Robert Wildner, co-founder and CEO of AVOW, explains the difference between dynamic and traditional preloads and how to decide which is right for your app.
Before we dive into dynamic preloads and their benefits for mobile marketers and app developers, let’s take a quick look at some basics of OEM mobile advertising.
What are Mobile OEMs and Mobile OEM Advertising?
Mobile OEMs, or Original Equipment Manufacturers, are companies that design and manufacture mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and wearables. The mobile OEM market includes brands like Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and realme, all of which have launched their own (alternative) app stores that have their own store fronts, app promotion and app discovery solutions. Mobile OEMs cover 54 percent of the global Android market share and provide access to over 1.5 billion daily active users. They offer app developers and mobile marketers a unique and scalable opportunity as an alternative way to reach audiences that Google and Facebook don’t have access to.
Mobile OEMs in the global mobile market
In 2022, global smartphone sales were estimated to reach 1.23 billion units, with this number expected to increase by the end of 2023. Android OEMs maintain a strong position in the global smartphone market, accounting for 79 percent market share of Android users with over 2.5 billion active devices. As competition in the mobile advertising space intensifies, marketers must develop effective strategies to stay ahead. Large OEMs such as Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi, which account for 23.8 percent of the global smartphone market share in March 2023, offer unique opportunities through dynamic preloads.
What are dynamic preloads?
Dynamic preloads are applications that are installed on brand new smartphones when users activate their devices for the first time and are offered the option to download these apps as part of the setup process. This represents a highly relevant and premium user acquisition strategy for mobile marketers, allowing them to outperform the competition.
How do dynamic preloads work from a technical point of view?
Mobile OEMs like Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi can use the Google portal to customize which apps are recommended and target specific groups of devices. Google has developed an automatic installation feature called Google Play AutoInstall (Google PAI) that allows these apps to be automatically downloaded from the Play Store to compatible devices.
Dynamic preloads differ from traditional preloads in that app downloads happen directly from the Google Play Store via over-the-air (OTA) updates. Android application packages (APKs) are downloaded automatically when the device connects to a network. This ensures users get the latest version of the pre-installed app.
Google uses app bundles to generate and deploy optimized APKs tailored to each user’s device configuration, allowing users to download only the files they need. AVOW improves the speed, agility and reliability of your app’s overall user growth strategy by leveraging Google’s Play AutoInstall (PAI) feature, a more efficient and effective solution than traditional APK pre-install configurations.
Imagine a games app developer targeting the growing UK mobile gaming market, whose revenue is expected to reach $5.59 billion in 2023 and whose average revenue per user (ARPU) at 214, $80 lies. Dynamic subpoenas can give UK app developers and mobile marketers significant competitive advantages and offer significant opportunities to attract new users every time a smartphone is activated by first-time users. Additionally, Dynamic Preloads present the app in a premium light, increasing brand visibility.
Dynamic preloads vs. traditional preloads
As the mobile industry continues to innovate, app advertisers are increasingly at a crossroads between using dynamic preloads or traditional preloads. The decision isn’t just about whether one is better than the other, but more about what fits best given your goals and budget.
Traditional preloads can offer marketers a “guaranteed” download volume since the app is preinstalled on every phone shipped. This also increases the OEM inventory available to marketers, and inventory is not dependent on what competitors may be bidding for that inventory. In addition, many international markets are “carrier-dominated”. This means that each Dynamic Preload campaign requires the carrier’s consent to run. This obstacle does not apply when booking a factory preload offer. However, traditional preloads require a minimum annual commitment and don’t offer the pricing flexibility that dynamic preloads offer. However, the beauty of an annual commitment lies in an advertiser’s bargaining power and the resulting lower cost per install (CPI).
Dynamic subpoenas, on the other hand, are based solely on a cost-per-install (CPI) model, which forgoes “guaranteed” volume in favor of a more curated approach, as users would still have to actively consent and choose to have the app on their phones. It also means that marketers have more flexibility in pricing and only have to pay for each app install, reducing their financial outlay and commitment from the start. However, Dynamic Preloads have a smaller OEM inventory, with available inventory dependent on how much a marketer is bidding. Also, running a dynamic preload campaign doesn’t require any additional technical effort as it doesn’t require a separate APK or testing. The campaigns can be set up directly by the user acquisition team.
At its core, choosing between the two comes down to needs and goals, as well as available budget. In short, you could think of it as a quantity versus quality approach, with both solutions offering their own advantages for different needs. This is where market experts with years of experience in the industry can make the difference and help you make the right choice for the best preload solution.
Seven key takeaways about dynamic preloads for mobile marketers:
Users get the latest app version upon first phone activation. Reduced budgets are required compared to traditional out-of-the-box advertising and user acquisition campaigns. App developers experience faster turnaround time from launch to app recognition. No SDK implementation or technical integration is required for advertisers. Advertisers pay for app launches (cost per install). Users have the option to opt out if they don’t want to use the app. Can be optimized based on device models after initial launch.
The future of dynamic preloads
If you want your app to reach a large number of customers using smartphones from OEMs such as Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Realme, Dynamic Preloads offer one of the most effective, exclusive and direct ways to achieve this goal. Because your app is preinstalled on the device, it gains visibility and positions itself as the “go-to” app for a new group of users.
AVOW’s territorial exclusivity and partnership with mobile OEMs can help you achieve your user acquisition goals through dynamic subpoenas. AVOW helps app developers and brands launch their apps on specific devices with targeted geographic location, depending on the markets they want to target.
Contact our team today to learn how AVOW’s unique offering can help you scale your business by implementing dynamic user acquisition preloads.
