Mastering SKAN 4 with TikTok’s client migration test results

Success on iOS and SKAdNetwork (SKAN) for mobile marketers and developers comes down to three things: The right tools, the right strategy, and the right mindset. In TikTok and Adjust’s recent ebook Mastering SKAN 4: The essentials for iOS success, we explore the ins-and-outs of SKAN 4’s features, explain how to strategically approach the privacy-centric attribution framework and switch from SKAN 3, and demonstrate how our solutions empower growth and sustained success on iOS.

The report also zooms in on a 37-client beta test undertaken by TikTok across the U.S., U.K., and Japan. The test assessed SKAN 4’s 35-day attribution window (total across three windows) in contrast to SKAN 3’s 1-3 day total to uncover the impacts on campaign measurement and optimization.

In short, the test found that migration to SKAN 4 leads to decreased cost per acquisition and increased conversion rates. Let’s take a look at how and why.

The ability to record and measure conversions over 35 days instead of 1-3 means, simply, that there’s a higher volume of recorded conversions. This, in turn, facilitates the ability for a longer and more precise evaluation of campaign effectiveness.

The key findings from the study showed that 85% of the total postbacks collected were associated with fine grained conversion values, meaning they came from the first conversion window. The remaining 15% were coarse grained conversion values, stemming from all three of the windows. From these coarse values (15% of the total postbacks collected), 10% were delivered in the second postback, 4.5% were delivered in the third postback, and just 0.5% came from the first postback. In terms of the graining, 6% were low, 5.5% were medium, and 3.5% were high. Among this entire data set of coarse values, 14.5% were delivered in the second and third postbacks, meaning that the data they contained would not have been available via SKAN 3.

Deep dive: Making the most of SKAN 4’s measurement windows and postbacks.

TikTok’s SKAN 4 beta test revealed multiple important insights that can be implemented by marketers to improve their coarse conversion value schemas, increase the number of conversions they’re recording in the second and third windows, and ultimately drive up conversion rates.

1. Schema consistency: Match your fine grained and coarse grained schemes. Any inconsistency can lead to under-reporting of revenue and events which can skew important metrics like ROAS.
2. Revenue vs. events: Coarse-grained schemes are less optimal for revenue tracking, meaning opting event tracking can increase data accuracy in the latter two measurement windows.
3. Simplicity for greater accuracy: Setting up super complex conversion value mapping and adding multiple events into a single coarse conversion value can decrease accuracy. Best practice is to have every conversion value accurately translatable into an event.
4. CV schema changes: Any change made to coarse values can lead to data ripples lasting as long as 41 days due to the 35-day attribution window and potential 6-day postback delay. Carefully consider any changes and plan for the gaps.

For more information on the study, its results, and anything-and-everything SKAN 4, download TikTok and Adjust’s ebook on mastering SKAN 4 today. To learn more about how Adjust’s solutions can help you achieve sustained growth on iOS and beyond, take a look at our iOS Solutions or request a demo to see more.