Building a great app is one thing. Turning it into a real business is another.

Recorded live at Think Apps: The Google App Summit in APAC in Vietnam, this session brought together three industry insiders who have seen the app economy from very different angles and are not shy about saying what actually works.

I sat down with

• Božo Janković, Head of Ad Monetization at GameBiz Consulting
• Ömer Yakabagi, founder of Gamigion
• Lemon Choi, founder of HyperJoy

to talk candidly about growth, monetization, AI and the mindset shift developers need to make if they want to survive and scale.

This was not a slide-driven panel. It was a practical, no-BS conversation about what developers still get wrong, what they underestimate and where real opportunity exists right now.

We get into:

• Why “build a fun game first, monetize later” is still breaking businesses
• How hybrid monetization actually works in practice, not theory
• What you should do with your first $100 marketing budget
• Why retention tells you more than downloads ever will
• How small teams and even solo developers are using AI to do the work of entire studios
• Why ad quality and user experience now matter more than volume
• What it really means to think like a business owner, not just a developer

We also dig into Tier 3 and Tier 4 market testing, one-person studios, “fake it till you make it (and make it properly),” and why focus beats chasing every shiny opportunity.

If you are an indie developer, founder or early-stage studio trying to make sense of monetization, growth and AI without losing the joy of building, this session delivers practical advice, clear takeaways and a few laughs along the way.

Chapters:

00:00 Misconceptions About Monetization

00:48 Meet the Panel of Growth Experts

01:18 Careers in the App Economy

06:32 Focus on Hybrid Monetization

08:06 Common Developer Misconceptions

09:37 Testing Low-Tier Markets

11:25 Retention is Key

13:58 AI's Leverage for Small Teams

15:56 Monetization Model Advice

27:38 The Business Owner Mindset

*** Subscribe for More ***

⚡On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824

⚡Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm

⚡Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-groove/id1585861460

*** Let's Connect ***

⚡ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz

⚡ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz

⚡Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com

Loyalty programs are usually built around transactions. PAYBACK believes they can also be built around behavior.

In this episode of MobileGroove, recorded live at PGC London, I speak with Nico Winkelhaus, VP Digital Marketing at PAYBACK, about why Germany’s largest loyalty program expanded into gaming and what that move signals about the future of loyalty, rewarded engagement and super app strategy.

PAYBACK has spent 25 years building scale in retail. Today it spans travel, banking, insurance and digital services inside one of Germany’s leading shopping apps. The move to expand into gaming in 2022 was rooted in user data and a clear understanding of how people already interact with the app.

With more than 20 million smartphone gamers in Germany, the logic was simple: reward users not only for what they buy, but for how they spend their digital time.

In this episode, Nico explains:

• Why gaming was a natural extension of PAYBACK’s ecosystem rather than a leap into the unknown

• How PAYBACK delivers incremental reach to gaming advertisers instead of recycling the same high-affinity rewarded users

• Why adding gaming increases overall activity in the app rather than cannibalizing retail engagement

• What personalization at scale actually means when you are working toward millions of differentiated offers

• Why loyalty remains a low-involvement product and why simplicity, not feature density, determines success

• How PAYBACK separates physical retail interactions from digital engagement within the same platform

• What regulatory shifts and the rise of web shops could mean for loyalty platforms and studios

• Why rewarded mechanics, first proven in gaming, may expand into other industries

If you work in gaming, retail, commerce or growth, this episode offers a practical look at how loyalty, rewarded mechanics and super app ambitions intersect in the real world.

Chapters:

0:00 - Payback's Evolution and the Convergence with Gaming

2:19 - Gaming as a Mass Market for Loyalty Programs

4:11 - Leveraging Data for Targeted Rewards and Broad Reach

7:43 - Relevancy, Hyperpersonalization, and Core DNA

11:16 - Evolving to a Loyalty Super App and Maintaining Simplicity

14:26 - Gaming as an Engagement Success Feature and the Future of Rewarded UA

*** Subscribe for More ***⚡On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824⚡Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm⚡Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-groove/id1585861460*** Let's Connect ***⚡ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz⚡ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz⚡ Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com

What does it really take for indie developers to win in fast-growing app markets?

