Alper is a full stack app growth consultant and the Head of Performance Marketing at a stealth-mode startup. With over 13 years in the mobile industry, he has collaborated with more than 60 companies across various non-gaming verticals, driving substantial growth for over 100 apps.
Notably, Alper achieved a remarkable 50x growth for a client within 1.5 years. His expertise spans performance marketing, MarTech, CRO, ASO, and paid marketing. Alper excels in conducting comprehensive audits and health checks, swiftly identifying and resolving issues, particularly in attribution, MMP configurations, and paid media channels to optimize up to 8-digit annual budgets.
In your own words, what’s your role in the app business right now?
I am in the process of building a new performance marketing team as a Head of Performance at a stealth-mode startup, and on the side, I am supporting other apps as an app growth consultant. I focus on solving tracking challenges, optimizing media spend, and refining strategies across UA, ASO, and monetization to scale efficiently in the shortest possible time frame.
How did you end up working in apps?
I started attending mobile game meetups in San Francisco back in 2011 while doing marketing and PR for a garage startup. The mobile space was still in its early days, yet still inspiring. I started on the agency side, managing operations for our in-house app while running hundreds of performance and branding campaigns for global brands. This dual exposure gave me a deep understanding of both product development and marketing strategies, fueling my passion for app growth.
What are you most excited about in apps right now?
I’m particularly excited about the integration of AI in app operations. For example, in one of our projects, we utilize AI to generate and iterate on the ad visuals and copy autonomously. Additionally, the industry’s shift towards sustainable growth strategies, emphasizing incrementality and MMM is a promising development.
What’s in your app tech stack?
Throughout my career, I’ve used over 50 MarTech tools. My journey began with HasOffers/TUNE and then continued with extensive daily use of Adjust, AppsFlyer, Branch, and Singular on the MMP side. In the realm of in-app analytics, Mixpanel and Amplitude are the tools I deal with daily. For CRM, I’ve collaborated on implementations and usage of Braze, Iterable, MoEngage, and CleverTap, among others, tailoring solutions to align with each brand’s specific needs.
What do you like most about working in apps?
The fast-paced environment is definitely exciting. It’s concerning to observe teams executing strategies from 2-3 years ago, as a single year in this industry equates to a decade elsewhere. Challenging the status quo is essential; I advocate for at least annual, if not more frequent reassessments of strategies focusing on full-funnel optimization. Brands that embrace swift iteration and maintain at least one experiment per funnel stage are the ones that consistently achieve growth.
What one thing would you change about the app industry?
I would love to see an end to the “privacy wars” among major tech companies. Instead of engaging in practices that potentially undermine each other’s businesses, there’s a need for collaborative efforts to enhance the ecosystem collectively. Such cooperation would benefit all stakeholders, from developers to end users, fostering an environment of mutual growth and trust. However, I don’t see this coming soon.
If you weren’t working in apps, what would you be doing?
I’d probably be in the travel and finance industries as I love traveling and the financial markets.
iOS or Android?
iOS. However, from a growth perspective, you can’t ignore Android in some categories.
What app(s) have been most useful to you over the last year?
ChatGPT and other LLMs.
What’s on your Spotify playlist?
It’s a mix of EDM and harder styles.
Is there anything else we should know about you?
I enjoy traveling, doing watersports, and exploring the biohacking space.
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