“Hi everyone, and thank you for your interest in our 2026 Mobile OEM Advertising Guide. We are thrilled to share these insights with you. I’d love to show you exactly how our solutions fit your specific vertical and needs. So, let’s explore this burgeoning channel, and let’s unlock this opportunity together.” –Ashwin Shekhar, Co-Founder and CRO at AVOW
🧠 Already familiar with the basics of OEM Advertising? Skip OEM Basics
As app marketers, we’re all feeling the same pressure. The cost of acquiring users on social and search keeps climbing, while performance slowly erodes. Users have seen every ad format a thousand times and are tuning out. Standing out on Google Play or the App Store now feels almost impossible. The result? Even great brands are paying more and more for less and less.
Chapter 1: Introduction to OEM Advertising
OEM Advertising: The Third Pillar of App Growth
Enter the third pillar of app growth: mobile OEM advertising. By working with the world’s leading smartphone manufacturers, OEM advertising gives you access to over 1.85 billion daily active users, covering around 86% of the global Android market, through brand-safe, high-impact on-device placements.
Our goal is to demystify OEM advertising and show you, in practical terms, how to use it: where the real opportunities are, how to think about it alongside your existing channels, and how leading brands are already driving incremental, high-value growth with it. If you’re looking for a way to escape the rising-cost, shrinking-returns trap of the duopoly, this is where your 2026 user acquisition strategy starts.
Chapter 2: OEM Basics
Your OEM Advertising Guide 101
Before deploying capital and resources into a new channel, it is critical to understand its fundamental mechanics, true scale, and strategic value. The mobile OEM ecosystem represents one of the largest and most underleveraged opportunities in app marketing. It offers unparalleled reach in a secure, fraud-free environment, providing a direct line to users at key moments in their mobile journey.
Who is AVOW? What does AVOW do?
AVOW is an award-winning, global app growth company specializing in mobile OEM advertising. Founded with the vision to revolutionize mobile OEM advertising, AVOW has rapidly emerged as an industry leader with more than 100 advertisers on their roster. Through our partnerships with 13 premium mobile OEMs and our proprietary tech AVOW Intelligence, we provide access to over 1.85 billion daily active users and offer clients over 10 million monthly downloads.
What is Mobile OEM Advertising? 🤔📱
Think of it OEM Advertising as a method of advertising that comes directly from the phone manufacturers themselves, like Samsung, Xiaomi, or Huawei.
So instead of just competing on crowded social media or search platforms, your app gets placed right into the phone’s native ecosystem. This happens in three main ways:
📱Alternative App Stores
These are the manufacturer’s own app stores, like the Samsung Galaxy Store or Xiaomi GetApps. You can run ads here to capture high-intent users who are actively searching for new apps.
📱On-Device Placements
These are ads seamlessly integrated into the phone’s daily experience. You might see them as app suggestions in “smart folders,” on the lock screen, or in the phone’s browser.
📱Dynamic Preloads
This is when your app is recommended to users during the initial new-phone setup. It’s a powerful way to be on the device from day one, and these apps often have much higher retention rates.
What is the scale of the opportunity? How big are OEMs globally? 🗺️
It’s a common misconception, especially in markets like Latin America, to think the OEM channel is small. In reality, it’s a global powerhouse.
Just look at the numbers. They speak for themselves:
Global Reach: Through these partnerships, you get direct access to over 1.85 billion daily active users.
Market Dominance: Our partners cover 86% of the entire global Android market, representing the vast majority of users outside of iOS.
Proven Performance: This scale delivers real results. For our clients, we drive over 10 million app installs every single month.
It’s no longer a niche or “experimental” channel, but a foundational pillar for any brand that’s serious about achieving true scale on Android.
Is OEM advertising brand-safe? What about fraud? 🦺
Yes, OEM advertising is absolutely brand-safe. This is one of its biggest strengths. The ecosystem is fraud-free by design because it’s a “closed loop”.
Think about programmatic advertising, which often involves numerous intermediaries and ad exchanges. That’s where fraud like click spamming and ad stacking typically occurs. OEM advertising is different.
We work directly with the mobile manufacturer, and every single ad placement is controlled and served by the smartphone maker itself. This direct relationship simply eliminates the layers where fraud occurs, ensuring every dollar you spend reaches a real user on a real device.
How viable are alternative app stores?
Alternative app stores, or OEM-owned stores, are incredibly viable and represent a major opportunity. While the Google Play Store is massive with over 1.5 million apps, it is also intensely competitive and saturated.
In parallel, these OEM owned app stores have achieved a colossal scale of their own:
Stores from Xiaomi (GetApps), OPPO, and vivo each host over 1 million apps, rivaling the size of Google Play’s catalog.
Huawei’s AppGallery has become a dominant force with over 580 million monthly active users globally.
Xiaomi’s GetApps now reaches 260 million monthly active users in over 100 markets.
For advertisers, this is a profound opportunity. These alternative stores are high-growth environments with far less competition. This directly translates into greater efficiency, allowing you to acquire high-intent users at a significantly lower Cost Per Install (CPI) and Cost Per Acquisition (CPA).
