Branch

Overview

Branch is a mobile linking and attribution platform designed to help developers and marketers measure, attribute, and optimize user interactions across mobile apps, websites, and email. Founded in 2014, Branch specializes in solving the challenges of mobile attribution and deep linking, which are critical for understanding user behavior and improving conversion rates in a fragmented mobile ecosystem. The platform provides tools for creating unified user experiences, regardless of the entry point (e.g., ad click, email link, web page) or the device used.

The core of Branch's offering revolves around its deep linking capabilities. Deep links ensure that users are directed to specific content within an app, rather than just the app's homepage or app store listing, enhancing the user experience and reducing friction. This functionality is crucial for campaigns involving product pages, specific articles, or user-generated content. Branch supports both deferred deep linking, which directs users to content after an app install, and contextual deep linking, which passes data through the install process to personalize the post-install experience.

For mobile attribution, Branch tracks complex user journeys from initial touchpoint to conversion. This includes identifying the source of installs, in-app events, and re-engagement activities. The platform integrates with various advertising networks and marketing channels, providing a unified view of campaign performance. This granular data allows businesses to optimize ad spend, understand the efficacy of different marketing initiatives, and calculate return on investment (ROI) more accurately. Unlike some general analytics platforms, Branch's specialization in mobile linking provides specific solutions for challenges like tracking across different operating systems and handling scenarios where apps are not yet installed.

Branch is suitable for a range of businesses, from startups to large enterprises, that rely on mobile applications for user engagement and revenue generation. It is particularly valuable for companies utilizing referral programs, paid advertising, and cross-platform content strategies, as it provides the infrastructure to track and optimize these initiatives effectively. Tools like those offered by Branch are critical for understanding the full customer journey, especially in environments where users interact with multiple devices and channels before converting. For example, a user might click an ad on a desktop, install an app on a mobile device, and then make a purchase days later; Branch aims to connect these disparate touchpoints into a cohesive user profile, a capability that differs from more general web analytics tools by focusing specifically on the mobile app context and the complexities of device changes. Alternatives like AppsFlyer also provide similar attribution and deep linking capabilities, highlighting the specialized nature of this market segment for mobile measurement solutions AppsFlyer deep linking product.

Key features

• Deep Linking: Enables contextual and deferred deep links that direct users to specific content within an app, even if the app needs to be installed first.
• Mobile Attribution: Tracks and attributes app installs and in-app events to their originating marketing channels, providing insights into campaign performance.
• Journeys: Tools for creating personalized onboarding and engagement flows, including smart banners, pop-ups, and in-app calls to action.
• Universal Email: Generates deep links for email campaigns that ensure users land on the correct content within the app directly from an email client.
• Paid Ads Measurement: Measures the effectiveness of paid advertising campaigns across various ad networks and platforms, providing unified reporting.
• Referral Programs: Provides infrastructure for building and tracking user referral programs, including unique link generation and reward fulfillment.
• SDKs for Multiple Platforms: Offers comprehensive SDKs for iOS, Android, Web, React Native, Flutter, Xamarin, Cordova/PhoneGap, Adobe Air, and Unity.
• Marketing Analytics: Provides dashboards and reports to analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) related to user acquisition, engagement, and retention.
• Fraud Detection: Includes mechanisms to identify and filter out fraudulent installs and in-app events, ensuring data accuracy.
• Compliance: Adheres to SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA, and ISO 27001 standards for data privacy and security.

Pricing

Branch offers a tiered pricing model that includes a free tier for basic usage and paid plans for more advanced features and higher volumes. Specific pricing details for paid tiers are available upon request or through consultation with their sales team.

For detailed pricing information and to obtain quotes for specific tiers, refer to the official Branch pricing page.

Common integrations

Branch provides SDKs and API capabilities to integrate with a wide range of platforms and services:

• Mobile App Platforms: iOS SDK, Android SDK, React Native SDK, Flutter SDK, Unity SDK.
• Web Platforms: Web SDK for deep linking and attribution on websites.
• Ad Networks & DSPs: Integration with major advertising platforms for campaign measurement and optimization (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads).
• Analytics Platforms: Connects with various analytics tools to enrich data insights.
• CRM & Marketing Automation: Integrates with CRM systems for personalized user engagement and lifecycle management.

Alternatives

• AppsFlyer: A mobile attribution and marketing analytics platform.
• Adjust: Provides mobile measurement, fraud prevention, and analytics solutions.
• Singular: Offers marketing analytics, attribution, and cost aggregation across channels.

Getting started

To get started with Branch, you typically integrate one of their SDKs into your application. Below is a basic example for initializing the Branch iOS SDK and tracking an event in Swift. This example assumes you have already installed the Branch SDK via CocoaPods or Swift Package Manager.

import UIKit
import Branch

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {

    var window: UIWindow?

    func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
        // Initialize Branch SDK
        Branch.getInstance().initSession(launchOptions: launchOptions) { (params, error) in
            if error == nil {
                print("Branch initSession params: \(params as? [String: AnyObject] ?? [:])")
                // Handle deep link data if present
                if let deepLinkURL = params?["+clicked_branch_link"] as? String {
                    print("Deep link URL: \(deepLinkURL)")
                    // Implement your logic to navigate to specific content
                }
            } else {
                print("Branch initSession error: \(error?.localizedDescription ?? "Unknown error")")
            }
        }

        return true
    }

    // Required for universal links and deep links
    func application(_ application: UIApplication, continue userActivity: NSUserActivity, restorationHandler: @escaping ([UIUserActivityRestoring]?) -> Void) -> Bool {
        Branch.getInstance().continue(userActivity)
        return true
    }

    func application(_ app: UIApplication, open url: URL, options: [UIApplication.OpenURLOptionsKey : Any] = [:]) -> Bool {
        Branch.getInstance().application(app, open: url, options: options)
        return true
    }

    // Example of tracking a custom event
    func trackCustomEvent() {
        let event = BranchEvent.customEvent(withName: "Product_Viewed")
        event.addCustomData(withKey: "product_id", value: "SKU12345")
        event.addCustomData(withKey: "category", value: "Electronics")
        event.logEvent()
        print("Custom event 'Product_Viewed' logged.")
    }
}

This code snippet demonstrates the basic setup in an iOS AppDelegate: initializing the Branch session during app launch and handling incoming deep links. It also includes a function trackCustomEvent() as an example of logging a custom event with associated data, which can be called from anywhere in your app to track user actions. For more detailed guides and platform-specific implementations, refer to the official Branch documentation and the Branch API reference.