For years, UA managers have relied on a familiar set of benchmarks to evaluate traffic quality. Metrics like CTR, CVR, IPM, and early retention helped teams compare sources, optimize bids, and make decisions about scaling.
When OEM traffic entered the mix, those benchmarks started behaving in unexpected ways. CTRs looked lower, conversion curves felt unusual, and installs that seemed weak on day one often showed stronger performance later. For many teams, the first conclusion was simple: something must be wrong with this traffic. In reality, something else was happening.
The Setup: When “Good Traffic” Starts Looking Bad
OEM placements do not exist inside apps. They appear during device setup, in system recommendations, app folders, OEM app stores, or lock-screen surfaces. In these moments, users are not scrolling content or killing time. They are configuring a new device or actively discovering applications. From a benchmarking perspective, this creates friction.
Click-through rates are usually lower than in-app or social. IPM often looks weak because impressions happen in a contextual environment rather than a feed-based one. Early conversion rates may lag because user intent unfolds gradually instead of instantly.
When OEM traffic is compared directly to in-app traffic using the same thresholds, it almost always appears to underperform. That is where many teams make their first mistake.
The Climax: Why OEM Metrics Behave Differently
OEM traffic does not break benchmarks because it is lower quality. It behaves differently because the user intent behind it is different.
In in-app environments, users are already active, distracted, and conditioned to click. High CTR and fast installs are expected outcomes.
In OEM environments, users are in a decision-oriented moment rather than an entertainment-driven one. Attention may be lower, but intent is often more deliberate. Installs may happen later, but the users tend to be more intentional about what they choose to download. As a result, the entire performance curve shifts.
OEM traffic often shows flatter early metrics and slower day-zero or day-one conversion. At the same time, it frequently delivers stronger downstream signals such as retention, engagement, or monetization.
Classic UA benchmarks are built to reward speed. OEM traffic operates on intent. Judging OEM performance purely by CTR or IPM is similar to judging a subscription business only by its free-trial conversion rate.
What Metrics Actually Matter for OEM
Once teams stop forcing OEM traffic into in-app benchmarks, the data becomes much clearer.
For OEM traffic, more reliable indicators include post-install engagement rather than click behavior. Retention curves provide more insight than short-term spikes. Payback windows beyond the first few days often tell the real story. Source-level consistency is more valuable than creative-level volatility.
OEM traffic rewards teams that focus on trajectory and stability instead of instant performance.
This is also why OEM channels align better with CPI or CPA buying models, where economics are tied to outcomes rather than impressions.
The Resolution: Rethinking What “Good” Traffic Means
OEM traffic is not a replacement for in-app or social channels. It plays a complementary role.
The real shift is not about choosing one source over another. It is about accepting that different acquisition layers require different evaluation models.
Teams that succeed with OEM typically separate OEM benchmarks from in-app benchmarks. They extend evaluation windows and optimize toward meaningful in-app actions instead of surface-level clicks. They prioritize consistency and scalable efficiency rather than immediate spikes.
Once this mindset changes, OEM traffic stops looking broken. It starts looking exactly like what it is: a distinct acquisition layer with its own value curve.
Final Thought
Classic UA benchmarks were never designed for system-level discovery. OEM traffic exposes that limitation. That exposure is not a flaw but a signal.
For advertisers and UA managers who are willing to adapt how success is measured, OEM traffic does not undermine performance logic. It simply forces the industry to evolve. And that evolution is worth it.