💡 OEM Advertising Tip
OEM advertising uses smartphone manufacturers’ native ecosystems to reach 1.85B+ users through on-device placements and alternative app stores, offering fraud-free, high-intent, and cost-efficient app promotion beyond traditional channels.
Chapter 3a: OEM Market Share
Chapter 3a: OEM Market Share
Global Smartphone Market Share Overview
The global smartphone market returned to growth in the third quarter of 2025, with shipments increasing by 2.6%-4% year over year to reach approximately 322.7 million units. This recovery signals renewed consumer demand, fueled by innovative device form factors and the increasing availability of AI-enabled features. The following table provides a consolidated view of the global market share held by the top smartphone manufacturers, synthesizing data from leading industry analysis firms.
(Q3 2025 market share data)
0%
Samsung
0%
Xiaomi
0%
OPPO
0%
vivo
0%
Transsion
What do mobile users want in 2026?
“Mobile users are increasingly seeking seamless, multidevice experiences and value-driven interactions. There’s a growing demand for privacy -conscious apps and personalized content.”
The rapidly growing African market presents exciting opportunities for mobile advertisers. Reach millions through market leaders like Tecno, Itel, and Infinix, alongside popular choices such as Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, and Realme.
Mobile OEMs such as Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei have established a strong presence in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) region, bolstered by the increasing footprint of Vivo, OPPO, Itel, Infinix, and Tecno. This provides significant opportunities for advertisers to reach new users in the region with AVOW.
AVOW serves as Samsung’s key agency partner in Europe, offering access to 155 million Samsung EU users. Leverage advertising opportunities across mobile OEMs like Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo and their app stores, effectively reaching a broad audience of European mobile users.
As India approaches 1 billion smartphone users, AVOW’s mobile OEM partners, which command over 84% of the market share, present a significant untapped opportunity to achieve scalable user acquisition goals for your apps. Leverage this vast market to expand your reach and drive substantial growth.
AVOW is the only agency worldwide recognized by Xiaomi as a core agency in LATAM, one of the most popular mobile OEMs in the region. This partnership offers advertisers a unique opportunity to promote their apps on the Mi Store, reaching a vast and engaged audience.
The MENA region, including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and more, offers app developers and advertisers high smartphone penetration and a youthful, tech-savvy population. Partnering with AVOW’s mobile OEMs taps into their extensive reach, engaging up to 63% of mobile audiences in this market.
In South East Asia, AVOW operates as the core agency for Xiaomi, with OPPO devices covering a third of the market, alongside popular brands like Vivo, Itel, Infinix, and Tecno. Our mobile OEM partners can engage up to 63% of the mobile market in the region.
AVOW’s mobile OEM partners cover 86% of the global Android market, offering quality and scale. Reach over 1.85 billion daily active users worldwide by integrating mobile OEM advertising into your marketing mix and connect with untapped audiences beyond social, search, and SDK networks.
91%
Africa
75%
CIS
57%
EU
84%
India
55%
LATAM
70%
MENA
87%
SEA
Hover over the map or select a region to discover AVOW’s reach in this market
World
Africa
CIS region
Europe
India
LATAM
Middle East
South East Asia
91% audience reach
Africa
The rapidly growing African market presents exciting opportunities for mobile advertisers. Reach millions through market leaders like Tecno, Itel, and Infinix, alongside popular choices such as Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, and Realme.
Top OEMs in the region
✪ Samsung
✪ Xiaomi
✪ Transsion: Tecno, Itel, and Infinix
75% audience reach
CIS region
Mobile OEMs such as Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei have established a strong presence in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) region, bolstered by the increasing footprint of Vivo, OPPO, Itel, Infinix, and Tecno. This provides significant opportunities for advertisers to reach new users in the region with AVOW.
Top OEMs in the region
✪ Samsung
✪ Xiaomi
✪ realme (OPPO)
57% audience reach
Europe
AVOW serves as Samsung’s key agency partner in Europe, offering access to 155 million Samsung EU users. Leverage advertising opportunities across mobile OEMs like Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo and their app stores, effectively reaching a broad audience of European mobile users.
Top OEMs in the region
✪ Samsung
✪ Xiaomi
✪ OPPO
84% audience reach
India
As India approaches 1 billion smartphone users, AVOW’s mobile OEM partners, which command over 84% of the market share, present a significant untapped opportunity to achieve scalable user acquisition goals for your apps. Leverage this vast market to expand your reach and drive substantial growth.
Top OEMs in the region
✪ vivo ✪ Xiaomi ✪ realme (OPPO)
55% audience reach
LATAM
AVOW is the only agency worldwide recognized by Xiaomi as a core agency in LATAM, one of the most popular mobile OEMs in the region. This partnership offers advertisers a unique opportunity to promote their apps on the Mi Store, reaching a vast and engaged audience.
Top OEMs in the region
✪ Samsung ✪ Xiaomi ✪ Transsion: Tecno, Itel, and Infinix
70% audience reach
Middle East
The MENA region, including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and more, offers app developers and advertisers high smartphone penetration and a youthful, tech-savvy population. Partnering with AVOW’s mobile OEMs taps into their extensive reach, engaging up to 63% of mobile audiences in this market.
