MagicSolver

Case Study: Another Happy Customer

Issue:
A recent study revealed 81 per cent of UK visitors to the Apple App Store do not browse past the first 50 apps*. With more than 800,000 apps available on the App Store, app developers and publishers are finding it increasingly hard to gain exposure amongst such fierce competition. Boosting downloads to secure a place on the rankings charts and increase visibility has proved a difficult challenge for both established and independent developers.

Ukraine-based independent app developer BuzzyBus has published numerous puzzle, match three and card-based apps for iOS, including Shrooms, Slots, Stone Age Collapse and Solitaire. For its most recent game release, Shrooms2, rather than rely on acquiring a user base organically, CEO Mikhail Eliseev looked to boost its download traffic through an alternative approach: App Recommendation.

Mikhail said, “App recommendation apps are a crucial component of ‘User Acquisition’ strategies on the App Store. It is a highly competitive market place and these apps are a valuable source of visibility for both game and non-game apps.”

Shrooms 2 retains top 10 spot for a week.
Source: App Annie

Solution:
In May 2012, Mikhail approached Cambridge-based user acquisition specialist MagicSolver to run a recommendation campaign for Shrooms 2 through its portfolio of apps. MagicSolver offers a compelling range of apps: flagship app 'Free App Magic' recommends three apps every day while its seasonal calendar apps such as Christmas Advent, Valentine’s Day and Halloween offered further targeted platforms for promotion.

Mikhail explains, “The size of MagicSolver’s campaign strategy was perfect for us. We wanted to promote the app globally, especially in UK and European regions because combined it is one of the largest markets within the App Store.” With an install base of more than one million users across 155 countries, MagicSolver’s recommendation apps are able to reach a global audience.

MagicSolver’s flexible models also appealed to BuzzyBus. The company offered a Click-Per-Install (CPI) or a revenue share scheme and Mikhail explains, “We went with the revenue share model because it is mutually profitable and as it turned out an overall win/win for both parties.”

Shrooms 2 obtains ratings boosts after features in MagicSolver's apps.
Source: App Annie

Result:
Choosing to promote the app across three products - Free App Magic, Advent 2012: 25 Christmas Apps and Valentine’s Day 2013: 14 Free Apps for Love, Shrooms 2 shot up the App Store rankings making the top 10 in the Arcade and Puzzle categories in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. It also secured a top 10 place in the overall ‘Games’ section in the UK, staying there for a week, while hitting the Games top 20 in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

Mikhail concludes, “The promotional campaign secured us the downloads we needed to feature in the rankings and this increased visibility on the App Store generated further organic installs. We were very happy with the results but also impressed with the loyalty and quality of MagicSolver’s user base.”

*Survey conducted by GfK NOP December 2012