Redefining Retargeting: How Smart Sequencing Cut Cost per Install by 45% for a FinTech App

In the hyper-competitive world of mobile finance, every click counts. If you're marketing a fintech app, you've probably noticed: your user acquisition costs are rising, install rates are fluctuating, and conventional retargeting just isn't delivering anymore.

This is precisely the problem one emerging fintech founder faced until he took an original approach to maximize it's fintech app marketing strategy through innovative retargeting flows and optimization of their entire funnel. The result? A 45% drop in Cost Per Install (CPI), increased user intent completed better engagement in the mobile app funnel.

In this blog, we will break down the exact strategy they used, why it worked, and how you can replicate the same strategy in your campaign—all without the extra cost.

Why the Traditional Fintech App Marketing Strategy Was Failing

The team behind this FinTech app had invested heavily in ads on Google, Facebook, and TikTok. Traffic wasn’t the issue—user acquisition was high—but installs weren’t converting to meaningful users. Bounce rates were rising, and ROAS was dropping.

The key issues?

• Generic retargeting that blasted the same message to everyone

• A disconnected mobile app funnel, with no clear user journey

• No audience segmentation or behaviour tracking

• No message sequencing to match where the user dropped off

In short, they had traffic, but no strategy.

Step 1: Rethinking the FinTech App Marketing Strategy from the Ground Up

Before launching new campaigns, the growth team took a step back to rethink their fintech app marketing strategy. They began with a few critical questions:

• Where are users dropping off in the mobile app funnel?

• What’s missing from current retargeting flows?

• How can we personalise the user journey to increase installs and lower cost?

With guidance from external advisors and in-house analysts, they shifted to a sequenced retargeting model based on behaviour and funnel stage.

This wasn’t just another retargeting campaign—it was a complete user acquisition redesign.

Step 2: Building Smart Retargeting Flows with Sequencing Logic

The new approach looked like this:

Phase 1: Funnel Mapping

They articulated the mobile app funnel into five distinct steps. 

• Ad view

• App store visit

• App install

• Account creation

• First transaction

At each transition, they identified how many users dropped off, as well as user behaviours to capture each transition (e.g. app store bounce, installed but don’t sign up).

Phase 2: Audience Segmentation

Instead of a mass, one-message-fits-all campaign, they segmented the users based on groups that aligned with their funnel stages:

Ver/Viewers only (triggered click, but did not reach the App Store).

App store viewers (did not install the app).

Installers (app installed, but no sign-up).

Sign-ups (created an account, but did not transact).

Phase 3: Message Sequencing

For each group mentioned above, they created custom retargeting flows based on messaging, using 3-5 ad creatives, assessing their user journey.

Here’s an example:

Segment: App Store viewers did not install the app.

Ad Sequence:

Ad1: Teaser to feature app.

Ad 2: User testimonials.

Ad 3: "Are you still thinking? Here’s what you’re missing".

This ensured users got a logical nudge, based on user behaviours, rather than random reminders.

Step 3: Aligning Messaging with Mobile App Funnel Stages

The most impactful element was message-stage alignment.

For Early Funnel Users (Ad Viewers + Store Visitors):

• Short, scroll-stopping videos

• Simple explainer messages

• Social proof (5M+ users, top-rated on Google Play)

For Mid-Funnel (Installers but No Account):

• In-app walkthrough previews

• Screenshots of the onboarding flow

• First-time user incentives ($5 bonus, no-fee trial)

For Late Funnel (Sign-ups Without First Transaction):

• Personalized value props (e.g., “Your account is ready to earn”)

• Dynamic ads showing potential savings or ROI

• Time-sensitive nudges (e.g., “Offer expires in 24 hours”)

By matching messages to mobile app funnel stages, conversion rates jumped and user acquisition became more efficient.

Step 4: Measuring, Testing, and Optimizing for Cost Efficiency

The team set clear KPIs from the start:

• Install rate

• Cost per install (CPI)

• Signup-to-install ratio

• Time to first transaction

• ROAS

Results after 60 days:

• 45% decrease in CPI

• 29% increase in install-to-signup rate

• 18% higher signup-to-transaction conversion

• Overall ROAS improvement across channels

They used Google Analytics for Firebase, Facebook Ads Manager, and Adjust for deep attribution. Weekly creative refreshes and A/B tests kept the retargeting flows optimized.

Why This FinTech App Marketing Strategy Worked

This wasn't just about flashy ads—it was about designing for user psychology and intent.

Key Success Factors:

• Behavior-driven sequencing, not time-based reminders

• Creative tailored to funnel stage, not the channel

• Audience segmentation based on real user actions

• ROAS-focused iteration, not vanity metrics

Unlike traditional user acquisition efforts that dump budget into top-funnel ads, this approach treated every impression like an opportunity to tell a smarter story.

Tools That Enabled the Smart Retargeting Strategy

Here are the tools they used to support the new fintech app marketing strategy:

• Adjust: for mobile attribution and funnel analytics

• Firebase: for in-app event tracking

• Meta Ads Manager + TikTok Ads: for dynamic audience targeting

• Braze: to coordinate push + ad retargeting flows

• Canva + Motion: to create quick iterations of creative assets

Having these tools connected was essential to building real-time, data-driven retargeting flows that scaled.

Conclusion 

As CPIs rise and attention spans drop, brute-force marketing isn’t sustainable. What worked in 2019 won’t work in 2025.

This fintech brand succeeded not by spending more, but by thinking smarter—using sequenced, behaviour-led retargeting flows that matched users’ real journeys through the mobile app funnel.

If you’re serious about user acquisition, growth isn’t about more ads. It’s about better timing, better stories, and better structure. It’s time to redefine your fintech app marketing strategy before your competitors do.

FAQs

How do retargeting flows improve user acquisition?

They personalize the message based on user behaviour, leading to higher conversion rates and lower acquisition costs.

Why is funnel-stage alignment important in fintech app marketing strategy?

It ensures users get relevant messages that match their intent, making them more likely to take action.

What’s the best way to lower the cost per install?

Use behavior-based segmentation, smart ad sequencing, and test messaging across the mobile app funnel regularly.

Is smart sequencing better than regular retargeting?

Yes. Smart sequencing delivers relevant, timed messages instead of repeating the same ad, increasing efficiency.

What tools help with mobile retargeting for fintech apps?

Adjust, Firebase, Meta Ads Manager, TikTok Ads, and Braze are top tools for building and optimising retargeting flows.