It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year…🎵
Whoops, is it still too early? Well, not for the ASO experts. The holiday season is around the corner when people spend more time and money on games or apps. ‘Tis the season for ASO experts to do their best to optimize the seasonal store page visuals to get extra downloads.
But why bother to optimize the app store pages seasonally? It is just a holiday…
Well, to capture the most out of the surge of time spent on games and apps. Seasonal ASO connects the games or apps with their targeted audience emotionally and socially. When you bring holiday elements in-game, or through themed mini-games or live-ops. It is not just about looks, but also the appreciation of cultures and values. It also helps current users feel more valued and connected with your game.
Main Holidays to consider in your ASO strategy
That depends on your target markets, audience and their interests. In Western countries, we see the following holidays and events are the most popular ones:
- Easter
- Thanksgiving (the U.S.)
- Halloween
- Black Friday & Cyber Week (e-commerce)
- Christmas & Hanukkah
- Saint Valentine’s Day
- School breaks
When doing seasonal ASO, keep in mind the regional differences. For example, ‘Back to school’, Mother’s Day, and other national holidays differ by country. Some regions see the Lunar New Year as a big holiday, like China, but it is not necessarily big in some Western countries. Knowing your audience and their interests is key to effectively localizing your ASO for seasonal trends.
Seasonal app store page creatives
The most common store elements for seasonal ASO we observed from are
- Icon
- Screenshots
- Preview video
- Feature graphic
- Live-ops event card
When it comes to optimizing the store pages, a smart ASO expert continuously conducts A/B tests to gather actionable data to make decisions. For seasonal app store creatives, this is extremely important. It helps measure the impact of seasonal assets and gives time to prepare for the upcoming holidays.
What to consider when A/B testing seasonal assets?
To start, ASO teams should align with relevant internal teams, like the creative team, to prepare for the campaign. Additionally, if there is a holiday-themed mini-game or in-app event, communicate seasonal promotions to players through app store descriptions, in-game notifications, social media, or email to build anticipation and engagement.
Before setting objectives for your seasonal ASO A/B test, define the seasonality context to help you build a strong hypothesis. Consider elements like color themes, event duration, and regional or market-specific holiday differences. Once defined, use this context to plan your A/B tests. See more details about what do you need to start a A/B test in an earlier article.
While you are planning your A/B test for the seasonal ASO, our team has summarized few useful tips for your consideration:
- Time sensitivity – Low traffic generally will lead to longer time to collect enough data in order to reach statistical significance, this could be an issue, especially for short time holidays or events so start early.
- Carefully pick your starting and ending date – Starting the A/B tests too early before the holidays or events may cause the assets to be irrelevant to the users and not convert well. Ending the A/B tests too late may run the risk of catching the best time to optimize the store pages and losing the relevancy when the changes are deployed on the store pages.
- Knowing when to stop – Not all tests will find a winning variant which is totally normal. It doesn’t necessarily mean it is a failed test, however. There is a lot to understand about user behavior on the app store page when testing on third-party tools.
What metrics should we analyze
While we may have different KPIs internally, the following are generally the most common ones:
- Click-through rate, CTR
- Conversion rate, CVR
- Cost per install, CPI
- In-app purchases, IAP
- Lifetime value, LTV
- Retention
- User engagement
You might be questioning how we can track which screenshot users clicked on. Well, question no more! On Geeklab, you access more data points that native tools do not provide. This allows ASO experts to gain more insights not just on which variants convert better, but also provides e.g, which screenshots gain the most clicks and installs.
Mobile game and app marketing is changing constantly and at a fast pace and we need to adapt to these changes. Holidays and events are one way of tapping into our players’ behavior and interests. A/B testing allows you to adapt your games or apps to accommodate players with low risk and a controllable environment. The only mistake you can make as an ASO expert is not to test at all.
5 seasonal strategies by Appvertiser
We talked to our friends at Appvertiser for added insights. To fully maximize the potential of seasonal assets here are 5 different strategies by Appvertiser:
Full-funnel alignment during high-traffic seasons
What to test/improve: Match your ad visuals with Custom Product Pages (CPPs) and in-app visuals.
Why it works: A consistent user journey will result in higher downloads and retention. Users who experience continuity between what they see in ads, app store visuals, and inside the app tend to engage more, leading to longer sessions and better lifetime value.
Visual testing of seasonal themes
What to test/improve: Experiment with holiday-specific icons, screenshots, and color schemes.
Why it works: Users respond better to content that feels timely and relevant. Seasonal visuals catch the eye, leading to higher click-through and install rates. A/B test different seasonal variations to see what resonates best.
Implement seasonal features and gifts
What to test/improve: Add gifting features and holiday-themed content.
Why it works: Users tend to spend more time in apps during holidays. Offering features like gifting or exclusive seasonal content keeps them engaged and incentivizes return visits. This drives higher retention and monetization by making your app feel relevant during key moments.
Apple Search Ads: Leverage lower CPIs
What to test/improve: Take advantage of lower competition for keywords in Apple Search Ads during the holiday season.
Why it works: Product search keywords don’t compete as much with other categories during this time, resulting in lower CPIs. This provides a prime opportunity for scaling your app’s visibility.
Scale on new ad networks
What to test/improve: Use seasonal peaks as an opportunity to expand your ad campaigns on networks like Unity, Applovin, and Ironsource.
Why it works: Seasonal peaks create an environment where users are more actively engaging with mobile apps, giving you the chance to experiment with new networks and reach fresh audiences. This can help increase installs and engagement if managed effectively.
Unlock Appvertiser’s full guide here 💡
