The reportState of E-commerce App Marketing 2025AppsFlyer reveals a dramatic shift in global growth strategy: China-based e-commerce apps, now responsible for 85% of global user acquisition (UA) spending on iOS, have begun reallocating budgets from the US to Western Europe on a large scale. In Germany, iOS user acquisition jumped 170% year-over-year between January and May 2025, and in France it more than doubled, highlighting the growing importance of flexible and regional strategies in an unpredictable market environment.
This reallocation signals a broader transformation in mobile growth, shaped by tariff uncertainty, regional platform dynamics, and increasing reliance on loyalty-focused remarketing, said Sue Azari, Industry Leader for eCommerce at AppsFlyer. With the possibility of regulatory or geopolitical changes ahead, marketing professionals need to be ready to adapt quickly. Brands are now making real-time decisions about where to invest, based on regulatory environments, customer lifetime value, and competitive positioning across various continents.
The data also indicate a change in seasonal rhythm, as marketers shift more budget to acquisition at the beginning of the year and focus on remarketing during high-attention periods. Only in November, re-engagement skyrocketed by 218% in the US and 330% in Brazil.
Globally, across all platforms, iOS continues to outperform in monetization. Users convert 1.3 days faster, have a 39% higher first purchase rate, and a 68% stronger repurchase performance, a loyalty signal that turns acquisition into long-term value. The purchase revenue on the app on iOS increased by 10% in 2025, almost double the growth on Android.
In Brazil
Paid installations surged 155% during the holiday season. User acquisition on iOS skyrocketed by 481% in November 2024, while on Android there was a 22% decline. Revenue on Android decreased by 28% in 2025, despite ongoing acquisition activity. Spending on IAP (in-app purchases) on Android decreased by 32% in November, impacted by economic pressures and platform changes.
The time-to-purchase rates remained consistent across platforms, supported by the strong local payment infrastructure.
More global findings from the report:
- The spend on remarketing reached $16.4 billion in 2024, being 3.5 times higher than user acquisition budgets. Android's market share increased from 64% to 77%, reflecting more mature re-engagement strategies.
- The web-to-app installation flows also grew significantly, increasing by 38% before the peak season and by 37% in spring 2025, highlighting the increasing importance brands assign to directing existing web users to their apps, where
- The native environment offers greater loyalty and higher conversion rates.
- Fraud exposure approached US$ 1 billion globally, with fraud rates on iOS decreasing from 30.1% to 25.9%, while on Android they increased from 9.4% to 10.5%. Solutions with AI technology continue to be essential for effective protection.
Methodology
The State of eCommerce App Marketing 2025 by AppsFlyer analyzes anonymous and aggregated data from 1,600 e-commerce apps (excluding marketplaces and grocery apps) with at least 3,000 installs per month per country. The study covers 3.1 billion paid app installs and 26 billion remarketing conversions between October 2023 and May 2025. All results meet strict volume criteria and are based on anonymous methodologies that preserve privacy.
Explore the full report State of eCommerce App Marketing 2025here.