Top OEMs in the region
✪ Samsung ✪ Xiaomi ✪ Transsion: Tecno, Itel, and Infinix
87% audience reach
South East Asia
In South East Asia, AVOW operates as the core agency for Xiaomi, with OPPO devices covering a third of the market, alongside popular brands like Vivo, Itel, Infinix, and Tecno. Our mobile OEM partners can engage up to 63% of the mobile market in the region.
Top OEMs in the region
✪ Samsung ✪ Transsion: Tecno, Itel, and Infinix ✪ Xiaomi
Chapter 3c: OEM Spotlight
For each key Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), this section will drill down into three critical dimensions: Market Share, to assess competitive rank; App Store & User Base, to evaluate ecosystem strength; and Demographic Focus, to identify their core target consumers. Click on each section tab to reveal the in-depth analysis.
Samsung
Xiaomi
Huawei
OPPO
vivo
Transsion
HONOR
World’s Largest OEM
Samsung
Advertising Options: App Store
A leading global OEM with over 1 billion active users and an 18% international market share, Samsung partners with AVOW agency to exclusively target its 155 million EU users and grow its Galaxy Store offerings in Europe.
Market Share
North America: Holds the #2 position with a 22.46% market share as of September 2025.
Europe: The #1 Android OEM and #2 vendor overall in Europe, with a 31.27% market share as of September 2025.
Latin America (LATAM): The dominant market leader, holding the #1 position with a 33% share in Q2 2025 and 30.58% in September 2025.
India: Ranked #2 in Q3 2025, shipping 6.8 million units for a 14% market share.
Southeast Asia (SEA): A top-tier player, ranking #1 in Q1 2025 with a 19% share and #3 in Q2 2025.
CIS (Russia): Holds the #2 spot with an 18.56% market share as of September 2025.
App Store & User Base
Galaxy Store: The proprietary app store for Samsung devices. It offers a developer-friendly revenue share model, with developers earning 80% on paid apps and in-app items, and 85% on subscriptions—a marked improvement from Google’s 30% cut on all paid apps, IAPs, and subscriptions.
Active Users: Samsung has a massive global footprint with over 1.03 billion active smartphone users. The SmartThings ecosystem, accessible via the Galaxy Store, has over 380 million users.
Demographic Focus
Samsung targets a broad demographic spectrum, from budget-conscious users with the Galaxy A series to high-income, tech-savvy professionals with its premium Galaxy S flagship and Galaxy Z foldable line.
The core user base is largely composed of Gen X and Millennials, who are noted to have high brand loyalty.
AVOW is a key Samsung agency partner in Europe, providing access to 155 million Samsung users in the EU.
Xiaomi, the third-largest global smartphone vendor with over 606 million international monthly active users, recognizes AVOW as its core agency across four major regions (EMEA, India, SEA, and LATAM) to boost visibility and growth in its digital ecosystem.
Market Share
Global: Consistently ranks #3 globally, shipping 43.5 million units in Q3 2025 for a 13.5-14% market share.
Europe: A strong #3 vendor with an 11.1% market share as of September 2025. The brand is consolidating its recovery in the region.
Latin America (LATAM): A top-three player, ranked #3 in Q3 2024 and Q2 2025, and is a key growth driver in the region.
Southeast Asia (SEA): A market leader, ranking #1 in Q2 2025 with a 19% share and #2 in Q1 2025 with a 17% share.
India: Tied for #3 in Q3 2025, shipping 6.5 million units for a 13% market share.
CIS (Russia): A top-three player with an 18.39% market share in September 2025.
App Store & User Base
GetApps: Xiaomi’s official app store, which boasts over 260 million monthly active users (MAU) across 100+ markets. It lists over 1 million apps.
Global Users: The company’s global MAU reached a record high of 731.2 million in June 2025.
Demographic Focus
Xiaomi’s primary user groups include office workers, students, and the middle class.
The brand also targets tech-savvy consumers, photographers, and videographers with its high-end “Ultra” models, developed in collaboration with Leica.
AVOW is the only agency worldwide recognized by Xiaomi as a core agency in India, Southeast Asia, EMEA, and LATAM simultaneously.
Huawei maintains a robust global presence, reaching over 500 million daily active users and operating in 216 countries, while its AppGallery generates intense user activity, with over 350 million monthly searches and 750 million daily downloads.
Market Share
Global: While no longer in the global top 5 for overall smartphone shipments, Huawei has become the dominant leader in the foldable smartphone segment, capturing 48% of global foldable shipments in the first half of 2025.
CIS (Russia): Holds a 3.94% market share as of September 2025.
App Store & User Base
AppGallery: Huawei’s official app marketplace. It has over 580 million global monthly active users and features over 220,000 apps integrated with Huawei Mobile Services (HMS).
Global Users: The company reports over 700 million active users globally, and its HarmonyOS is installed on over 1 billion devices.
Demographic Focus
Huawei targets a diverse range of consumers, from business-focused individuals (Mate series) and “technophiles” to college students.
The core user demographic is 25 to 47 years old, a group with stable income and a high acceptance of new technology. The brand also attracts high-income users, with 83 million users owning premium devices.
AVOW is the recipient of the Huawei Strategic Partner Award, and strengthened its partnership further by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during Mobile World Congress (MWC).
OPPO maintains its position as a top-six global vendor with an ~9% market share, and its combined ecosystem – which includes OnePlus and realme – reaches a massive over 600 million users across more than 70 countries.
