What is User Acquisition (UA)?

User acquisition definition: the strategy and set of tactics used to attract new users to install and start engaging with your app. If you’re asking what is user acquisition in the app industry, it’s the combined impact of paid and organic channels that convert attention into installs and early retention.

In practice, user acquisition meaning is less about volume and more about sourcing the right users who retain, convert, and lift LTV.

How it works

Discovery happens across search, browse, ads, and referrals; intent is captured by your keywords, creatives, and reputation; and installs follow when message–market fit lands. Post-install quality closes the loop: if onboarding feels smooth and value shows up fast, retention soars and acquisition becomes cheaper over time.

On Android, Google Play Console lets you break down acquisition by country, source, and listing variant — and benchmark against peer groups — so you can see where UA is compounding (or leaking) and fix the right link in the chain.

Why it’s important (data that holds up)

Budgets follow impact: after a slow 2023, app marketing spend climbed ~18% YoY in 2024, with most top media sources growing — evidence that performance UA is still a primary growth lever. At the same time, retention remains the governor on growth: global benchmarks show average D1 ≈ 26%, D7 ≈ 13%, D30 ≈ 7%, so where you acquire from (and how you set expectations) directly determines downstream value.

Finally, quality matters economically: in subscription apps, as much as 65% of revenue can come from organic users, underlining how ASO and reputation amplify paid outcomes rather than replace them.

Example

A finance app scales paid on iOS and Android but sees low trial starts. The team maps campaigns to store listing variants and notices weak performance in markets where creatives don’t match local search intent.

After localizing keywords, swapping the icon for a more recognizable motif, and tightening the first two screenshots to promise “secure account linking in 2 minutes,” Play Console benchmarks rise to peer medians, D7 retention stabilizes, and blended CPI falls — proof that better UA isn’t just more spend, it’s a better fit upstream.