What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Branch is mostly for deferred deep linking and deep linking, and for our referral module, we use Branch to divert the users that we targeted through certain promotion banners so that they land on the module in our app through which we can better monetize our app.
For example, in our app we have a referral program and we ask users to refer certain modules in our app to different users. They share a particular link with other users, and when they click that particular link, basic information about which client, which app, and which user generated that link is captured. When the other user clicks on that link, the journey is not broken and we can move and provide certain monetization or certain referral rewards to our primary users.
I have something else to add about my main use case for Branch: we land that user in that particular module for which it improves the user experience.
What is most valuable?
The best features Branch offers in my experience are perfect for our use case, and since on iOS we cannot track users after they have installed the app, we can have a seamless experience of the user's first install journey and the tracking data that Branch provides is also very excellent.
The tracking data feature helps my team because with other certain campaigns that we run, we can easily track which particular campaign provides us better return on our investment and from which particular campaign we can convert free users to paid users. This type of tracking data is useful because Branch is able to provide it very efficiently.
Branch is easily supported on various platforms, and it works seamlessly across Android, iOS, and web apps. A single solution for different platforms works together easily, like a Jigsaw puzzle.
The impact of Branch on my organization has vastly improved our rate of return on our investment in the campaign department, so the user acquisition cost has drastically been reduced since we have started using Branch.
What needs improvement?
Branch can be improved as customer support is not that great, and it takes time to get a response from them. The debugging documentation and the documentation part can be improved.
I would add more about the needed improvements, specifically that the documentation should be enhanced in addition to their customer support.
There are other improvements needed for Branch that come to my mind regarding minor enhancements.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Branch for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Branch is stable in my experience, and I have not noticed any downtime or issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Branch's scalability is quite capable of handling higher traffic loads, and we have not faced any difficulty in that matter.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support for Branch is not that great, as I mentioned earlier, and it takes time to get in connection with their customer support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used a different solution before Branch. Earlier we tried implementing Firebase, which worked for some time but then user metrics were not great. We switched to AppsFlyer but ultimately settled on Branch.
What was our ROI?
I have seen a return on investment with Branch. As I mentioned, it has drastically improved our user acquisition cost and money was definitely saved, usually around a ballpark figure of twenty percent of the money saved on user acquisition cost.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Branch was not handled by me as it was done by the product team, but as far as I know, they were quite competitive from the market rates.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing Branch, I evaluated other options.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others looking into using Branch is that they can try Branch as it is a great way to handle deep linking and deferred deep linking part of their application and they can definitely improve user experience using the capabilities of Branch.
I have additional thoughts about Branch before we wrap up: it is a great tool to improve user experience and complete the user journey from installation to their first app launch. I would rate Branch an eight out of ten overall.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises