Traffic sources
The Traffic Sources report reveals the complete story of your customer acquisition - tracking merchants from their first interaction with your App Store listing through to becoming a paid subscriber. By connecting pre-install behavior with conversion data, you can identify exactly which channels bring your most valuable customers.
Traffic source data syncs automatically with your App Store listing, giving you a complete picture of your acquisition funnel. More than just visitor analytics, Mantle helps you turn traffic insights into actionable marketing strategies across your entire business.
Beyond basic analytics
The report tracks four key conversion moments:
- Initial listing discovery - understand your reach and which sources drive awareness
- ”Add app” button clicks - see what convinces browsers to try your app
- Installation completion - track which traffic sources convert
- Subscription conversion - identify which channels bring paying customers
Understanding your sources
Traffic dimensions
Each dimension reveals different aspects of your acquisition:
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| apps.shopify.com | App Store traffic |
| google.com | Search engine traffic |
| facebook.com | Social media traffic |
| yourwebsite.com | Direct site traffic |
| Source medium | Description |
|---|---|
| organic | Natural search and App Store browsing (e.g., merchants finding you in Shopify search) |
| cpc | Paid advertising clicks (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads) |
| referral | Website link traffic (e.g., blog mentions, partner sites) |
| cpa | Cost-per-action campaigns (e.g., affiliate marketing links) |
| Forums | Community discussions (e.g., Reddit, Shopify Community) |
| Search terms | Description |
|---|---|
| Branded terms | e.g., “your app name” |
| Feature terms | e.g., “inventory management” |
| Problem terms | e.g., “fix out of stock issues” |
| Referrer sites | Description |
|---|---|
| Partner websites | e.g., integration partner blogs |
| Review sites | e.g., merchant review platforms |
| Content platforms | e.g., Medium articles |
| Campaign type | Description |
|---|---|
| Seasonal promotions | e.g., “black_friday_2024” |
| Feature launches | e.g., “new_feature_march” |
| Partner campaigns | e.g., “agency_referral” |
| Surface types | Description |
|---|---|
| Search results pages | App Store search results |
| Category listings | Category-based listings |
| Collection features | Featured collections |
| Surface details | Description |
|---|---|
| ”Top Inventory Apps” | Featured in top apps section |
| ”Staff picks” | Selected by Shopify staff |
| ”Trending in Marketing” | Trending apps section |
Surface inter position: The numbered section on the page where the merchant found your app (e.g., if your app appears in both section 1 and section 2 of the page, you can see which section drove more traffic)
Surface intra position: The position within a section, numbered left to right and top to bottom starting at 1 (e.g., position 1 is top left, position 4 starts the second row)
Performance metrics
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Listing view volumes | How many merchants discover your app through this source |
| Install click rates | The percentage of viewers who click to install from this source |
| Installation completion | How many merchants actually finish the installation process |
| Subscription conversion | The number of installations that turn into paying subscriptions |
| Source-specific LTV | The average lifetime value of customers from each source |
Traffic categories
Your acquisition channels typically fall into three groups:
App Store organic
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Search result placement | e.g., “inventory management” search results |
| Category browsing | e.g., found in “Inventory Management” category |
| Direct listing visits | e.g., merchants typing your app URL directly |
| Collection features | e.g., “Staff Picks” or “Trending Apps” |
External sources
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Direct traffic | e.g., merchants typing your website URL |
| Search engines | e.g., Google, Bing search results |
Website referrals:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Blog posts | e.g., tutorials mentioning your app |
| Integration partners | e.g., complementary app websites |
| Review platforms | e.g., third-party app review sites |
| Community forums | e.g., Reddit, Facebook groups |
Campaign traffic
Marketing initiatives:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Email campaigns | e.g., newsletter promotions |
| Content marketing | e.g., blog post campaigns |
| Seasonal promotions | e.g., holiday specials |
Referral programs:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Partner referrals | e.g., agency recommendations |
| Customer referrals | e.g., word-of-mouth programs |
| Integration partnerships | e.g., app integration launches |
Paid advertising:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Search ads | e.g., Google Ads campaigns |
| Social media ads | e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn campaigns |
| Display advertising | e.g., banner ad campaigns |
Making the most of traffic data
Performance analysis
The breakdown table provides actionable insights:
- Source-specific conversion rates - see exactly how many visitors from each source become paying customers
- Full funnel progression tracking - watch how visitors from different sources move from discovery to subscription
- Visual trend identification - spot patterns with color-coded bars that make changes easy to spot
- LTV by traffic source - understand which channels bring your highest-value customers, not just the most visitors
- Individual customer journey details - click through to see the actual customers behind the numbers and explore their complete path
Smart analysis
Common ways teams leverage traffic data:
- Time period analysis: Establish baselines with 30-day windows and track seasonal patterns to identify growth trends
- Source impact: Track platform-specific conversion rates and monitor performance across search engines and social media
- Channel performance: Compare how different traffic types convert - from steady organic growth to campaign-driven spikes
- Search insights: Analyze search terms to understand merchant discovery patterns and identify listing optimization opportunities
- Referral quality: Identify which sites send your best-converting visitors and measure the impact of partnerships
- Campaign tracking: Compare marketing initiative effectiveness and optimize spending based on customer lifetime value
- Store presence: Track performance across different App Store sections and understand how listing position affects conversion
These insights help teams identify their most effective acquisition channels and optimize their marketing strategy for both immediate results and long-term growth.
FAQ
Why do my numbers in Google Analytics look different from this report?
Your numbers might look different, and that's okay. While Google Analytics shows every page view, we focus on unique views. If someone views your listing 80 times but only 50 are new visits, we'll show 50 in the Viewed listing count - giving you a clearer picture of your true reach.
What about my install numbers from other reports?
Sometimes these look different because this report only tracks installs that came through your listing. Other installs might happen without a merchant ever visiting your App Store page.