Facebook launched App Event Optimisation, a product designed to enable developers to target install ads at users likely to take specific actions.

The social networking giant said it is able to uniquely determine if a user is likely to take a particular action based on historical data and other users with similar characteristics.

The firm pointed out that while 90 per cent of time spent on mobiles and 58 per cent of mobile purchases made in the US are attributable to apps, only 6 per cent of customers are still using an app thirty days after it is installed.

This is why “not all app installs are equal”, it said.

Developers can choose from 14 standard app events, such as achieved level, added to cart, purchased and rated. So developers looking for customers likely to make purchases would optimise for the relevant event.

Developer PennyPop claims to have seen an 80 per cent decrease in cost per event leading to five times the growth in lifetime value as a result of using the product.

Facebook also plans to make Dynamic ads and Canvas available to businesses to drive installs and engagements.

Dynamic ads works by sending users who show interest in a particular product an app install ad that features that product. When they install the app they will automatically be directed to a page to purchase the item, increasing the likelihood of them completing the transaction.

Meanwhile Canvas helps enterprises “bring their apps to life” in ads by showing more of what the app can do and giving consumers a sneak peek into what they can expect.

App Event Optimisation is now available globally. Dynamic ads and Canvas will roll out over the next few weeks.