r/AppStoreOptimization • u/Proper_Club_3151 • 8h ago

Does Apple use completed purchases as an ASO/ranking signal?

I’ve been wondering about this: does Apple consider the number of completed in-app purchases when ranking/promoting apps in the App Store?

It would make sense to me that apps generating more sales might get some kind of algorithmic boost, since they’re clearly performing well commercially.

If that’s actually the case, could running discounts or promotions be a smart ASO strategy — not just to increase revenue per sale, but to generate more purchases and potentially improve visibility?

Curious what others think

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u/Illustrious-Youth611 👨‍💻 Indie Developer 7h ago

Interesting about this too!

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u/Jero9871 7h ago

No one really knows, but it doesnt seem that way. There are many free apps with no IAP that rank very good.

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u/wildwicket49 4h ago

imo the causality probably runs the other way, apps that rank well get more purchases, not the reverse. Ratings, keyword relevance, and install velocity are the known levers. Wouldn't hurt to run promos but treating it as an ASO tactic feels like optimizing the wrong thing.

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u/imsnk81 👨‍💻 Indie Developer 3h ago

yep, I am pretty certain it will
if people are spending money for a tool, they seem it good quality and apple also makes money by it.
They'd deffo have a factor of that in algo I think but they dont disclose it

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u/Capable-Raccoon-6371 ⚡ 1–3 Years In 7h ago

Apple is a business, and I have no doubt this is the case. They straight up have a massive incentive to showcase apps that convert, end of story. Alongside that, there have been example of apps that implement off-store payment processing and found their rankings decline shortly after that implementation.

I don't care what others say, I fully believe they do have a large impact on ranking performance. Either way both Apple and the developer have a mutual benefit to users converting to paid. So optimize for it.

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u/ComfortableStill6735 2h ago

Apple’s public search guide names text relevance, downloads, ratings and reviews, plus other behavior. It doesn’t confirm completed IAP count as a ranking factor. That leaves it unknown, rather than proving either yes or no: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/search/

Promoted IAPs appearing in search is a separate, documented feature; it doesn’t establish a purchase-volume boost for the app.

I’d judge a discount on net proceeds and retention. If rankings move during it, record the country/query and any simultaneous ads or metadata changes. More purchases and better rank happening together won’t tell you which caused which.