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Boosting by +40% ROAS and 35% Retention with Events Optimization and Appodeal Funnels
Spades Success
Discover how Appodeal UA team drove higher retention and ARPU, by optimizing campaigns with in-app events, and turning installs into loyal, high-value users.
Table of Contents
The Success
Precision Event Funnels Propel Spades
Spades: Classic Card Game is a well-loved title, captivating a mature audience with engaging gameplay and an intuitive design.
Despite its popularity, NewPubCo wanted to scale user acquisition (UA) while maintaining high retention and revenue metrics. By leveraging Appodeal's Funnels feature for event-based campaign optimization, their metrics on Day-7 raised up to:
35%
Retention Rate
37.5%
Ad ARPU
40%
ROAS
Spades successfully unlocked the potential of their user base, resulting in improved Day 1 and Day 7 retention rates, higher ARPU, and enhanced ROAS performance.
Appodeal’s solution seamlessly optimized UA campaigns without interrupting the studio’s workflow, delivering remarkable results.
The Challenge
Scaling User Acquisition Without Compromising Revenue
Scaling user acquisition (UA) while maintaining strong retention and revenue metrics is a daunting challenge.
Limited resources, fierce competition, and the need for precise targeting make it difficult for smaller teams to maximize growth potential. Mobile developers know the frustration of pouring time and effort into campaigns that fail to deliver the desired retention or revenue outcomes.
Spades: Classic Card Game faced similar hurdles, struggling to achieve a balance between acquiring quality users and generating sustainable revenue.
The Situation Before Appodeal
Before integrating Appodeal, NewPubCo’s Spades: Classic Card Game faced several critical challenges that many small and mid-sized studios can relate to: The game had an established user base, but growth was plateauing due to inefficiencies in UA strategies and limited event-based optimization.
Without the tools to segment and target high-value users effectively, their campaigns were focused on volume over quality, leading to suboptimal metrics
Retention Rates: Day 1 and Day 7 retention rates were signaling that many users were not engaging long enough to deliver long-term value.
ARPU (Average Revenue Per User): While the game’s ARPU was consistent, it lagged behind its potential due to limited optimization of in-app events and ad placements.
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): UA campaigns were underperforming in terms of return, with many users failing to generate enough value to justify the acquisition costs.
Opportunity detected for Growth
Without intervention, these trends threatened the game’s ability to grow sustainably. Low retention rates meant fewer users were monetizing over time, directly impacting ARPU and ROAS. Furthermore, the absence of precise funnel-based optimization led to inefficient ad spend and untapped growth opportunities.
NewPubCo needed a solution that could:
- Segment users based on behavior and demographics.
- Optimize UA campaigns by targeting high-value events.
- Enhance retention and maximize revenue without increasing operational complexity.
The Solution
Revolutionizing UA with Event-Based Funnels
To address the challenges faced by Spades: Classic Card Game, Appodeal deployed a comprehensive, data-driven strategy aimed at optimizing user acquisition (UA) and add in-app events to properly detect the most valuable key-points and act on them.
By leveraging advanced tools, methodologies, and expert consultation, NewPubCo was able to achieve sustainable growth while maximizing their return on ad spend (ROAS).
By leveraging advanced tools, methodologies, and expert consultation, NewPubCo was able to achieve sustainable growth while maximizing their return on ad spend (ROAS).
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the solution:
1. Funnels via Appodeal Growth Platform
The Appodeal Funnels feature was pivotal in transforming the UA strategy for Spades.
Funnels in Appodeal are a series of events defined by the app developer that track user progression and engagement within the app. These events can range from basic activities like "app open" to more advanced actions like "level completion," "in-app purchase," or "ad view."
The ability to customize these funnels allows studios to target specific user behaviors critical to monetization.
2. Tailoring Funnels to the App Goals
For Spades: Classic Card Game, Appodeal worked closely with NewPubCo to design event-based funnels tailored to their goals. These included:
2.1 Frequent Event Funnels:
By Targeting users who exhibit high activity within the first 2–3 days after installation, we could detect better opportunities to explore.
Some of the frequent events we used are:
- Game_Start: Tracks users who actively open and start playing the game.
- Round_End: Tracks users who complete a round within 24 hours, a signal of early engagement.
- Ad_Viewed: Tracks users who engage with in-app ads (e.g., rewarded videos).
These events identified users likely to become engaged, high-retention players who contributed to immediate revenue growth.
2.2 Deeper Event Funnels:
The objective was to Identify and attract “whales” (users with high lifetime value) by focusing on behaviors that occur later in the user lifecycle.
Deeper events that we tracked comprehend:
- In-App Purchase: Tracks users who make their first purchase within 6–7 days.
- Ad Clicked: Tracks interactions with specific high-value ad formats.
- Session_Length: Tracks users with long gameplay sessions, signaling deep engagement.