Recorded live at Think Apps: The Google App Summit in APAC in Vietnam, I sat down with Killol Buch, Director India at Google, to talk about how developers in markets like India and Vietnam are building apps that scale, compete globally and stay sustainable.

This conversation is about fundamentals that still matter, even as AI accelerates everything.

We cover:

- Why user experience beats everything else, especially for indies

- How developers in India and Vietnam think differently about global and local users

- What segmentation really means when users have very different spending power

- Why ads are part of your product, not something you bolt on later

- How AI is leveling the playing field for small teams and solo developers

- The business skills indies need, not just the tech skills

- Why retention and engagement matter more than chasing downloads

- What sustainable growth actually looks like for early-stage studios

Killol also shares what continues to surprise him about the pace of innovation, where competition is heating up and how young developers can use ecosystems, communities and platforms to move faster without burning out.

If you’re an indie developer or early-stage founder building in a crowded app economy, this session offers clear, practical advice on how to stand out and build something that lasts.

0:00 Intro

1:09 Google App Summit in Vietnam

1:40 Learning Between Indian and Vietnamese Markets

2:27 Quick Commerce: Solving Unique Local Needs in India

3:45 Strength of the Developer Ecosystem in Vietnam

4:39 Top Advice for Indie Developers: Focus on User Experience

6:23 Essential Skills for Indie Success: Tech and Business

7:34 Unique Challenges: Growing Competition and Limited User Time

8:50 Google's Full Suite of Offerings for App Developers

*** Subscribe for More ***

👉🏻YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeggyAnneSalz?sub_confirmation=1

👉🏻Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm

👉🏻Amazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/28e1039b-4ead-4c48-aed7-8aceb5195fa6/mobilegroove

👉🏻On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824

*** Let's Connect ***

👉🏻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/peggy.salz

👉🏻 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com

*** What We Do ***

MobileGroove: Mobile Marketing Insights, Trends & Growth Strategies

MobileGroove is a top-ranked destination for mobile marketing, app growth, and customer engagement strategies. We deliver expert analysis, custom research, and strategic content marketing to help mobile-first businesses and tech startups thrive in a fast-moving industry.

My videos cover:

• User acquisition (UA) best practices

• App retention and lifecycle marketing strategies

• Personalization and loyalty programs that drive ROI

• The latest in mobile advertising and data-driven growth

• Success stories from top marketers and mobile-first brands

Peggy is a recognized thought leader, named a Top 100 Mobile Influencer by Mobile World Congress, and the author of Apponomics (with InMobi) and The Everything Guide to Mobile Apps.

Subscribe for weekly updates on mobile app marketing, growth hacking, retention tactics, and more.

What does leadership really look like for women in mobile today, across cultures, markets and stages of growth?

Recorded live at Think Apps: The Google App Summit in APAC in Vietnam, this MobileGroove episode brings together three senior women leaders to talk candidly about what it takes to lead, be heard and create space for others in the app and mobile ecosystem.

I spoke with:

- Daphne Tan, Director, Global Partnerships, SellSide Monetization

- Eunyoung Kim, Director, KR Sellside Monetization

- Yukako Yokoyama, Director, Global Partnerships, Sellside Monetization – Japan

This is not a panel about titles or career ladders. It’s a conversation about leadership in practice, shaped by lived experience across Asia and global markets, with lessons that resonate far beyond APAC.

In this episode, we talk about:What women bring to leadership in mobile and tech that often goes unrecognized

- Why finding your voice matters, especially in cultures where speaking up is not the norm

- How vulnerability, listening and empathy become leadership strengths

- Why homogeneous thinking is a red flag, not alignment

- What it takes to create work environments where women can thrive

- How mentorship, sponsorship and simply opening the door can change careers

- The differences and shared truths between leading in Eastern and Western cultures

We also explore how women shape innovation by bringing diverse life experiences into product thinking, why inclusion leads to better apps and better businesses, and how leadership evolves as purpose begins to outweigh ambition.

