The fitness industry is undergoing a phenomenal digital transformation, propelled by the rise of smart wearables and the normalization of at-home fitness. This shift has made apps for fitness one of the most competitive categories in the mobile ecosystem. The global fitness app market size is expected to reach $35.79 billion in 2028, accelerating at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.4%. In a market this crowded, securing prime app visibility is the ultimate challenge for app developers and marketers.
Relying solely on keyword optimization in traditional app stores (such as Google Play) is no longer sufficient. To achieve scalable user acquisition and long-term app growth, fitness brands must look to the next strategic frontier: mobile OEM advertising and deep OEM partnerships.
This strategy positions your app directly on the user’s mobile device from the moment they unbox their device, fundamentally changing the nature of the customer experience and trust.
The strategic imperative: Why OEM partnerships matter. By understanding and leveraging the power of OEM partnerships, fitness app developers can seize control of their app’s visibility and growth, feeling empowered in their strategic decisions.
OEM partnerships (Original Equipment Manufacturer) represent a unique and highly effective channel for fitness apps, offering competitive advantages that traditional marketing cannot match. These exclusive OEM relationships provide a direct pathway into the smartphone ecosystem, bypassing the clutter of the standard app marketplace and instilling confidence in your marketing strategies.
1. Direct access to high-intent potential users
The most valuable asset of mobile OEM advertising is the ability to connect with potential users at the ‘zero moment of truth’—when they are actively setting up their new device or exploring its pre-installed features. This term, coined by Google, refers to the moment when a consumer researches a product and decides to purchase it. It’s a critical time for app marketers to capture user attention and drive app installs, instilling optimism about your user acquisition.
- Optimal timing: OEM placements capture user-acquisition moments when users are actively seeking new and essential apps for their devices, such as a calendar, weather, or fitness app. It is particularly relevant for apps for fitness, as new device owners often view this moment as the starting point for new fitness goals or healthy habits.
- High conversion rates: Because the promotion is perceived as a recommendation from the trusted device manufacturer, conversion rates from impression to install can be significantly higher than traditional channels.
- Lower CPA: Due to less competition in this high-intent space, OEM campaigns can achieve lower effective cost per install (CPI) and a 30% lower average CPA than traditional app store ads. It directly translates into a higher ROI on ad spend.
2. Enhancing brand credibility and user experience
The context in which an app is discovered is crucial for building customer loyalty and a strong brand. OEM collaboration provides an organic, native feel that transfers trust from the device manufacturer to the fitness app.
- Native integration: OEM placements integrate natively into the device, blending seamlessly into the user experience rather than disrupting the user experience with a banner ad. This contextual relevance minimizes friction in the user journey.
- Trust transfer: Apps featured during initial device setup or in OEM-curated app stores instantly gain an air of legitimacy, which is vital for new fitness brands competing against giants like Nike Training Club. This perception of trust, transferred from the device manufacturer to the fitness app, leads to better long-term user retention, giving you a sense of reassurance and confidence in your app’s potential.
- Instant brand recognition: Securing OEM placements means your fitness app is seen directly on the home screen or during critical moments, providing instant brand awareness and reducing the churn often seen with traditional installs.
3. Leveraging exclusive placement formats
Mobile OEM advertising offers a rich portfolio of high-impact placement formats that ensure consistent visibility for apps for fitness across the entire device lifecycle. These formats can include dynamic preloads, alternative app store promotions, and widget and folder placements, each designed to maximize app visibility and user engagement.
- Dynamic preloads: These placements present an intelligent recommendation for the app during device setup. The user actively opts in to install the fitness app, immediately signaling high-intent users. This approach has been shown to result in a lower uninstall rate than traditional installation methods.
- Alternative app stores: OEM partners operate their own powerful app stores (like Xiaomi GetApps or Huawei AppGallery). Running OEM ads within these less saturated marketplaces provides app marketers with high-conversion traffic sources that offer better app visibility than navigating the competitive search results of mainstream app stores.
