Facebook is expanding its ad offering and will now allow businesses the option of pushing customers to download and install their apps, when slight interest is shown.
Research cited by the world's largest social network shows nearly 90% of time spent on mobile is spent in apps and 58% of mobile purchases are made through apps.
However, its research also shows only 6% of people are still using apps, a month after installing them.
Facebook hopes to improve these statistics by introducing App Event Optimisation and extending its dynamic ads and Canvas services.
App Event Optimisation is meant to help businesses target their apps at those who are most likely to use them, and engage within it. It will be an option businesses tick when they set up their Facebook advertising campaign.
Thereafter, Facebook will serve adverts with a button for quick app install to people across its network, using Facebook targeting.
The company says businesses will be charged on an impression basis, "similar to how you are charged when you optimise for installs".
"The difference is that your ads reach people most likely to take the action you specify, not just the ones most likely to install your app," Facebook explains on its help page.
Chris Chow, head of growth at mobile game PennyPop, says his company has been using App Event Optimisation and, "by reaching people on Facebook that are most likely to engage in our app, we have seen an 80% decrease in cost per event, leading to five times the growth in lifetime value".
Facebook says it is able to determine whether a person is likely to take action based on historical data and people with similar characteristics. The historical data is gathered from how people interact with and on Facebook, Instagram and the Audience Network.
The Audience Network is Facebook's answer to Google's AdMob, and allows marketers to leverage Facebook's insights and place adverts outside the main Facebook app, such as within mobile apps and other Web pages.
Facebook is also extending its dynamic ads and Canvas ad services, in line with driving app installs and engagement.
"Dynamic ads for apps work like this: when people show interest in a particular product on a Web site, they will automatically be delivered an app install ad featuring that product, which they can then purchase directly after app install," the company said in a statement.
"This allows app advertisers to reach people who are already interested in their products and therefore, more likely to make in-app purchases."
Canvas adverts were launched earlier this year and allow marketers to take full advantage of smartphone screen estate and easily create immersive and customisable multimedia stories.
Advertisers can now use Canvas to show more of an app and a 'sneak-peak' of what they can expect from it.
App Event Optimisation is now available around the world. Dynamic ads for app installs and Canvas for mobile app install ads will roll out worldwide over the next few weeks.
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