Market Share
Global: A top 5 global vendor, often tied with vivo, holding approximately 9% of the market in Q3 2025.
Southeast Asia (SEA): A key market for OPPO, where it ranked #4 in Q1 2025 (14% share) and Q2 2025 (14% share). The brand shows strong performance in the region with its affordable 5G models.
India: Tied for #3 in Q3 2025, shipping 6.5 million units for a 13% market share. OnePlus is also noted as re-emerging in the Indian market.
App Store & User Base
ColorOS / OPPO App Market: The brand’s operating system, ColorOS, has over 600 million global monthly active users.
AI Focus: OPPO aims to deliver generative AI features to nearly 100 million users by the end of 2025.
Demographic Focus
OPPO’s main target consumer group is “young people”. This is supported by demographic data from key markets in Southeast Asia, where the 18-24 and 25-34 age brackets make up the vast majority of users.
The brand is aggressively promoted as an expert in selfies and camera technology, collaborating with Hasselblad, a photography brand, on a number of its premium devices.
AVOW has been recognized as the “OPPO Ads Strategic Agency”, enhancing opportunities for advertisers and app developers.
vivo is a rapidly growing global player, currently ranked the #6 smartphone company worldwide, connecting over 75 million phone users globally, with a massive user base in key Asian markets including 42 million in India and 13 million in Indonesia.
Market Share
Global: A top 5 global vendor, shipping 28.8 million units in Q3 2025 for a 9% market share.
India: The #1 smartphone brand in India for six consecutive quarters, holding a 20% market share in Q3 2025 with 9.7 million units shipped
Southeast Asia (SEA): A top 5 player, shipping 2.7 million units for a 12% share in Q1 2025. The brand continues to gain solid traction in the region.
App Store & User Base
V-Appstore / OriginOS: The vivo developer platform reports 260 million total users and 160 million monthly active users, driving over 32.8 million daily app distributions. The store lists over 1 million apps.
China Market: In China, the V-Appstore has 138 million MAU and a 10.54% market share.
Demographic Focus
vivo’s brand positioning is defined by “youthfulness and fashionability”.
The primary target audience is the 18-40 age group, with the 18-25 segment showing the strongest preference.
Their recent success with the X series, with their Zeiss collaboration and branding, is building them an ever-growing premium segment audience targeted at users who value photographic prowess.
AVOW has won the “Best Agency” award from vivo, and is the Performance Ads Global Core Agency for vivo across Southeast Asia and other key regions.
Transsion is a globally rising OEM, ranking as a top-five smartphone manufacturer that successfully dominates emerging markets, particularly Africa, through its specialized sub-brands itel, Infinix, and TECNO
Market Share
Global: Transsion has broken into the top tier, ranking #4 globally in Q3 2025 with 29.2 million units shipped and a 9% market share.
Africa: The undisputed market leader. Transsion held a 51% market share in Q2 2025, shipping 9.7 million units. It is the region’s largest player. In Nigeria, its brands (Tecno, Infinix, itel) collectively hold over 50% of the market.
Southeast Asia (SEA): A powerful new force, ranking #3 in Q1 2025 (15% share) and rising to #2 in Q2 2025 (18% share).
Latin America (LATAM): Ranked #4 in the region in Q3 2024.
South Asia: Dominates several markets, holding the #1 rank in Pakistan (over 40% share) and Bangladesh (29.2% share).
App Store & User Base
PalmStore: This is the official app store for all Transsion brands, including Tecno, itel, and Infinix. It is available in over 130 countries
Demographic Focus
Transsion’s strategy is built on dominating emerging markets, specifically Africa, South Asia, SEA, and LATAM.
The brands are known as mass-market engines, mastering the sub-200 price segments to target price-sensitive consumers.
Recently, the Tecno brand has begun pushing into the premium tier with models like the $1,000 Phantom V Fold.
AVOW is the Gold Agency for Transsion, and is also the debut Transsion Mobile Internet Agency Partner in Indonesia.
Fastest Growing Global OEM
HONOR
Advertising Options: Dynamic Preloads
HONOR is the fastest-growing OEM, leveraging over 200 million active devices globally to connect with a young, tech-savvy user base, and is the first official partner for premium Google Play Auto Install inventory.
Market Share
Global: While not in the global top 5, Honor is expanding rapidly and aims to achieve 70 million global smartphone sales in 2025.
China: A major player, ranking #6 in a highly competitive Q3 2025, shipping 9.8 million units for a 14.4% market share.
Europe: Experiencing rapid expansion, with 42% year-over-year growth reported in 2025.
Africa: Showed significant 283% growth in Q1 2025 and doubled its market share year-over-year in Q2 2025.
CIS (Russia): Holds a 3.79% market share as of September 2025.
App Store & User Base
Honor App Market: Honor has over 200 million active users globally.
China Market: In China, its app store has 97 million MAU and a 7.43% market share.
Demographic Focus
Honor’s target audience is millennials and people pursuing young fashionable lifestyles.
The brand focuses on delivering high-tech features like advanced cameras at affordable prices to attract young, tech-savvy consumers and photography enthusiasts.
