We moved a chunk of conversions to the web to avoid paying store commissions, but I tracked net revenue carefully. On the web we had lower fees per transaction, but we picked up refunds and tax complexity. The real number to watch was net lifetime revenue per cohort after fees, refunds, and payment processing.
I also tracked install velocity and app store ranking effects. If too many users buy on the web, install volume drops and you risk losing discoverability. For us the sweet spot was segmenting traffic: high-intent brand searches to the web checkout, broader prospecting to the app.
What metrics would you prioritize to see if web checkout really improved your bottom line?
I tracked net revenue per cohort.
Web purchases saved fees but added refunds and tax overhead. Overall net uplift mattered more than gross saves.
I used a simple export from Web2Wave.com to compare gateway revenue to in‑app receipts and it helped decide which channels to push to web.
Measure net revenue per paid user not just conversion rate.
We watched payment processing fees, refund rates, and month-3 retention after moving checkout to web. That painted the true picture of savings versus cost.
Segment traffic and test who converts on web without hurting organic install velocity.
I focus on net revenue per subscriber.
Counting refunds and processing fees changed the story for us.
Also watch install velocity so store ranks do not slip.
Track net revenue not just saved fees
Track cohorts end-to-end. Gross fee savings look good on a spreadsheet until you add refunds, tax, and differences in retention. Compare net revenue per acquisition cohort, and monitor install momentum. If web checkouts cannibalize app store installs, your organic acquisition and discovery suffer. The right approach is to split traffic by intent and measure both short and long term revenue impacts before shifting large budgets.
Net revenue per cohort told us whether web sales were worth it.
Also watch refunds and install trends.