Mobile attribution and analytics company AppsFlyer has landed an investment from Salesforce Ventures, extending a $210 million Series D round announced earlier this year.
Privacy policies and shifting guidelines from regulators and browser companies are reshaping marketing. AppsFlyer offers a range of products in mobile attribution, marketing analytics and incrementality measurement. But the company has been promoting its attribution capabilities for iOS 14, in particular, as Apple reorients the landscape with its new OS.
Apple’s new privacy guidelines for iOS 14, which deprecate IDFA by making tracking opt-in only, present huge problems for mobile advertisers. On iOS, mobile addressability and measurement rely heavily on the IDFA. Its “loss” will make it more complex for marketers and publishers to accurately measure the success of ads, retarget users and monetize content.
In the press release on the Salesforce investment, AppsFlyer zeroes in on its iOS 14 solutions, touting “iOS readiness.” Tools include privacy-centric attribution, an SDK for iOS 14, technology to manage SKAdNetwork conversion from the AppsFlyer dashboard, and the ability to measure installs driven by paid campaigns to mobile websites or landing pages.
As a late add to the $210 million announced in January, Salesforce’s investment brings the round’s total to $225 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company will use the round for product develop and to add roughly 300 new employees, per WSJ (they have 1,000 currently).
“AppsFlyer has been the driving force in mobile marketing attribution and has demonstrated true, long-term commitment to represent the app developers within the ecosystem,” says Nowi Kallen, a Principal at Salesforce Ventures. “AppsFlyer’s innovative technology enables marketers to delight their end-users with a great user experience, while protecting their privacy.”
“We’re incredibly excited to deepen our integration with Salesforce and Salesforce Ventures, as we take another step towards ensuring that marketers, app developers, and the entire ecosystem is armed with the best marketing tech stack for the challenges of tomorrow.” says AppsFlyer CEO and Co-Founder Oren Kaniel. “The secret sauce for our success over the last nine years has been prioritizing our customers and their end-users, putting them at the center of every decision we make.”
Between AppsFlyer and DoubleVerify, it’s clear that attribution, measurement and identity are the new ad tech hotspots for investors. Expect even more activity in 2021.
AppsFlyer customers include Macy’s, Minecraft, Nike, NBC Universal, Tencent, US Bank, Wayfair, and StitchFix.
