Can retargeting be read alongside acquisition?

These users already know the app, so CPA reads low. Merged reporting makes acquisition look better than it is.

How do you know retargeting added anything?

Hold out an unexposed group and compare. Conversion rate inside the exposed group cannot answer it on its own.

What does app retargeting need first?

Audience segments, deferred deep links to the right screen, and personalized copy.

2 Campaign · 2-4

App Retargeting & Re-engagement

Retargeting drives existing users back and revives dormant ones. The keys are (1) precise audience segmentation, (2) deferred deep links landing users on the exact screen, (3) personalized copy.

Channel · Meta/Google retargetingCustomer List + LookalikeDeferred deep link required

Summary

Run user acquisition (UA) and retargeting (RT) as separate campaigns. RT builds Lookalikes from LTV-validated high-value seeds and reaches 7–30-day dormant users with personalized messaging. Every RT ad click must route through a deferred deep link straight to the last screen the user saw.

§1 Audience segmentation

Segment↕	Definition↕	Target message↕	Expected ROAS↕
Cart Abandoner	add_to_cart, no purchase within 24h	Cart items + free-shipping coupon	8.0x
First Purchase	1 purchase, no repurchase for 14 days	5% off the second purchase	5.5x
VIP Dormant	purchase ≥ 3, inactive last 30 days	New-arrival curation + personalized picks	12.0x
7d Inactive	no session_start for 7 days, install < 30d	New items in recently viewed categories	3.2x
30d Inactive	30 days inactive, non-paying	Comeback coupon + seasonal bestsellers	2.0x

§2 Deferred deep links

Retargeting ad click → users without the app go via the store, then route to the original ad URL on first launch. Uses the DeeplinkRouter from guide 1-1.

Adjust retargeting URL example

https://app.adjust.com/{tracker_token}?
  campaign=rt_cart_abandoner_2026_05
  &adgroup=meta_lookalike_1p
  &creative=video_cart_v3
  &deeplink=myapp%3A%2F%2Fcart%3Fpromo%3DFREESHIP
  &fallback=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.example.com%2Fcart
  &reengagement_window=30

§3 Lookalike seed design

Primary seed: VIP purchasers — purchase 3+ or top-10% LTV. Build the network Lookalike at 1%.
Secondary seed: high engagement — D7 retention held + 5+ sessions/day. Use when the primary seed is too small.
Forbidden seeds: plain installers or signup-only users — you get a Lookalike that only resembles "people likely to click ads", with cheap CPI but below-average LTV.

§4 Troubleshooting

Retargeting and UA hit the same users and cannibalize

Always add a Customer List (installers) exclusion to UA campaigns. Meta: Audience Suppression option; Google: handle via the campaign's Negative Audience.

Deferred deep link doesn't fire on first launch

See guide 1-1 §4. Android depends on the Install Referrer API; iOS requires LinkMe or Universal Link domain verification.

Customer List match rate is low (under 40% on Meta)

Normalization was skipped before hashing emails/phone numbers. Lowercase, strip whitespace, unify country codes (+82 etc.), then SHA-256. Meta accepts only hashes, never raw values.

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Related resources

App Retargeting & Re-engagement

Retargeting drives existing users back and revives dormant ones. The keys are (1) precise audience segmentation, (2) deferred deep links landing users on the exact screen, (3) personalized copy.

Channel · Meta/Google retargetingCustomer List + LookalikeDeferred deep link required

Summary

§1 Audience segmentation

Segment↕	Definition↕	Target message↕	Expected ROAS↕
Cart Abandoner	add_to_cart, no purchase within 24h	Cart items + free-shipping coupon	8.0x
First Purchase	1 purchase, no repurchase for 14 days	5% off the second purchase	5.5x
VIP Dormant	purchase ≥ 3, inactive last 30 days	New-arrival curation + personalized picks	12.0x
7d Inactive	no session_start for 7 days, install < 30d	New items in recently viewed categories	3.2x
30d Inactive	30 days inactive, non-paying	Comeback coupon + seasonal bestsellers	2.0x

§2 Deferred deep links

Retargeting ad click → users without the app go via the store, then route to the original ad URL on first launch. Uses the DeeplinkRouter from guide 1-1.

Adjust retargeting URL example

https://app.adjust.com/{tracker_token}?
  campaign=rt_cart_abandoner_2026_05
  &adgroup=meta_lookalike_1p
  &creative=video_cart_v3
  &deeplink=myapp%3A%2F%2Fcart%3Fpromo%3DFREESHIP
  &fallback=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.example.com%2Fcart
  &reengagement_window=30

§3 Lookalike seed design

Primary seed: VIP purchasers — purchase 3+ or top-10% LTV. Build the network Lookalike at 1%.
Secondary seed: high engagement — D7 retention held + 5+ sessions/day. Use when the primary seed is too small.
Forbidden seeds: plain installers or signup-only users — you get a Lookalike that only resembles "people likely to click ads", with cheap CPI but below-average LTV.

§4 Troubleshooting

Retargeting and UA hit the same users and cannibalize

Always add a Customer List (installers) exclusion to UA campaigns. Meta: Audience Suppression option; Google: handle via the campaign's Negative Audience.

Deferred deep link doesn't fire on first launch

See guide 1-1 §4. Android depends on the Install Referrer API; iOS requires LinkMe or Universal Link domain verification.

Customer List match rate is low (under 40% on Meta)

Normalization was skipped before hashing emails/phone numbers. Lowercase, strip whitespace, unify country codes (+82 etc.), then SHA-256. Meta accepts only hashes, never raw values.