The 8 Best KPIs to Use for App Store Connect

As the second largest app store around the globe, App Store Connect is nothing less than a gold mine for app developers. It not only allows makers to publish iOS apps but also gives them complete access to market trends, analytics, and different AI tools to monitor the progress. Therefore, every other marketer in the industry prefers this platform to release apps and earn a significant profit.

But it is quite challenging to make your mark and stand out from the rest of the developers without proper knowledge of app store optimization (ASO). If you are also taking a head start on this platform, this guide will help you understand the standard ASO practices and best App Store Connect KPIs to improve your app business over time. 

Why Use KPIs for App Store Connect?

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are statistical figures and goals to enhance your apps and increase the average conversion. They also help improve the engagement rate, daily subscription activity, and overall revenue for the business.

Other notable benefits your app receives with these KPIs are:

• Increased visibility
• Better ranking
• Loyal consumer base
• More installs
• High user retention

8 Best App Store Connect KPIs to Improve Your Performance

What are the best App Store Connect KPIs, and how do they work? Read below to find out.

1. Total Downloads

Total downloads refer to a two-factor combination, including first-time downloads and redownloads for a specific app. For instance, a user discovers your app through ad campaigns and instantly downloads it on their phone, thinking it provides enough value. At this point, the very first download on the user’s phone will count as a first-time download on the App Store Connect.

Suppose the same user deletes this app due to reasons such as insufficient storage, lack of usability, or delayed payment. Now, if they decide to reinstall it after some time, Apple will note it down as a redownload on the App Store Connect.

The total downloads take the above two metrics into account and present them as a single digit. As a developer, you can use this KPI to assess user reactions and improve the app’s performance accordingly.

2. Active Subscriptions

Active subscriptions include the existing paid users or subscribers who renew their subscriptions at the end of each month. Although mobile gaming has the highest subscription activity, you can optimize these results for different apps if you assess this KPI over time. The trick is to observe the following factors and estimate the total revenue from subscription activity.

• The number of users subscribing to the application each day
• The number of subscription sales you acquire each day
• The reasons leading users to cancel their subscriptions

If you see this digit growing every day, that means your app subscription activity is doing well. Otherwise, you can introduce some valuable features to retain users in place and keep them from ditching the app after a free trial. The manual formula for this metric is:

active subscriptions from yesterday +activated subscriptions from today-canceled subscriptions from today  

3. In-app Events

You can create exclusive events for your apps with striking graphics and added dates to announce whenever they’re happening. Apple then promotes your app through these events, and users can see it in the editorial portion of the App Store Connect. Let’s understand this in a real-life scenario.

The indie app maker Mark Jhonson creates seasonal in-app events for his app ‘Emoji Me Sticker Maker.’ It’s his digital marketing approach for staying relevant and keeping the viewers engaged throughout the year. For instance, one of his Christmas in-app events featured adorable animations with the tagline – CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN (make new stickers every day!).

But why is it placed with the best App Store Connect KPIs? Because, as a developer, you can track the total views, downloads, or other useful metrics through these events. In the long run, it equips you with useful tactics that extend your reach to a wide audience and increase the chances of conversion.

4. Ad Campaigns

Ad campaigns take users to your App Store Connect page, where they can learn about your app and download it on their devices. You can use different marketing channels like Meta, emails, authentic websites, or other cross-promotion apps to endorse your app and see which platform garners more traffic.

All your ads with different graphics, call-to-actions, taglines, or icons will deliver different results. Some will capture the attention of the audience, while others will cause a drop in your conversion rate. So, make sure to keep a close watch and curate your promotional drives using the most desired elements. You can also check conversion rates for individual campaigns in the app store to gain a better understanding.

5. Sales per Paying User

This KPI defines the number of users who pay for your app over a specific period. Suppose your app generates $2000 within a week, and only 500 were paying users during that time. To find the money you make per paying user, you can divide the total sales ($2000) by the number of paying users (500). In this scenario, your sales per paying user will be $4.

With this information, you can compare different versions of your app and sort the features or updates that might have influenced users to spend money. You can also segment the data based on areas or source types to see which platforms are likely to bring more revenue.  So, evaluating sales per paying user is the ultimate option if you want to manage your advertising costs or fine-tune your marketing strategy.

6. Total Impressions

The number of impressions on the App Store Connect translates to the number of times people have viewed your app. However, Apple only counts the impression if users view your app for over one second from the Search Tab, Apps, Product Page, Today, or Gaming section in the App Store Connect.

It ranks among the best App Store Connect KPIs as it loops you in with the actual customers instead of those who just scroll up without showing interest or learning more about your app. By looking at this figure, you can estimate the conversion rate and rank your app against top competitors in the market.

For instance, if your app receives 200 unique impressions, it means 200 people have viewed your app for over a second. If out of them, 60 viewers download your app, you will have a conversion rate of 60%. In short, this KPI will help tweak your ads in a way that compels customers to click, download, and stick to the app for good.

7. App Retention Rate

App retention gives you the number of active users engaging with your app over time. For iOS, the average retention rate is around 25%, but it can deviate based on your digital marketing strategy. You can either view it after a total of 38 days following the first download or calculate it with the formula:

App Retention = no. of active users per month   no. ofapp installs per month

As a developer, it will help you understand the user dynamics and the factors that led them to uninstall or stop engaging with the app. After careful analysis, you can use several ways to maintain user retention, like price cuts, push notifications, or interesting in-app events. Not only will it create a seamless experience for your customers, but you will also enjoy an increased conversion rate.

8. Pre-Orders

With App Store Connect, you can set your app for sale even before it’s available in the market. That means users can pre-order your app from the product page up to 180 days before the official release date.

So, whenever iOS users buy your pre-order, the app will automatically install on their phone on the official launch.

If 1000 people pre-order your app, for instance, but 300 of them cancel their order before the launch day, Apple will record your pre-order score to be 700. It’s one of the best App Store Connect KPIs if developers want to build anticipation or analyze user-response time, sales, and other engagement metrics.

This feature is available for both free or premium apps on various iOS devices, including iOS 11.12, macOS 10.13.2, tvOS 11.2, iPad 13, and watchOS 6 or later. Just filter the number of pre-orders by date, region, and source link on the overview page and evaluate your average success based on these figures.

Streamline Your App Store Connect Data with Catchr.io

The ultimate best App Store Connect KPIs in the list will, without a doubt, attract unlimited attention to your app. But there’s a high chance for the overwhelming amount of data to bug your brain and interrupt the potential progress. To solve this issue, you can rely on Catchr — the leading data extraction and visualization tool.

The digital AI tool automates your data collection process and provides you with a simple and easy-to-understand format. From integrating the data into multiple tools to creating unique digital marketing reports, catchr.io lets you handle everything without much effort.

So, click here to sign up today and elevate your data game for remarkable results!