BeautyPlus

People perfect
their photos.
BeautyPlus improves return on
ad spend.

With the hundreds of filters and special effects available on BeautyPlus, subscribers can stylize their photos and share more dynamic life moments. The photo and video app improved return on ad spend, conversion rate, and cost-per-acquisition with Apple Search Ads while optimizing ad relevancy and reengaging
former customers.

The Results

50% higher return on ad spend than similar platforms.

30% higher conversion rate (subscription trial) than similar platforms.

20% lower cost-per-acquisition than similar platforms.

23% higher conversion rate for ad variations than default ad.

The Challenge

Focused on expanding subscriber growth globally, the team at BeautyPlus wanted to increase app visibility with potential customers showing strong intent on the App Store. They needed to reach diverse audiences ranging from small business owners looking to perfect promotional pictures to individuals interested in upgrading their selfies. Repositioning the app’s new offerings to former subscribers was also crucial to improving return on ad spend and boosting growth efficiently.

We continue to boost our investment because Apple Search Ads drives consistent global subscriber growth, improving our return on ad spend by as much as
50 percent.

Emma Shu,

Head of Growth at BeautyPlus

The Solution

Invest in keyword coverage and optimization.

In each market, the BeautyPlus team separated campaigns by four keyword themes: brand, category, competitive, and discovery. With discovery campaigns and the Recommendations tool, they expanded keyword coverage, finding new, relevant search terms for their category in each local language. Brand campaigns helped them to defend brand keywords while capturing strong intent from people actively searching for their brand on the App Store.

“With Apple Search Ads, we discovered that the keywords related to the core features of our product drive the best performance,” says BeautyPlus Head of Growth Emma Shu. “We continuously optimize our bidding strategy, increasing investment on these top-performing search terms to ensure that we stay as competitive as possible in each market.”

Boost ad relevancy with custom product pages.

To better engage relevant audiences, the team at BeautyPlus created ad variations for their search results campaigns based on custom product pages set up in App Store Connect. These custom ads highlighted core product features and industry trends by using aligned creative that specifically showed photo editing options in their app with high-performing ad groups related to the generic keywords “photo editing.” Potential customers who tapped on these ads landed on a custom product page with the relevant ad creative highlighting core product features and industry trends — offering audiences a seamless experience.

The custom ad had a 90 percent higher tap-through rate and a 23 percent higher conversion rate than the default ad. “With search results ad variations, we were able to test out different ad creative and optimize based on the imagery that drove the best performance,“ says Shu. “We started testing with category keyword ad groups but plan to also create custom product pages for key moments like Halloween and Christmas, capturing increased seasonal demand.”

Connect with former customers by showing updated features.

To reengage customers who had downloaded their app in the past, the BeautyPlus team also split Apple Search Ads campaigns into new users and returning users. For returning users, the team spotlighted newly available features like popular filters to reintroduce their app and show enhanced capabilities. They also closely monitored performance and adjusted bids for returning users to drive impressions and improve cost-per-trial with this audience.

Company Snapshot 