Loyalty Platforms Case Study: Why the Biggest App Publishers Are Betting On It

App users are more picky than ever, and they have every right to be. By using rewarded loyalty platforms, audiences can actually get something back in exchange for their repeat custom, and publishers who don’t keep up are already starting to fall behind.

What Are Loyalty Platforms?

A loyalty platform is a system that encourages and incentivises customer loyalty. In Almedia’s case, that means retaining mobile app users through our 40 million user strong platform Freecash. However, loyalty platforms exist across industries, from the PAYBACK points program in Germany to the Tesco Clubcard or other supermarket schemes. 

Why Loyalty Matters

In order for an app or game to achieve long-term success, user retention must be prioritised. Developers and publishers can’t consistently rely on new users to continue to keep things running, and an engaged user base is a far healthier one for both the publisher and other players.

In fact, loyalty is a growth tool in and of itself. A long-term player of a game is more likely to engage with a game or app more deeply, which can turn casual users into repeat purchasers. With both the increased retention and potential for growth, developers and publishers can’t afford to miss out on loyalty platforms if they want to maximise their impact.

It’s also important to note that User Acquisition isn’t an infinite pool. At some point, you run out of new players to acquire, and if you haven’t kept the existing ones, what was the point in the first place? New users deliver lower CPIs in general, whereas loyal users can offer higher, and ever-increasing, CPIs in the long term.

Loyalty should be a key part of your customer approach - the more engaged a user, the more valuable they are in the long term. 

Loyalty vs UA - Which is More Important?

Loyalty and User Acquisition are difficult to separate. Without a strong initial user base, and a continuous investment into the new player experience, it’s more or less impossible to build the kind of loyalty that boosts Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and Return On Ad Spend (ROAS). In fact, we looked at 1000 users from Almedia, compared to Google, and found that Almedia’s users delivered over 2x ARPU and ROAS.

Loyalty and rewarded UA go hand in hand to such a degree that the best rewarded platforms carry out both roles. By offering rewards upon entry alongside rewards for continuous engagement, Almedia is able to find incentivised users who value and care about the unique experiences our advertisers create. 

We studied over 2000 gamers on attitudes towards rewarded advertisement, and found that when people begin receiving rewards, it massively boosts loyalty, with over 76% of those who have received rewards stating they would be more likely to recommend a rewarded game.

How Loyalty Programs Drive Engagement

Loyalty programs drive engagement on multiple levels. It starts at the very beginning.

Personalisation

By offering a host of games and apps for players to choose from, and utilising robust data to ensure the most relevant apps are delivered to the correct players, Almedia and other rewarded loyalty platforms can ensure players are more likely to engage from the very beginning. 

This personalisation can be built on as users interact with the app and our platform, ensuring we continue to offer meaningful rewards in return for meaningful engagement.

Gamification

Through implementing a level of rewarded gamification to apps through our loyalty platform, we offer users a greater opportunity to engage with our clients’ products. Games are Almedia’s bread-and-butter, but by using gamification for non-gaming clients, we can extend to our users the ability to progress and earn real rewards in return for remaining customers.

Related: Real World Data on User Acquisition for mobile games

Hybrid Reward Models

By offering hybrid reward models, we combine in-game and real-life rewards. This offers players the opportunity to earn and gain outside of the confines of a game, but also allows us to keep players engaged by delivering value within the game. When these rewards work side-by-side, our clients see loyalty skyrocket.

We carried out a study into the attitudes of gamers on rewarded play, and found that, simply put, rewards work. High-value players in particular cited loyalty and reward-based platforms as their preferred discovery methods, indicating that through rewards we can both obtain and retain the most valuable players. In fact, players across the board, but especially high-value players, told us they were much more likely to continue playing a rewarded game after rewards end.

Common Pitfalls and Implementation Challenges

Setting up a loyalty program isn’t just about handing out rewards. If your rewards don’t match what players actually value, you risk losing them faster than you gained them. Over-promising and then cutting back can do even more damage. Today’s users expect real value, and if you don’t deliver, they’ll simply move on.

And value isn’t the only thing at stake. Other pitfalls can creep in too — sometimes quietly, sometimes all at once:

• Reward Fatigue: If users feel bombarded with too many rewards or overly complex tasks, it stops feeling exciting and starts feeling like work. Engagement drops, and loyalty erodes.

• One-Size-Fits-All Rewards: What motivates a casual player might bore a high-value spender. Offering identical rewards across the board misses the chance to truly connect with different player segments.

• Poor Timing: Even great rewards can fall flat if they’re given at the wrong moment. Timing loyalty incentives around user behavior — not just arbitrary milestones — is critical for real impact.

• Lack of Progression: If users feel like they’re just spinning in circles without any sense of growth, achievement, or bigger milestones to chase, boredom sets in. Progression is what keeps loyalty feeling fresh.

• Ignoring Data Signals: User preferences change, sometimes faster than you expect. Without real-time insights and the ability to pivot (whether it’s tweaking offers or re-segmenting your audience), loyalty programs can become outdated almost overnight.

• Mismatch Between Marketing and In-App Reality: promising an amazing experience and delivering something underwhelming. It only takes one bad mismatch to lose hard-earned trust.

That’s why having the right setup from the start matters so much. By providing detailed event data and setting clear goals, Almedia helps you build loyalty programs that connect with players — and avoid costly mistakes (e.g. for your next CPI campaign) before they happen.

Today’s players don’t just want games and apps; they want great experiences. Loyalty platforms turn simple moments into rewarding ones, making users feel like their time is truly valued. And when you deliver that kind of experience, growth naturally follows.