If you’re a woman building a career in mobile, leading teams, mentoring others or simply finding your voice, this conversation offers perspective, reassurance and practical wisdom that travels across borders.

*** Subscribe for More ***

👉🏻YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeggyAnneSalz?sub_confirmation=1

👉🏻Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm

👉🏻Amazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/28e1039b-4ead-4c48-aed7-8aceb5195fa6/mobilegroove👉🏻On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824

*** Let's Connect ***

👉🏻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/peggy.salz

👉🏻 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com

*** What We Do ***

MobileGroove: Mobile Marketing Insights, Trends & Growth Strategies

MobileGroove is a top-ranked destination for mobile marketing, app growth, and customer engagement strategies. We deliver expert analysis, custom research, and strategic content marketing to help mobile-first businesses and tech startups thrive in a fast-moving industry.

My videos cover:

• User acquisition (UA) best practices

• App retention and lifecycle marketing strategies

• Personalization and loyalty programs that drive ROI

• The latest in mobile advertising and data-driven growth

• Success stories from top marketers and mobile-first brands

Peggy is a recognized thought leader, named a Top 100 Mobile Influencer by Mobile World Congress, and the author of Apponomics (with InMobi) and The Everything Guide to Mobile Apps.

Subscribe for weekly updates on mobile app marketing, growth hacking, retention tactics, and more.

Rakuten Viber blocks around 2% of ads on purpose.

At global scale, that is not a rounding error. It is a strategy. In this episode, we look at why one of the world’s largest messaging apps is willing to block demand in order to protect users, trust and long-term growth.

I’m joined by Sebastian Totte, Programmatic Partnerships Manager at Rakuten Viber, to unpack how a people-first super app approaches ad quality, why ad experience is app experience, and why giving an external tool the power to block any demand partner is a deliberate and sometimes uncomfortable decision.

Sebastian explains how Viber uses ad quality data to reduce user complaints, protect retention and even uncover new direct and PMP deal opportunities, all while operating across messaging, marketplace, dating and payments at massive scale.

This conversation is part of PlayerFirst Perspectives, a MobileGroove mini-series powered by AppHarbr. It’s a series about fixing ad quality and developing ad policies so users stay in your app or game, and you can enforce what you believe is right for your players.

👉 Join the conversation

Be part of the Player First Collective on Slack, where marketers, product teams and platforms swap real examples of bad ads, policy fixes and UX wins, and compare notes on what’s working. Slack invite link - https://join.slack.com/t/playerfirstcollective/shared_invite/zt-3kcihn2oh-jXuCNSOYnqIFjynxegYUug

In this episode, Sebastian tells me:

- Why Rakuten Viber treats ad quality as a growth lever, not a cost, and why blocking around 2% of ads is worth it

- How a people-first super app thinks about monetization when ads are part of everyday communication, not just gameplay

- How Viber uses AppHarbr by GeoEdge to scan ads across all demand partners and finally get a single view of everything running on its inventory

- What granular ad policies look like in practice, including country-level rules, sensitive categories, domain controls and restrictions on redirects and auto-expand formats

- Why there is no appetite for leeway on deceptive or sexually explicit ads, even when they could drive short-term revenue

- Which metrics matter most when you take ad quality seriously, from fewer user complaints to better retention and cleaner app store reviews

- How ad quality data can reveal which domains hit your inventory most often and where direct deals may actually make sense

- What he’s watching next in ad quality, from AI-generated ads and more sophisticated scams to stricter regulation and ongoing enforcement challenges

Stay tuned for upcoming PlayerFirst Perspectives episodes on MobileGroove, where we continue to explore how publishers, platforms and partners are turning ad quality, policy and player trust into a real growth advantage.