- Widget and folder placements: Strategically placing the fitness app icon within curated “Health” or “Workout” folders ensures ongoing visibility throughout daily device use, serving as a continuous, gentle reminder to engage with their fitness goals.
Maximizing app growth: Data, personalization, and wearables
For fitness apps, high-quality data from OEM collaborations is the fuel that drives effective, long-term strategies, connecting user acquisition directly to user engagement and customer loyalty.
4. Data-driven precision and personalized campaigns
OEM platforms offer granular, first-party data that allows app marketers to create hyper-personalized OEM campaign experiences.
- Device-level targeting: Advertisers gain valuable insights into user behavior based on specific device models, price tiers, and typical usage patterns. This precision allows a fitness app focused on high-end strength training to target users of premium devices, while a beginner workout app can target users of entry-level devices.
- Behavioral analytics: The ability to target based on aggregated device activity—not just demographics—means the OEM ads can be shown when a user is most receptive to a new fitness experience, leading to higher relevance and conversion.
- Clear attribution: The OEM channel provides a cleaner, more transparent attribution chain, making it easier for app marketers to accurately measure the true return on ad spend (ROAS) and optimize for high-value conversions, rather than just app installs.
5. Synergy with wearables and fitness experiences
The partnership between a fitness app and a mobile OEM is a natural fit, leveraging the massive growth of wearables and connected devices.
- Seamless integration: Many mobile OEMs are also wearables manufacturers (e.g., Samsung). OEM collaboration can facilitate deeper, more seamless integration between the fitness app and the manufacturer’s wearables, delivering a superior, data-rich customer experience for fitness enthusiasts.
- Data enhancement: Integrating data from wearables allows the fitness app to offer more personalized workout routines and real-time coaching powered by Artificial Intelligence, increasing app engagement and customer loyalty. For instance, by incorporating heart rate data from a user’s smartwatch, the app can adjust the workout intensity in real time, providing a more personalized and effective fitness experience.
- Product promotion: Co-promotion through OEM placements can showcase how the fitness app seamlessly integrates with the OEM’s devices and wearables, creating a powerful marketing narrative that drives app downloads and OEM sales.
6. Complementing influencer marketing and ASO strategies
While OEM advertising provides foundational app visibility, it should be part of a larger, multi-channel strategy that includes influencer partnerships and traditional app store optimization (ASO).
- Amplifying brand awareness: Influencer marketing, through fitness influencer promotion on platforms like Instagram, builds authenticity and community. However, OEM placements take that brand awareness and turn it into direct, high-intent conversions on the device.
- Driving high-quality traffic: The credibility established by a major fitness influencer is complemented by the authority of an OEM partner. A user who saw a fitness app promoted by an influencer is then reassured when they see the same app prominently featured during the device setup, solidifying their decision to install.
- Optimization loop: Analytics data gleaned from OEM campaign performance provides valuable insight into which user segments respond best to the app. This information can then be fed back into optimizing creative assets for the app stores and refining targeting for influencer partnerships.
In conclusion
For any fitness brand seeking market leadership, OEM partnerships are not just an alternative; they are an essential feature of modern user acquisition. By treating mobile OEM advertising as a strategic OEM channel rather than a side experiment, app developers and app marketers can achieve measurable, sustainable app growth. The success of apps for fitness in the next decade will be defined by those who master this powerful direct-to-device strategy.
Stop competing in crowded search rankings. AVOW’s proprietary OEM partnerships provide the direct-to-device OEM channel that bypasses the clutter and instantly enhances your brand credibility. We give your fitness brand access to 86% of the global Android market and over 1.85 billion daily active users worldwide.
Ready to shift your strategy, acquire high-retention fitness enthusiasts, and turn passive views into profitable app installs?
Contact us now to unlock true app growth with a game-changing OEM advertising strategy.
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