Mobile Programmatic
25.5% CPA Reduction and 38.7% Registration Growth for a European Dating App
Overview
Client
Channels:
Market:
primary kpi:
April 2026
May 2026
The Challenge
The Challenge
Our client was already investing heavily in mobile programmatic acquisition, but registration costs were becoming increasingly difficult to control. While volume remained relatively stable, CPA was higher than desired and limited the campaign's ability to scale efficiently.
The objective was straightforward:
Increase registration volume while bringing acquisition costs down.
Our Approach
Our Approach
Rather than chasing more traffic, we focused on improving the quality of traffic already entering the funnel.
Smarter Geo Allocation
Not all markets were delivering registrations at the same efficiency.
We analysed registration performance across Western Europe and shifted budget toward countries consistently producing stronger conversion rates and lower acquisition costs.
Germany, France, and selected Nordic markets became priority regions, while spend was reduced in areas generating clicks but fewer completed registrations.
Budget decisions were driven by actual registrations rather than engagement metrics.
Cleaning Up Mobile Traffic
Because this was a fully mobile campaign, traffic quality had a direct impact on CPA.
We identified patterns across lower-performing inventory and removed sources that consistently failed to produce registrations.
This included:
Outdated mobile operating systems
Low-quality browser environments
Placements with high abandonment rates during registration
Inventory generating clicks without meaningful conversion activity
At the same time, we increased exposure to placements and apps that consistently delivered completed sign-ups.
The result was a cleaner acquisition funnel and more efficient spend.
Creative That Felt Native to Dating Audiences
Dating users react differently to messaging depending on market, age group, and intent.
Instead of relying on generic dating app creatives, we continuously tested different approaches.
Some focused on lifestyle and connection.
Others highlighted ease of meeting new people, matching quality, or user experience.
Creative performance was measured against completed registrations rather than click-through rates, allowing us to quickly scale what worked and remove what didn't.
Often, the best-performing creatives were the simplest ones — clear messaging, relatable visuals, and a strong call to action.
Ongoing Optimisation
These improvements didn't happen overnight.
Throughout April and May 2026, we continuously refined:
Geographic allocation
Traffic quality controls
Placement selection
Device targeting
Creative performance
Every optimisation cycle focused on one thing: lowering the cost of acquiring a new registered user without sacrificing campaign volume.
Concept
How We Achieved It
We stopped treating all traffic as equal and focused on finding the users who were most likely to complete the registration process. That meant putting more budget behind the markets, placements, and creatives that consistently delivered new users, while quickly removing anything that wasn't contributing to results.
Every optimization decision was made using actual registration data, not clicks or engagement metrics.
As the campaign evolved, acquisition became both more efficient and more predictable. Registration volume increased, CPA decreased, and the client gained a scalable framework for growing users through programmatic mobile advertising.
Outcome
The Results
April 2026
137 registrations generated
€21,459.77 media spend
€156.64 CPA
€0.46 eCPM
€0.55 eCPC
May 2026
190 registrations generated
€22,167.71 media spend
€116.67 CPA
€0.46 eCPM
€0.55 eCPC
Performance Improvement
38.7% increase in registrations (137 → 190)
25.5% reduction in CPA (€156.64 → €116.67)
Spend remained relatively stable while acquisition efficiency improved significantly
Mobile acquisition became more predictable and scalable
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