How Banki.ru increased app installations by 4x

Client

Banki.ru is Russia’s largest financial marketplace according to a study conducted by Tiburon and Anketolog in August 2022.

Their platform helps clients compare financial products, offering quick and reliable information about the market. It serves as a hub where users can discuss matters related to banks as well as insurance, micro-finance, and investment companies.

Their target audience is people aged 25 to 45 who are used to digital experiences and value top-notch service. Comparing all available offers is crucial to their decision-making process.

Period

April to August 2022

Task

Banki.ru launched their mobile app in 2021 in order to build a substantial database of users looking to manage their finances and select financial and insurance products. Facing challenges after the departure of key advertising networks from Russia, the business turned an eye toward innovative ways to sustain growth and product awareness.

Solution

Banki.ru landed on a new channel to promote their app effectively: Yandex App Campaigns. They optimized conversions with a focus on app installations, experimenting with various ad texts, creative content, and bidding strategies.

Their user base started expanding rapidly. After evaluating a number of strategies, they opted for conversion optimization with payment for installations. They specifically focused on app installations given how easy that made it for them to track outcomes.

Here’s how the client optimized promotions:

Tested a variety of creative content by using six different header and main text variants for each ad. Additionally, they uploaded images and videos, leveraging Yandex Direct’s Campaign Wizard to tailor creative content around individual users. That approach significantly increased CTR and conversions.

Adopted different bidding strategies for installations and closely monitored traffic volumes.

Experimented with account structures. Initially, they segmented ads between Search and the Yandex Advertising Network across multiple campaigns. They later consolidated the campaigns into a single one, however, which proved to work better. That approach delivered more training data for the campaign, resulting in more predictable outcomes and better value for their money.

Instead of third-party tracking systems, opted for AppMetrica to enhance targeting accuracy and tested various audience groups to optimize their approach.

All that hard work resulted in new installations. However, the challenge persisted — traffic volumes still weren’t enough to compensate for the lost ad sources.

A significant portion of Banki.ru’s audience uses Xiaomi devices. Marketing specialists at the marketplace speculated that leading potential users to GetApps would boost conversions.

And when Yandex Direct began integrating with GetApps, an alternative app store, Banki.ru seized the opportunity to test it out, guiding users to the new platform. GetApps replaced Google Play as the designated landing page for their app advertisements. Since the change, Xiaomi phone users encounter the ad, visit the new store, tap the ad, and instantly initiate the installation process.

Data from MTS* revealed that Xiaomi led phone sales in Russia for Q2 2022. In 2019, five million people in Russia purchased Xiaomi phones, a number that more than doubled in 2021.

In June 2022, Banki.ru uploaded their app to GetApps and activated redirects in the Yandex Direct interface. There was a noticeable increase in installations within a week.

KSENYA YUSUPOVA

Finance Business Partner, Yandex

If you find yourself with limited options for promoting your mobile app, we recommend exploring alternative stores like Xiaomi’s GetApps. That approach will help you scale your app ad with Yandex, making it easier to reach a new audience and increasing installations and conversions. The simplicity of configuration just serves to underline this idea.

Tip

When an advertiser uploads an app to GetApps, conversions to installations double:

— The user journey is simplified, with users just a tap away from app installation.

— Campaigns gather more data, enabling quicker and more effective training.

No code modifications are needed to add apps to GetApps since the process aligns with Google Play requirements. All you need to do is initiate integration in Yandex Direct. If you need step-by-step instructions, you can find them here.

Results

The campaign was showing remarkable results by August 2022:

The increase in conversions from clicks to installations made it possible to decrease the cost per installation by 20%. More conversions lead to higher placement in the auction, securing additional installations for advertisers no matter their promotional bid. This strategy maintains a competitive advantage by offering lower prices than the competition.

Elena Mamontova

Director of Contextual Advertising at Banki.ru

The most crucial piece of advice we can offer for promoting a mobile app is to experiment, testing different approaches with creative content and ad structures. You then scale up the combinations that prove effective. Every element matters in app promotion — the texts, the media content, and, of course, the platforms where the ad is displayed. Sometimes, the best idea is to look at your ads from a new angle, take risks, and start afresh.

*one of the biggest Russian telecom providers

How Banki.ru increased app installations by 4x

Client

Period

Task

Solution

Results

Services

Yandex advertising products

Technologies

Training & Certification

For Partners

Contacts

Legal Documents

Requirements

Advertising rates