These deeper funnels helped optimize campaigns targeting high-value players who would contribute to longer-term revenue streams.
3. Reinvesting UA Spending with Data-Driven Funnels
The Funnels feature allowed NewPubCo to focus their UA campaigns on users who showed strong monetization potential. Later on, we created event-based campaigns focused on high-value user behaviors, such as completing Day 3 or Day 7 milestones.
This was achieved through:
3.1 Campaign Segmentation by Event Progression:
Using funnel data, NewPubCo segmented campaigns to target specific user groups based on their progression through the funnel.
For instance, users who completed “Round_End” but hadn’t reached “Ad_Viewed” were targeted with tailored campaigns that encouraged ad engagement.
3.2 Real-Time Optimization:
Appodeal Funnels provided real-time feedback on campaign performance, allowing NewPubCo to make dynamic adjustments to ad creatives, bidding strategies, and audience targeting based on event data.
3.3 Informed Bid Strategies:
The team used insights from Funnels to determine the optimal cost-per-event (CPE) or cost-per-acquisition (CPA) for different audience segments, ensuring the highest return on ad spend (ROAS).
4. Dynamic Funnels for Ongoing Growth
Another advantage of Appodeal Funnels was the ability to adapt and evolve based on the game’s performance and market needs.
NewPubCo continually refined their funnels to:
- Incorporate new events based on gameplay updates (e.g., “new game modes” or “level unlocks”).
- Target specific geographic regions or demographics that showed unique behavioral trends.
- Optimize for seasonal campaigns, such as holiday-themed events or promotions.
5. Leveraging the Appodeal Accelerator Program
Through the Appodeal Accelerator Program, NewPubCo gained access to seasoned experts in monetization and UA.
This program provided:
- Appodeal’s experts helped define precise user acquisition campaigns and identify target audiences with high monetization potential.
- Building custom event funnels for precise campaign targeting.
- Segmenting users by demographics and in-app behaviors to maximize the effectiveness of UA efforts.
- Knowledge Transfer: By working closely with Appodeal’s specialists, NewPubCo gained actionable insights to sustain long-term growth.
The Results
Retention, Revenue, and ROAS Skyrocket
With Appodeal’s Funnels and advanced UA tools, Spades: Classic Card Game achieved a significant boost in Day 1 and Day 7 retention, ARPU, and ROAS, turning installs into loyal, monetizing players.
By targeting high-value users, optimizing UA campaigns with Funnels, and refining monetization strategies, the game achieved remarkable results that exceeded industry benchmarks.
By targeting high-value users, optimizing UA campaigns with Funnels, and refining monetization strategies, the game achieved remarkable results that exceeded industry benchmarks.
In the previous chart we added the percentual spend increase. Usually when increasing spend on UA campaigns, metrics tend to drop. In this case, we wanted to clearly show how, as we scaled the campaigns, the metrics remained stable, or even improved.
Retention Rates
Retention saw a significant uplift as user acquisition campaigns scaled over time, demonstrating the game’s growing ability to keep players engaged well beyond the initial download.
This improvement highlights the impact of precise targeting and event optimization through Appodeal’s Funnels.
Ad ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)
As UA efforts expanded, the quality of acquired players improved noticeably. Ad ARPU steadily increased, reaching a remarkable 40% growth compared to pre-Appodeal levels.
This growth was driven by enhanced ad placements, the introduction of high-revenue ad formats, and refined user segmentation strategies that ensured the right ads were served to the right audience.
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
While initial Day 7 ROAS figures showed room for improvement, Appodeal’s solution stabilized revenue metrics by Day 14, delivering consistent and positive outcomes.
Overall, ROAS demonstrated clear growth, reflecting the efficiency and long-term value generated through Appodeal’s comprehensive approach to UA and monetization.
Takeaways from NewPubCo experience:
Appodeal’s all-in-one growth platform has proven its ability to transform mobile app businesses by aligning UA, monetization, and business intelligence into a seamless workflow.
The results achieved by Spades: Classic Card Game are not an isolated case but a testament to Appodeal’s ability to help app developers maximize their growth potential.
Are you ready to transform your mobile game’s performance? Join Appodeal today and unlock the growth opportunities hidden in your data.
Try our Funnels feature or explore new ways to scale your UA and revenue strategies effortlessly.
Try our Funnels feature or explore new ways to scale your UA and revenue strategies effortlessly.
Let’s grow together!
Spades: 
Classic Card Game
by NewPubCo, Inc
Downloads
4M+
Reviews
33K+
Score
4.1
NewPubCo's Spades is a captivating word game that keeps players glued to their screens. Designed with engaging gameplay mechanics and appealing aesthetics, it caters to a diverse demographic, primarily women and men aged 45 and above.
Spades is loved by users in the United States, where it has gained massive popularity, but its appeal spans various international markets.
Spades is loved by users in the United States, where it has gained massive popularity, but its appeal spans various international markets.
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