AVOW is a key strategic partner for HONOR, receiving the “Global Best Support Partner Award” from for excellence in delivering high-performance user acquisition via Dynamic Preloads.
Chapter 4: Display Advertising
Chapter 4: Display Advertising
Effective OEM Ad Formats
AVOW’s display advertising offers creative ad formats for mobile OEM devices and alternative app stores. From banners to native ads, we ensure your app resonates with the right audience at every stage of the mobile journey.
Display Ads
Native Ads
Video Ads
App Store Ads
Display Ads include banner ads, splash ads, popup ads, icon ads, interstitials, and push notifications designed to capture attention.
Native Ads seamlessly integrate into system apps and functions, such as utility apps, music players, newsfeeds, settings menus, app drawers, lock screens, and wallpaper carousels, providing a non-intrusive, organic advertising experience.
Video Ad formats include rewarded ads, pre/mid/post-roll ads, and interstitial ads. These strategically engage users at natural user journey transitions or through incentivized interactions.
App Store Ads on mobile OEM app stores include recommended and essential apps, carousel banners, pop-ups, search ads, and app store featuring, designed to engage users during critical app discovery moments./
Chapter 4: Display Advertising
The Minus-One Screen
Definition: Located to the immediate left of the home screen, this dashboard (e.g., Xiaomi App Vault, Samsung Free) aggregates utilities, news, and shortcuts.
Ad Format: Ads appear as native content, such as news cards or recommended widgets. They mimic the system’s UI and fonts to blend seamlessly with organic tools like weather or step counters.
Value: This placement targets users in a “lean-in” mindset who are actively seeking information, offering a high-intent opportunity for brand discovery.
Chapter 4: Display Advertising
Native & In-App System Placements
OEMs pre-install a suite of utility apps, such as Browser, Music, Security, File Manager, Themes, and Weather, that see massive daily usage. These system apps serve as fertile ground for native display advertising.
Native ads are designed to match the form and function of the user experience in which they are placed. Think of them as chameleons that blend in with organic content, thereby reducing ad fatigue.
Chapter 4: Display Advertising
Smart Folders and Dynamic Icon Placements
Mechanism: These are auto-categorized folders (e.g., “Games,” “Shopping”) on the home screen. OEMs place suggested app icons alongside the user’s installed apps, visually matching the existing library.
User Action: While the icons look native, tapping a “suggested” app directs the user to the app store or initiates an immediate download.
Value: This format drives high conversion through semantic relevance. By targeting specific categories (e.g., showing an e-commerce ad in a “Shopping” folder), advertisers leverage the user’s active intent, minimizing wasted impressions.
Chapter 4: Display Advertising
Lock Screen Magazine and Wallpaper Ads
Definition: OEMs (e.g., Samsung Glance, Huawei Magazine Unlock) utilize the lock screen as a high-impact, full-screen display canvas.
Format: High-resolution images change every time the device wakes, featuring headlines and “swipe” mechanics that link to landing pages or app stores.
Value: This acts as a personal billboard, prioritizing massive reach and brand awareness. It generates high impressions by placing visuals front and center before the device is even unlocked.
Chapter 4: Display Advertising
Push Notifications
Mechanism: Unlike standard app notifications, these are delivered directly by the OEM to the entire device base, bypassing the need for a prior app installation.
Format: These are push notifications that support large banner images, emojis, and interactive buttons (e.g., “Install Now”). The use of rich media is shown to boost reaction rates by 20–25%.
Value: They offer exceptional visibility by leveraging the trust of the OEM. OEMs utilize algorithms and device-level data to time delivery perfectly, maximizing open rates.
Chapter 4: Display Advertising
Crafting a First Impression with Splash Ads
The splash ad is a full-screen visual that appears immediately when the user launches the app store (or other system apps like Music or Video). It creates a takeover effect that guarantees 100% share-of-voice (SOV) for a brief moment.
The ad occupies the entire screen for a fixed duration, typically 3 to 5 seconds, before the app loads. It almost always includes a “Skip” button, usually located in the top right corner, which appears after a set number of seconds (e.g., 3 seconds).
Chapter 4: Display Advertising
Video Ads
Format: Typically vertical (9:16) short-form videos that utilize autoplay (often muted) as users scroll. They offer an immersive experience that immediately captures attention without requiring a full-screen interruption.
Value: This format prioritizes engagement and storytelling. It is ideal for “show, don’t tell” scenarios, such as demonstrating gameplay or app features, driving higher click-through rates (CTR) and deeper user understanding than static banners.
On innovations they are excited about in 2026
“We are excited about deepening native and system-level ad experiences. Our integrations within system apps like the Lock Screen, App Vault, Mi Browser, and GetApps allow ads to feel like a natural part of the user interface.”
Bono Wu
Head of Sales for US, EU & LATAM, Xiaomi
Unsure which OEM is the best fit for your app?
Don’t worry, our experts will pinpoint the right solution for you – fast. Get in touch and let us show you how AVOW can boost your app’s growth with mobile OEM advertising.
Android is decoupling from the Google Play Store. Regulatory pressures, such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in Europe, and Google’s upcoming “Registered App Stores” feature, to be introduced this year with Android 17, are turning alternative app stores into alternatives no longer. OEM app stores have transitioned from secondary backups to primary discovery engines. With near-zero technical integrations required and a simple submission process made possible by partners like AVOW, the question for advertisers isn’t “how do I get onto the app stores?” but rather “how can alternative app stores grow my app?”
