Success Story

• CPAFTD Improvement: Achieved up to 60% cost reduction per first-time depositor in top-performing markets.
• Incremental impact:
  • 74.4% lift in app installs
  • 11.75% lift in first-time deposits (validated by CLS)
  • 15.0% lift in registrations

Exness, a globally regulated multi-asset broker, focuses on acquiring users who install trading apps, deposit funds, trade actively, and generate long-term revenue.

Acquire users with high lifetime value (LTV) in growth markets. Optimize lower-funnel KPIs like CPAFTD (Cost Per First-Time Depositor), ROI, and NSR (Net Spread Revenue).

• Transition user acquisition from volume to quality, focusing on depositors and active traders.
• Prove the incremental value of advertising spend through data-driven attribution.

Smadex deployed a multi-phase strategy to align with Exness’s lower-funnel goals:

Deep Funnel Optimization

• Identified high-intent users through trading app usage, financial content engagement, and device-level behavioral signals.
• Leveraged iOS expertise to target underserved high-ARPU audiences using custom predictive models.
• Automated bid optimization to prioritize users with elevated LTV potential.

Incrementallity Testing

• Implemented a randomized Conversion Lift Study (CLS) by splitting audiences into exposed and control groups. This isolated Smadex’s true impact by comparing conversion rates between users who saw ads versus those who did not.
• Established real-time data pipelines to track post-view conversions, capturing users who engaged with ads indirectly.
• Combined CLS results with S2S insights to refine bidding strategies, prioritizing audiences with proven incremental conversion potential.

Strategic Expansion

• Doubled operational markets from 3 to 8, adapting to local user behaviors.
• Tested campaigns across Exness’s app portfolio while maintaining CPAFTD efficiency.

“Smadex’s transparency and collaborative approach have been game-changers. Weekly reviews keep us aligned on performance, industry trends, and new opportunities. More than a vendor, they are a trusted partner in our growth.”

Sotiris Sotiriadis, Paid Media Team Lead at Exness