If you needed more overseas users for your fintech app next month, would you raise spending or test a new channel?
Familiar platforms are easier to manage, but finding a new source of users can be harder to start.
For fintech teams expanding internationally, the question is not just where else to advertise. It is where the right users can discover their product.
Smartphone ecosystems are worth evaluating. Here we explore OEM touchpoints, their relevance to fintech and how to plan an initial test.
1. App discovery goes beyond social media
Users may download a fintech app after seeing an ad, or search an app store when they need payments or money transfers.
OEM means the device manufacturer. OEM advertising uses manufacturers’ app stores, system apps and on-device inventory to support discovery.
App store search can reach users actively looking for relevant apps. Store recommendations and system placements offer further visibility. Placements, formats and fintech eligibility must be confirmed by OEM and market.
These touchpoints extend fintech acquisition into smartphone ecosystems, reducing dependence on a single type of channel.
An extra placement does not automatically bring a unique audience. Testing must establish whether it genuinely complements existing acquisition.
2. What can these touchpoints offer different fintech apps?
Consider a hypothetical payment app entering Indonesia.
Alongside social campaigns explaining the service, the team could assess local OEM app store inventory. Creatives and listings should explain supported payment uses and intended users, then measure activation and first use after download.
More visibility is a starting point. Helping users understand why the product suits them supports subsequent conversion.
A lending app needs a different approach: explain service conditions and the application process, then measure valid applications rather than downloads alone.
A digital banking app can explain account features and use cases, then assess identity verification, account opening and ongoing use.
Different fintech goals call for different creatives and evaluation criteria. OEM advertising adds touchpoints, while strategy must still reflect the product and audience.
3. Do more installs create more value?
Installs are easy to count, but fintech users often complete several steps before meaningful use.
How many downloaders register, pass identity verification or complete the intended business action?
These questions connect user acquisition with business value.
One placement might deliver cheap installs but few actions after registration. Another might cost more per install yet bring more users who complete the target action. Compare cost per qualified user before allocating budgets.
Use consistent observation periods and definitions. Separate countries and placements so averages do not hide differences.
To assess genuine incrementality, use user deduplication and suitable control tests. Attributed installs alone do not prove that every conversion is incremental.
4. Agree these points before the first test
Start with one clearly defined overseas market and a narrow test scope.
Confirm service availability, required credentials and media rules for the financial business in that country. Requirements cannot simply be copied across markets.
Check actual inventory: placements, formats, languages and creative requirements. Align ad claims, store pages and the in-app experience.
Choose the main question: registrations, completed identity checks or valid applications? Confirm event tracking, attribution, postbacks and supported optimization before launch.
Agree a spending cap, observation period and review criteria. Use a limited budget to answer one clear question, then decide whether to scale.
A new touchpoint can broaden fintech acquisition, but the final question remains: does it bring users suited to the business?
If you are assessing international OEM inventory, contact DTI with your app’s business type, target markets and acquisition goals to plan resources and the first test.
Save this article as a checklist for your next discussion about new channels.
About DTI
DTI specializes in mobile OEM advertising for international app growth, with 8 years of experience and 10,000+ products served. Using OPPO, vivo, XIAOMI, TRANSSION, HUAWEI and HONOR inventory, DTI combines OEM resources, local insight and campaign execution across Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe to connect businesses with overseas users and growth opportunities.