40% of mobile companies in US and UK suffer losses post-IDFA
75% of those who lost revenue said they felt that the changes "put the future of their business at risk"
New research showed that almost 40% of mobile companies in the US and the UK have lost revenue since Apple implemented changes to its identifier for advertisers last year.
That's according to a new survey commissioned by mobile data companies Tenjin and Growth FullStack, and conducted independently by Atomik Research with 302 people "with responsibility for advertising budgets at mobile game and app developers in the UK and USA."
55% of the respondents said that mobile marketing was more difficult for them in 2021 compared to the year before.
Out of the 39% of companies that lost revenue due to Apple's IDFA changes, 75% of them said they felt that it "put the future of their business at risk."
59% of the surveyed firms said they had decreased their spend on iOS and redirected it to Android, and only 27% did the opposite.
The respondents also expressed concerns over Google implementing similar changes on Android at 84%.
Tenjin CEO Christopher Farm said: "2021 was a difficult year for mobile marketers. The introduction of app tracking transparency on iOS accelerated the trend of budgetary shift from iOS to Android and, while the launch of iOS15 in September 2021 was better news for advertisers as it gave them direct access to all SKAdNetwork data, it's clear that they are still getting to grips with how to use it effectively.
"While almost everyone we spoke to was worried Android would follow Apple's lead, there are positive signs that, although Google's Privacy Sandbox has been expanded to mobile, Android will offer some respite by taking a more gradual approach. However, the privacy-first direction of travel is set and, with more work to do to adjust to changes on iOS, marketers must continue to adapt."
Apple introduced changes in the way IDFAs (ID for Advertisers, unique codes assigned to iOS devices) are collected, meaning users have to opt in to be tracked, in early 2021.
Soon after, analytics platform Flurry reported that only 13% of users worldwide had allowed iOS apps to track them for advertising, while Android ad spending spiked, the Post-IDFA Alliance reported.
Our GamesIndustry.biz Academy has dedicated several guides to navigating the post-IDFA world, which you can find on this page.