*** Subscribe for More ***

👉🏻YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeggyAnneSalz?sub_confirmation=1

👉🏻Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm

👉🏻Amazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/28e1039b-4ead-4c48-aed7-8aceb5195fa6/mobilegroove

👉🏻On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824

*** Let's Connect ***

👉🏻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/peggy.salz

👉🏻 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com

Vulcan Labs has quietly built one of Vietnam’s most successful subscription app businesses, and now it is doing the same with AI.

Recorded live at Think Apps: The Google App Summit in APAC in Vietnam, I spoke with Trish Dang, CEO of Vulcan Labs, about the hard part of modern app growth: scaling subscriptions and ads without damaging user experience.

Vulcan Labs has launched more than 60 apps globally and built one of the strongest subscription portfolios in Vietnam. In recent years, the team has also been an early mover in AI-powered apps, including an AI assistant and AI-driven health products, while keeping product quality and retention at the center.

In this conversation, Trish and I cover:

- How Vulcan Labs built subscription growth by prioritizing product quality

- Why user experience comes before monetization decisions

- How the team balances subscriptions and ads across markets with different willingness to pay

- What it takes to integrate ads without breaking trust or disrupting flow

- Why ad content, timing and quality matter as much as placement

- How Vulcan approaches global distribution with smart localization

- What Trish is seeing in Vietnam’s app ecosystem, including growing opportunities for women in mobile

We also talk about leadership, building sustainable teams and what it means to grow an app business from Vietnam for a global audience.

If you are an indie developer, founder, or product builder exploring subscriptions, AI apps, and monetization without compromising UX, this episode offers practical insights from a team that knows how to scale.

*** Subscribe for More ***

👉🏻YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeggyAnneSalz?sub_confirmation=1

👉🏻Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm

👉🏻Amazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/28e1039b-4ead-4c48-aed7-8aceb5195fa6/mobilegroove👉🏻On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824

*** Let's Connect ***

👉🏻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/peggy.salz

👉🏻 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com

*** What We Do ***

MobileGroove: Mobile Marketing Insights, Trends & Growth Strategies

MobileGroove is a top-ranked destination for mobile marketing, app growth, and customer engagement strategies. We deliver expert analysis, custom research, and strategic content marketing to help mobile-first businesses and tech startups thrive in a fast-moving industry.

My videos cover:

• User acquisition (UA) best practices

• App retention and lifecycle marketing strategies

• Personalization and loyalty programs that drive ROI

• The latest in mobile advertising and data-driven growth

• Success stories from top marketers and mobile-first brands

Peggy is a recognized thought leader, named a Top 100 Mobile Influencer by Mobile World Congress, and the author of Apponomics (with InMobi) and The Everything Guide to Mobile Apps.

Subscribe for weekly updates on mobile app marketing, growth hacking, retention tactics, and more.

Growth isn’t platform-to-platform anymore. It’s everything to everything.In this episode of MobileGroove, I spoke with Barak Witkowski, Chief Product Officer at AppsFlyer, about how growth teams are operating in a world where users move fluidly across apps, web, CTV, retail and alternative app stores, and why old mental models no longer hold up.Barak shares what AppsFlyer is seeing across the market right now, including the 15 distinct growth flows teams are trying to measure, why launching 10 products in parallel was necessary to support that reality, and how AI is moving from insight to action.We cover:- Why growth is now everything to everything- The 15 cross-platform flows teams still underestimate- What it takes to launch 10 products at once and why it mattered- Why AI works best when you onboard it like a new hire- Where autonomous marketing is already delivering results, and where it is not ready yet- What modern measurement looks like when you shift from devices to users- Why data collaboration is becoming a growth lever rather than an experimentThis conversation builds on work originally developed in close collaboration with ConsultMyApp (CMA) and other industry partners, which is why Barak and I reconnect one year later. We trade hard truths and pressure test what actually scaled.Download the Sustainable Growth HandbookThis work was developed in close collaboration with ConsultMyApp (CMA) and other industry partners.If you are responsible for growth, measurement or product strategy and trying to make sense of AI, data and fragmentation without the hype, this episode offers a clear frame for what comes next.*** Subscribe for More ***👉🏻YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeggyAnneSalz?sub_confirmation=1👉🏻Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm👉🏻Amazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/28e1039b-4ead-4c48-aed7-8aceb5195fa6/mobilegroove👉🏻On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824*** Let's Connect ***👉🏻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/peggy.salz👉🏻 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz👉🏻 Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com*** What We Do ***MobileGroove: Mobile Marketing Insights, Trends & Growth StrategiesMobileGroove is a top-ranked destination for mobile marketing, app growth, and customer engagement strategies. We deliver expert analysis, custom research, and strategic content marketing to help mobile-first businesses and tech startups thrive in a fast-moving industry.My videos cover: • User acquisition (UA) best practices • App retention and lifecycle marketing strategies • Personalization and loyalty programs that drive ROI • The latest in mobile advertising and data-driven growth • Success stories from top marketers and mobile-first brandsPeggy is a recognized thought leader, named a Top 100 Mobile Influencer by Mobile World Congress, and the author of Apponomics (with InMobi) and The Everything Guide to Mobile Apps.Subscribe for weekly updates on mobile app marketing, growth hacking, retention tactics, and more.

