, we spoke with Smadex Senior Sales Director Lily Yu from the US.

“Keeping users engaged in the earn-and-redeem journey is all about focusing on the right moments. In my experience, event-based optimization is what works best. We use custom algorithms to optimize for intermediate funnel events (e.g., reaching level 10 or completing a first survey) rather than just the initial install.

Smadex helped these apps evolve their UA strategy beyond standard mobile channels to acquire high-lifetime value (LTV) players with strong retention habits through executing a CTV-to-mobile approach. It began with high-performance mobile UA to build a foundation of trust, then expanded to CTV to reach broader household segments and shared devices.”

“The most effective creatives for reward and shopping apps are those that feel authentic and relatable. UGC creatives work particularly well, creating an authentic look and feel that boosted strong CTAs that incentivized users to install games, take surveys, and redeem for valuable gifts.”

“CTV serves as the high-impact discovery layer, while Mobile drives the business. Smadex bridges this gap through Cross-Device attribution, ensuring a full funnel approach.

The “Halo Effect”: CTV builds trust and brand familiarity. When a user sees these ads on their large 75” screen while browsing their phone, the sequential retargeting on their mobile device makes them 3x more likely to click and complete a task.”

“Reducing drop-offs and keeping users engaged requires a mix of 3 targeted strategies:

1. Behavioral Retargeting (Re-engagement): If a user starts a survey or game in a paid survey app but doesn’t finish, Smadex uses retargeting to show them a custom ad on the Open Web or in other apps, reminding them of the specific “rewards” they are missing out on, nudging them to complete the action.
2. Creative Personalization: Showing users their actual progress works wonders. For example: “You’re only 50 points away from a $10 Amazon Gift Card, complete this task now!” motivates them to take the final step.
3. Time-of-Day Optimization: Smadex’s AI identifies when a user is most likely to have “leisure time” (e.g., evening hours or commutes) and bids more aggressively for impressions during those windows to capture a high-intent audience. Day-parting is immensely effective.”

“During peak periods like Black Friday, Football, back-to-school, and Christmas, Smadex strongly recommends creative swaps. Smadex’s Deep Neural Networks (DNN) can prioritize users who have a history of high-frequency redemptions, ensuring your seasonal budget is spent on your ‘whales’.”