Chapter 5: Alternative App Stores
App Store Banner Ads and App Featuring
These are the workhorses of app store visibility, appearing as standard display banners on the homepage, category pages (e.g., “Top Charts,” “New Releases”), or “Must Have” lists.
Formats: Carousel Banners: Rotating banners at the very top of the store’s home page. These are the most coveted spots, offering high visibility but often requiring higher bids.
Inline Banners: Rectangular ads inserted between rows of app icons in the feed. These are less intrusive and can be highly effective when targeted correctly.
Insight: Because these ads are placed within a discovery environment where users are already psychologically primed to download, they often yield higher conversion rates (CVR) compared to web display ads.
Chapter 5: Alternative App Stores
Search Ads & Visual Search
While primarily text-based in traditional contexts, search ads in OEM stores are evolving into display-rich formats.
Mechanism: When a user searches for a specific term (e.g., “RPG game” or a competitor’s name), the advertiser’s app appears at the top of the results list. Unlike simple text links, these ads often include the app icon, star rating, and screenshots.
Keyword Search: Offers robust keyword bidding functionality similar to Apple Search Ads, allowing advertisers to capture intent at the moment of query.
Visual Search (Petal Search): Huawei’s Petal Search engine takes this a step further with “Visual Search.” Users can take a photo of an object, and the search engine returns visually similar results, including app recommendations. This opens up new inventory for display ads that are triggered by visual queries rather than text keywords.
Chapter 5: Alternative App Stores
App Store Featuring
AVOW enables app featuring across multiple alternative app stores, ensuring higher visibility and maximum impact for your advertising campaigns.
Up to 3x your daily install volume
New users across diverse platforms
Special sales promotions and personalized app recommendations
Available on Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo
Chapter 6: Dynamic Preloads & OOBE
Dynamic Preloads: The Frictionless First Install
Dynamic Preloads, powered by Google Play Auto Install (PAI), allows a selection of apps, presented by the OEM,to be installed in the background upon user selection when a user sets up a new device.
1. Device setup
2. Network connection
3. User opts in
4. App installed!
Chapter 6: Dynamic Preloads & OOBE
Key Benefits of Dynamic Preloads
Latest Version Guarantee: Users always receive the most up-to-date APK directly from the Google Play Store.
Cost Efficiency: Generally requires smaller budgets than traditional UA campaigns.
Speed to Market: Offers a quicker turnaround from campaign launch to app discovery.
Zero Technical Know-How: No SDK implementation or complex technical integration is required.
Performance-Based: Operates on a Cost Per Install (CPI) model, ensuring you pay only for results.
User Choice: Includes ‘Opt-out’ functionality, respecting user preference and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Targeting Precision: Optimization based on specific device models after the initial launch.
Competitive Protection: Allows for price fencing from competition by setting up Private Marketplace (PMP) deals.
First-Mover Advantage: The ability to be the first app a user sees on a brand-new smartphone.
Chapter 6: Dynamic Preloads & OOBE
OOBE: The OEM-Direct Pathway
The Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) is similar to Dynamic Preloads in that it presents apps to users during the initial device setup, but differs critically in its underlying delivery method.
Direct OEM Integration: Does not require Google Play Services. App downloads are facilitated directly through the OEM’s native app store infrastructure (e.g., Xiaomi GetApps, Huawei AppGallery).
Policy Flexibility: Enables app verticals that may face restrictions on Google Play (such as real-money gaming or specific fintech apps) to be preloaded, subject to the individual OEM’s app store rules.
Freedom of Choice: Allows developers to move away from excessive reliance on Google and its policies by working directly with OEM infrastructure.
Flexible Models: Allows developers to take advantage of alternate payment solutions and flexible performance models for greater ROAS
On Dynamic Preloads and OOBE
“Dynamic Preloads are a game-changer for app developers seeking to maximize their visibility from day one. By placing apps directly in front of users, we ensure they have the spotlight, significantly boosting organic installs”
Bono Wu
Head of Sales for US, EU & LATAM, Xiaomi
Chapter 7: Branding & Targeting
Branding, The Untapped Awareness Engine
While often viewed strictly as a performance channel for driving installs, mobile OEMs offer one of the most powerful, and underutilized, branding environments in the digital ecosystem.
Unlike the feed fatigue users experience on social platforms, OEM branding placements command 100% Share of Voice (SOV) during the most critical moments of a user’s mobile journey: unlocking their phone, opening a system app, or browsing their native news feed. Advertisers do not need an app to utilise OEM branding. Any event, website or awareness campaign can take advantage of the full suite of OEM branding offerings.
Chapter 7: Branding & Targeting
An Uninterrupted Opportunity
Total Share of Voice: Formats like Splash Ads (displayed when opening system apps like Music or Video) and Lock Screen posters offer full-screen visibility with zero competition from other advertisers.
Native Trust: Ads placed in native environments or native browser feeds are perceived as system-level recommendations, borrowing the inherent trust users have in their device manufacturer.
