Web-shop purchaser quality vs store IAP purchaser quality
Analysis
By UA Ledger staff — 1 min read
Labelled synthetic cohort lab splitting web-shop and store purchasers before claiming whale quality. Anchored to AppsFlyer revenue event definitions.
Operators often assume web-shop buyers are whales. Without a cohort split, that assumption contaminates bid models. This lab compares two labelled synthetic cohorts and cites MMP revenue-event rules — it does not invent a whale benchmark.
Definition (body-read)
AppsFlyer in-app events overview requires revenue on af_revenue and supports negative values for refunds. Channel labels (store vs web) are your event design; the MMP page does not auto-classify web-shop quality. Apple’s EU apps changes remind operators that alternative payment and out-of-app offers are first-class EU paths under dated terms — measurement must tag them.
Synthetic worked example (labelled)
| Cohort | Buyers | D30 gross / buyer | D30 refund rate | D30 net / buyer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store IAP | 1,000 | 40 | 0.04 | 38.40 |
| Web shop | 400 | 70 | 0.09 | 63.70 |
Web looks “higher quality” on gross, but refund haircut and (not modelled here) payment-provider fees change contribution. Weighted D30 net = (1000×38.4 + 400×63.7) / 1400 = 45.6286.
Facts versus limits
| Field | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Revenue parameter | AppsFlyer `af_revenue` |
| EU alternative payments dated terms | Apple EU page (1 Oct 2026 effective) |
| Observed whale rates | None — synthetic |
Draft prepared 20 September 2026. Synthetic teaching example; human editorial review pending. No CMS write.
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