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Amazon DSP ad model

Amazon DSP Mobile App Campaigns: Installs and In-App Events

Amazon DSP mobile app campaigns are built for app install and in-app event goals. Measurement works by passing first-party signals from a mobile measurement partner (MMP) such as Adjust or AppsFlyer into Amazon DSP Events Manager, and the campaign uses that signal to optimize toward a CPI or CPA goal. We do not launch these campaigns without an MMP connection.

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Your app★★★★★InstallYour app adGoalInstallsIn-app actionRe-engagement
Illustrative view: illustrative view of an app install ad.
Purpose and appearance

What do we use this format for?

We use these campaigns to add install sources beyond Google and Meta and to move new users toward valuable events such as sign-up or first order, the steps that lead to revenue. With MMP data, we exclude people who already have the app from install campaigns and bring lapsed users back with a separate re-engagement campaign.

Funnel stages it serves

  1. Awareness
  2. Consideration
  3. Conversion
  4. Loyalty

How MMP data feeds Amazon DSP Events Manager

How an app campaign performs depends on where MMP data flows and how fast. The MMP sends install and in-app events to Amazon DSP Events Manager. Amazon uses these events for three purposes: CPI and CPA optimization and measurement, building audiences for future campaigns and feeding predictive models. Since reporting is two-way, we see the same result in both the Amazon dashboard and the MMP dashboard.

The most time-consuming part of setup is event mapping. Events in the app such as "sign-up", "first order" and "subscription" may be defined under different names in the MMP; we decide with the product team which one will be the target event in Events Manager. The same event firing twice, or events from test devices not being filtered out, leads the model to learn from the wrong users.

Amazon audiences for app installs and re-engagement

What sets Amazon apart in app advertising is its ability to read install likelihood from shopping and entertainment behavior. For example, lifestyle segments interested in food and delivery are a meaningful starting point for a food ordering app, and people who watch gaming streams on Twitch or show interest in specific game categories for a mobile game. We also build two audiences from MMP data:

  • Exclusion list: users who already installed the app, so the install budget is not wasted
  • Re-engagement audience: users who installed but did not complete the target event, or have not opened the app in a long time
  • In-market segments: people who recently browsed products close to the app's category
  • Video viewer audiences: people who watched the promo video to the end

CPI or CPA: choosing the app campaign goal

A CPI goal quickly grows install numbers but does not check whether users actually use the app. For a free app, it is common for most users acquired at a low CPI to delete the app on day one. So in the first week we collect learning data with CPI, and once event volume is sufficient we move to a CPA goal, for example sign-up or first order. The ROAS report can be read if in-app revenue is passed through the MMP.

We position Amazon DSP not as the only app channel but as an additional source alongside Google Ads App campaigns and Meta app promotion. We compare channels using the MMP's own attribution and do not treat any platform's own dashboard as the referee. For teams that export raw MMP data to BigQuery, we track cohort retention by channel in a Data Studio dashboard.

Mobile App Campaigns: when do we recommend it?

We recommend it

  • Apps with an MMP installed and in-app events properly defined
  • Consumer apps whose audience is defined by shopping, food, gaming or entertainment behavior
  • Apps with their entire install budget in Google Ads and Meta that want to spread channel risk
  • Apps that want to re-engage existing users

We don't recommend it

  • Apps that do not use an MMP and count installs only from the store dashboard
  • Apps whose target event happens so rarely each month that there is not enough data for CPA optimization

How we manage Mobile App Campaigns

  1. MMP connectionWe enable the Amazon integration in Adjust, AppsFlyer or the MMP you use, and validate the measurement URLs.
  2. Event mapWe map install, sign-up and revenue events in Events Manager and choose the target event.
  3. Exclusions and audiencesWe exclude existing users and build the re-engagement audience in a separate campaign.
  4. Moving from CPI to CPAWe collect data with CPI in the first phase and switch to a CPA goal once event volume is sufficient.
  5. Retention in the MMPWe compare day 1, 7 and 30 retention and revenue of installers by channel in the MMP.

Mobile App Campaigns: metrics and requirements

Metrics we track

  • CPI
  • CPA
  • Click-to-install rate
  • Day 1 and day 7 retention
  • In-app revenue / ROAS
  • Inventory and creative breakdown

What you need to get started

  • An installed MMP (e.g. Adjust, AppsFlyer) with the Amazon integration
  • Defined in-app events and, if possible, revenue passback
  • Mobile banners and a short vertical or horizontal video
  • App store links (separate for iOS and Android)

Official sources

The Brand Move Amazon DSP Team

To learn more about Mobile App Campaigns or other Amazon DSP ad formats, contact The Brand Move Amazon DSP team today.

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Explore further

Other Amazon DSP campaign types and ad formats

Amazon DSP overview

Display Ads

Banner ads on and off Amazon, aimed at in-market, product engagement and site visitor audiences.

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Online Video

Amazon DSP in-stream and out-stream video on desktop, mobile and tablet, with viewer audiences followed up through display.

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Prime Video Ads

Full-screen, non-skippable pre-roll and mid-roll in films and series. Most viewing is on TV screens, with a light ad load.

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Performance+ and Brand+

Brand+ for reach and consideration, Performance+ for conversions and ROAS. Both combine first-party data with Amazon signals.

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Related pages

Frequently asked questions

Mobile App Campaigns: frequently asked questions

Can Amazon DSP run app install campaigns?

Yes. Amazon DSP app campaigns optimize toward installs (CPI) or in-app events (CPA) on inventory such as Twitch mobile, the Amazon Shopping app and other platforms. They need an MMP connected to Events Manager; without it we do not launch.

Which MMPs does it work with?

Amazon's measurement URL policy lists Adjust, AppsFlyer, Kochava, Singular and Branch as certified MMPs. We enable the Amazon integration in your MMP and test the measurement URLs with Amazon's tracker creation tool before going live.

Why does the install count in the Amazon dashboard differ from the MMP?

The two sides may use different attribution windows and rules. For cross-channel comparison, we use the MMP's figure as the basis and read the Amazon dashboard as an optimization signal. If the gap is large, we recheck event mapping and tracker URLs.

How do we stop ads from reaching users who already installed the app?

We build an exclusion audience for existing users from MMP install data. Reversing the same data, we open a separate re-engagement campaign for users who installed but did not complete the target event, and keep the two campaigns' budgets separate.

Let's run a first Mobile App Campaigns review together.

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