The E-commerce Surge: OEMs are the primary battleground during major shopping festivals (e.g., 11.11, Black Friday). Data shows that leveraging core media placements (Splash, Push, Lock Screen) during these periods can drive a 30% increase in Daily Active Users (DAU).
Chapter 7: Branding & Targeting
Mobile OEM Targeting Capabilities
Retargeting
Allows you to reach users who have previously interacted with your brand or app
Geographic
Allows you to reach users in specific locations, such as a state, city or country
Keyword
Allows you to reach users based on specific keywords they have searched for or used in profiles
Appographic
Allows you to reach specific segments of users based on the apps they have installed on their devices
Device Type
Allows you to reach users on specific types of devices, such as smartphones or tablets
Socio Demographic
Allows you to reach specific segments of users based on their age, gender, income, and other demographic information
User Behaviour
Allows you to reach users based on their past actions, such as purchases or app usage
App Category Targeting
Allows you to reach users based on the app categories they frequently use
Time Spent on App Categories
Allows you to target users who spend more time on certain app categories
Chapter 8. Ad Formats for Every Goal
Mapping Ad Placements to the User Journey
The OEM ecosystem offers a diverse portfolio of ad formats, each designed to engage users at different stages of their mobile journey. By strategically mapping these formats to specific marketing objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs), advertisers can build effective full-funnel campaigns.
The following table provides a framework for aligning ad formats with desired outcomes.
Marketing Funnel Stage
Ad Format
Primary KPI
Strategic Goal
Awareness
Display Ads (Splash, Banners)
CPM, Reach
Maximize brand visibility and top-of-mind awareness
Consideration
Dynamic Preloads, OOBE
Fixed CPI, High Reach
Introduce the app in a non-intrusive, relevant way during the moment of heightened awareness and exploration (new device set-up)
Conversion
App Store Ads (Search, Banners, Featuring)
CPI, CVR
Capture high-intent users actively looking for new apps
Loyalty & Retention
Display Ads
ROAS, Cost-per-action
Secure a place on the user's device and mindshare, driving long-term value
Re-Engagement
Push Notifications, Icon Ads
Re-engagement Rate, CPA
Bring dormant users back into the app to complete a desired action
On the continued impact of AI in 2026
“AI will revolutionize mobile advertising by enabling predictive analytics, dynamic ad optimization, and real-time decision-making. Advertisers will use AI to analyze vast datasets, predict user behavior, and deliver highly targeted ads. Additionally, AI-powered creative tools will streamline ad production, allowing for faster experimentation and iteration.”
Domingo Mendez
European Mobile Ecosystem Partnerships, Samsung
Chapter 9: Measuring True Impact
OEM channels aren’t just about vanity metrics. When working with a partner like AVOW, advertisers can set impactful and measurable KPIs that provide them with not just growth, but sustainability as well. Whether it’s looking at down-funnel events such as a first purchase for e-commerce apps or first-time deposits for fintech apps, or metrics such as day 7 or day 30 retention for gaming apps, OEM channels have proven to go just beyond the install.
Chapter 9: Measuring True Impact
Shifting the Focus from CPI to CPA, ROAS, and LTV
Evaluating the OEM channel solely on the basis of CPI is a common but critical mistake that overlooks its most significant advantages: user quality and long-term value.
While OEM advertising is often highly cost-efficient on an install basis, its true impact is revealed through the analysis of down-funnel metrics that measure actual business outcomes. The value of the channel lies in the high-quality, engaged users it acquires. Because OEM placements are native to the device experience, they attract users who are more likely to trust the recommendation and exhibit stronger long-term retention.
To measure this impact accurately, advertisers must track and can set KPIs for post-install events such as registrations, first-time deposits, purchases, and subscription renewals. This is made possible through deep integrations with all major Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs), which allow for seamless and transparent tracking of the full user lifecycle.
This data feeds into proprietary optimization tools like AVOW Intelligence, which analyzes campaign performance in real time. The platform dynamically adjusts bidding and targeting not just to lower the cost of an install, but to achieve specific KPI goals set by the advertiser, such as a target CPA or ROAS. This technology-driven approach transforms OEM advertising from a simple acquisition channel into a sophisticated performance marketing engine, ensuring that every campaign is optimized to deliver measurable and sustainable business growth.
Chapter 10: OEM Advertising Success
Chapter 10: OEM Advertising Success
Superior Return on Ad Spend ROAS
OEM ads benefit from the trust of the manufacturer. When an OEM recommends an app, it carries more weight than a random banner on a gaming site.
Case Study #1 – Exness: The fintech trading platform Exness partnered with AVOW to leverage OEM inventory in key emerging markets. The result was a staggering 1000% ROAS, far surpassing their benchmarks on traditional networks. The campaign demonstrated that high-value traders could be acquired effectively through device-level targeting.
Case Study #2 – Joom: The e-commerce platform achieved a 150% ROAS through targeted OEM campaigns. By reaching users during the device setup phase, Joom positioned itself as a default shopping utility in over 10 different markets, facilitating over 15,000 purchases during the campaign period.
1000%
ROAS Exness
150%
ROAS Joom
Chapter 10: OEM Advertising Success
Cost Efficiency CPA/CPI
As competition on Meta and Google drives bidding prices to unsustainable levels, OEM inventory remains a comparative blue ocean.
