Since March 2019, COVID-19 has restricted businesses from taking a full-scale marketing approach due to conservative market behavior. However, mobile user penetration has grown enormously since the same period in India due to the increase in usage of internet services and the affordability and economic viability of smartphones. The upsurge in the use of mobile technology has led to a fuelled growth in the consumption of D2C mobile apps. Moreover, with mobility and in-person interactions returning to life in 2022, consumer behavior toward D2C brands is also drastically growing.

As the festive season in India is about to hit the roof, D2C brands are expected to garner significant attention and demand, and consumer sentiment looks upbeat, particularly in tier 1 & tier 2 cities. For these brands, the expectation during such seasonality means growth in revenue through performance marketing, as consumer brands during special promotions and festivals in India are proven to generate more business.

A report suggests a 68% increase in Indian shoppers this festive season, and nearly 7 in 10 shoppers intend to shop on D2C sites. While observing the current trends, there is increased competition between D2C brands as they become more focused on their ad spends to maximize growth during this festive season despite the concerns over rising inflation. As consumers buy more from the brands directly, either through their website or app, D2C brands will leave no stone unturned to scale their app marketing efforts and get some fresh eyeballs with a positive outlook on engagement and retention. 

Acquiring loyal users for your D2C brand via app marketing…

Indian D2C brands are thriving with an omnichannel marketing avatar which includes a mix of DOOH, TV, and digital ads using search and social, print, and more. While measuring the success of traditional marketing methods is difficult, one can effectively measure the ROAS (return on ad spend) with performance marketing through mobile OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) app marketing. 

Leveraging OEM app marketing strategies to acquire users during this peak festive period can give D2C brands a more lucrative ROAS and incremental user engagement. In addition, with mobile OEMs, D2C marketers can tap into untapped audiences and help them unlock a newer and more efficient revenue stream. 

Mobile OEM advertising offered by mobile OEMs such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, and Samsung can help D2C brands with – 

Enabling app discoverability: D2C brands can leverage appographic targeting to target users with similar apps and unique app interests beyond category during the festive season. Appographic targeting with mobile OEMs is potent in providing high-value users and acts as a powerful strategy for app marketers. 

Better Visibility: To increase ad visibility during special promotions or festivals like Diwali in India, D2C mobile apps can take full advantage of “app store featuring” with display formats such as Splash and Interstitial ads. In addition, mobile OEMs offer unique ad placements for special shopping and discount cards during the festive season.

Increased re-engagement: Few mobile OEMs offer down-the-funnel re-engagement for m-commerce apps with special placements during the festive season to regain static users who have been inactive on the app. For such occasions, featured custom placements are highly recommended for increased brand awareness. In addition, D2C apps can also get consultations about the kind of creatives that best work for the festive season to get the maximum reach and engagement. 

Tips to get the best out of your app marketing strategy during the festive season

  • While developing creatives for display ads, as an app marketer, you must be highly attentive to ensure that your brand resonates with the color scheme and fonts. It best helps the users to identify and engage with the brand.   
  • Since mobile media buying inventories get increased bidding from app advertisers during the festive period, D2C marketers need to book high-impact branding placements on a timely basis. 
  • Before the pricing increases, D2C marketers need to plan media buying effectively. 
  • Explore PMP deals at private marketplaces with mobile OEMs where app marketers can bid on high-performance-based suggested inventories.

Reach out to our team today to learn more about how AVOW’s mobile OEM advertising solutions can help your D2C app scale its user acquisition efforts.