The Gap Between Install and Purchase
Mobile app users rarely install and purchase in the same session. They download, explore the app over days or weeks, and eventually decide to subscribe or buy. This delay creates a challenge for affiliate attribution: how long after the initial affiliate-driven install should a purchase still be credited to the affiliate?
Setting the right conversion window directly affects affiliate fairness, program costs, and the accuracy of your attribution data.
Typical Install-to-Purchase Timelines
Based on industry data, the time between app install and first purchase varies significantly by category:
- Gaming apps: Often within the first session or first 3 days
- Fitness and wellness apps: 3 to 14 days (users try the app through a free trial)
- Productivity apps: 7 to 30 days (users evaluate fit with their workflow)
- Finance apps: 14 to 30 days (users build confidence before committing)
- B2B apps: 30 to 60 days (involves team evaluation and approval processes)
Your specific app's timeline depends on your free trial length, pricing, and how quickly users can experience the core value.
Setting the Right Attribution Window
The attribution window defines how long after an affiliate-driven install a purchase can still be credited to the affiliate. Setting it correctly balances three competing concerns:
Too short (under 7 days): You miss legitimate conversions from users who needed more time to evaluate. Affiliates feel cheated when their referred users convert just outside the window. Content-focused affiliates — who drive users that take longer to convert — leave your program.
Too long (over 60 days): You attribute purchases to affiliates that may not have meaningfully influenced the decision. Users who installed months ago may have forgotten the affiliate's recommendation entirely. Program costs increase for conversions that would have happened organically.
Just right (typically 14 to 30 days): Captures the majority of affiliate-influenced conversions without overattributing. Matches the natural consideration period for most app categories.
Analysing Your Data
Before setting your attribution window, analyse your actual install-to-purchase data:
- Pull a sample of users who installed and eventually purchased
- Calculate the time between install and first purchase
- Plot the distribution — what percentage of purchases happen within 1, 3, 7, 14, and 30 days?
Most apps find that 70% to 85% of conversions happen within the first 14 days. Setting your window to capture 85% to 90% of conversions is a reasonable target.
Impact on Affiliate Behaviour
Your attribution window signals to affiliates what type of promotion you value:
- Short windows (7 days): Favour affiliates who drive immediate action — deal sites, social media promoters, paid traffic
- Long windows (30 days): Favour affiliates who create educational content — bloggers, YouTubers, review sites — where users take longer to convert but arrive with higher intent
If your strategy depends on content creators, a longer window is essential to attract and retain them.
Free Trial Considerations
If your app offers a free trial, your attribution window must extend beyond the trial period. A 7-day window with a 7-day free trial means the user must convert on the exact day their trial ends — an unrealistic expectation.
Set your attribution window to at least the trial length plus 7 days. For a 7-day trial, a 14 to 21 day window works well. For a 30-day trial, a 45 to 60 day window may be necessary.
Insert Affiliate's Approach
Insert Affiliate lets you configure your attribution window to match your app's conversion timeline. The attribution is stored server-side when the affiliate link is clicked and matched to purchase events within your defined window.
You can adjust the window as you gather more data about your conversion patterns. Start with a 30-day window and refine based on your actual install-to-purchase data.