In this episode of the Full Funnel App Growth Series powered by Aarki, Peggy sits down with Rajeev Ranjan, VP of Product at Aarki, to demystify one of the most misunderstood topics in mobile marketing today: SKAN and privacy-first measurement.As data becomes delayed, aggregated, and harder to interpret, many teams see SKAN as a blackout. Rajeev argues the opposite. When approached correctly, SKAN becomes a predictable timeline — one that helps marketers make better decisions, not worse ones.This conversation is part podcast, part masterclass, and focuses on what growth leaders actually need to know to operate confidently in 2026 — without drowning in technical detail.In this episode, you’ll learn:- Why SKAN is not a loss of signal, but a shift in cadence- How to treat postbacks as decision points, not just data- What to do (and what not to do) at Day 4, Day 10–15, and Day 30- Why killing campaigns too early is one of the most expensive mistakes teams make- How creative testing and retargeting still work under SKAN — just differently- Where AI helps, where it fails, and why black-box automation is risky- Why full-funnel growth now means UA and retargeting working together, earlier than most teams expectRajeev also shares practical lessons from working with marketers across gaming and non-gaming apps, including why waiting too long to re-engage users can permanently cost you high-value cohorts.This episode connects directly to Chapter 4 of the Full Funnel Growth Playbook, where Rajeev lays out a clear framework for reclaiming your data advantage in a privacy-first world, without panic, denial, or guesswork.If you’re responsible for growth, budgets, or performance in a world where feedback loops are slower but expectations haven’t changed, this episode is required listening.*** Subscribe for More ***👉🏻YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeggyAnneSalz?sub_confirmation=1👉🏻Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5yFF2InbeIgkIRcxvDy3jm👉🏻Amazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/28e1039b-4ead-4c48-aed7-8aceb5195fa6/mobilegroove👉🏻On Point Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7020756661006925824*** Let's Connect ***👉🏻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggyannesalz👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/peggy.salz👉🏻 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peggyannesalz👉🏻 Website - https://www.mobilegrove.com*** What We Do ***MobileGroove: Mobile Marketing Insights, Trends & Growth StrategiesMobileGroove is a top-ranked destination for mobile marketing, app growth, and customer engagement strategies. We deliver expert analysis, custom research, and strategic content marketing to help mobile-first businesses and tech startups thrive in a fast-moving industry.My videos cover: • User acquisition (UA) best practices • App retention and lifecycle marketing strategies • Personalization and loyalty programs that drive ROI • The latest in mobile advertising and data-driven growth • Success stories from top marketers and mobile-first brandsPeggy is a recognized thought leader, named a Top 100 Mobile Influencer by Mobile World Congress, and the author of Apponomics (with InMobi) and The Everything Guide to Mobile Apps.Subscribe for weekly updates on mobile app marketing, growth hacking, retention tactics, and more.