Benchmark: Apps running campaigns via OEM channels consistently see approximately 30% lower Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) compared to traditional app store marketing.
Case Study #3 – Milanuncios: The leading classifieds app achieved a 23% reduction in eCPA while simultaneously growing its user base by over 30% through AVOW’s partnership.
Case Study #4 – LOTTO24: The lottery app managed to reduce its eCPA by 50% while growing installs by an impressive 170%, proving that regulated verticals can also thrive in this ecosystem.
23%
eCPA reduction Milanuncios
30%
User growth Milanuncios
50%
eCPA reduction LOTTO24
170%
Install growth LOTTO24
Chapter 10: OEM Advertising Success
Retention and Lifetime Value LTV
The ultimate metric of success is not the install, but the retention. Users acquired via OEM channels, particularly through dynamic preloads, show “sticky” behavior.
Case Study #5 – Funvent Studios: This gaming studio exceeded its retention goals, achieving a Day 7 retention rate of 8.5%. This margin represents a massive increase in LTV when scaled across millions of users.
Data Insight: The lower uninstall rates associated with OEM acquisitions mean that the effective Cost Per Retained User (CPRU) is often significantly better than other channels, even if the initial CPI is comparable.
"AVOW helped us unlock a powerful channel that cut through the limitations of traditional ad platforms. We now view OEMs as essential to our marketing mix."
Christian Nakazawa
Branding Team Leader, BingoPlus
Gaming
"AVOW understands the dynamics of growing gaming apps, and their strong partnerships with top OEMs sets them apart."
Kiran Babu
Founder, Funvent Studios
Gaming
"Through AVOW's strategic expertise, our gaming apps have reached new audiences and experienced significant growth in alternative app stores."
Artem Tolstobrov
UA Team Tead, Axlebolt
Gaming
"AVOW truly understands the gaming app landscape. Their ability to tap into new, scalable user acquisition channels and optimize targeting strategies has been invaluable."
Ben Barta
Senior Growth Manager, Tripledot Studios
Fintech
"AVOW helped us go beyond just acquiring users — they delivered high-quality leads that turned into real, active customers."
Giovanna Laporta
Performance Media Analyst, C6 Bank
Fintech
"By connecting us with high-quality users, AVOW has delivered exceptional growth and efficiency. We’re excited for more success together."
Sounak Mondal
Senior Manager, Performance Marketing
Misc
“Working with AVOW allows us to reach several OEMs at once, saving time and resources, compared to buying from multiple channels.”
Amit Raman
Digital Marketing Lead BYJU’s
E-Commerce
“AVOW’s partnership was instrumental in elevating our user acquisition efforts. Their ability to consistently drive a cost-efficient campaign was a major factor in our success.”
Alex Piriz
Growth Marketing Manager
Fintech
“AVOW has been instrumental in scaling our trading app’s mobile marketing while navigating the competitive and restricted fintech market. AVOW's expertise in mobile OEM advertising helped us unlock new inventory, acquire high-quality traders, and achieve over 1000% ROAS in key markets.”
Sotiris Sotiriadis
Performance (UA) Media Team Lead, Exness
E-Commerce
“AVOW was able to acquire users for Joom on a high scale, consistently surpassing our KPIs on engagement and compliance via OEM Inventory.”
Mikhail Biteryakov
Business Analyst, Joom
Fintech
“AVOW leveraged its partnership with Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo globally to find untapped audiences for Kredivo while playing as the one-stop solution to manage all inventory from OEMs.
Kelvin Saputra
Head of Performance Marketing, Kredivo
E-CommerceGamingMisc
“AVOW offers a great solution and service to scale our mobile marketing efforts by aggregating alternative advertising inventory through their strong mobile OEMs partnerships.”
Alex Tshering
Chief Growth Officer, Kumu
GamingMisc
“AVOW added high value in our user acquisition strategy by constantly presenting new opportunities to promote our app through additional smartphone brands."
Nils Arlt
App UA & ASO, LOTTO24
E-Commerce
"AVOW continuously introduces new ideas and innovative solutions for OEM inventories, with an approach that keeps us ahead of the curve in our advertising efforts."
Marina, Diogo & Gabriela
Marketing Team, Magalu
Fintech
“AVOW was our chosen partner to run all media buying Ads on OEM Devices in APAC and Africa. They are our extended team of mobile User Acquisition and we couldn’t be more satisfied!”
Ruslan Dzhusupov
CPA Manager, OctaFX
Gaming
“We are very satisfied with our AVOW partnership: the team is extremely knowledgeable about the OEM industry, seamlessly managing our campaigns across over 30 countries.”
Vladimir Yarkin
CMO, Zephyr Mobile
On new opportunities for mobile advertisers in 2026
“I believe a major opportunity lies in precausal audience targeting and shortened conversion paths. At Xiaomi, we make it easier for app developers and advertisers to reach new users who are interested in similar apps, but haven’t found theirs yet. Furthermore, formats like the Mini-Card in our GetApps store enable automatic app downloads upon click, eliminating the redirect to an app marketplace. This significantly reduces user drop-off and improves conversion efficiency.”
Bono Wu
Head of Sales for US, EU & LATAM, Xiaomi
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