2025 didn’t follow a predictable script.
AI summaries and recommendations started shaping how people find brands and apps. App and web journeys continued to intertwine. Some long-expected platform and privacy changes stalled or shifted course. Everyone’s Firebase links broke.
Not to mention, TikTok almost disappeared, Taylor Swift got her masters back, and plenty of people quietly started asking “Chat” for everything from deep strategy to dinner ideas.
The year marketers actually experienced
All of that change took a toll on confidence. In Branch’s State of App Growth research, only 18% of marketers said they felt confident in their ability to measure performance and make decisions based on the data they had.
But for most marketers, there wasn’t time to wait for clarity. Growth still had to happen across web, app, QR codes, email, paid channels, and offline touchpoints, even while the rules kept changing.
What we focused on to keep marketers moving
With so much in flux, we focused on removing friction where marketers feel it most: understanding how journeys actually unfold, activating experiences across every touchpoint, and keeping measurement usable.
That focus showed up in key product updates we were excited to bring to customers.
- Funnel Analysis gave marketers a clear view into what happens between first touch and conversion. Instead of stitching together reports from different tools, teams see where users drop off, which touchpoints move them forward, and how different paths perform.
- Branch Activation finally brought an end to juggling different tools for short links and QR codes that perform across SMS, app, and web. Marketers can now create clean, branded links in one place and know that they’ll work across all touchpoints.
- Major updates to our MMP offering helped marketers measure what matters while navigating privacy regulations. Under the hood, that meant updates across Branch Performance, including stronger privacy-safe iOS measurement, clearer attribution for TV-driven conversions, and a more complete view of cost and performance in one place.
- And as AI became part of everyday work, Branch’s integrated AI, Ivy, gave marketers a new way to work with their data. Instead of digging through dashboards or pulling reports just to answer basic questions, teams now ask, explore, and act faster. Ivy is already making it easier for teams to move from data to decisions, without getting stuck in manual analysis.
How customers brought it to life
As always, our customers inspired us with the creative ways they used Branch to grow and adapt. Three themes stood out: simplicity for early-stage teams building momentum, scale for established platforms managing millions of users, and speed to insight for teams capitalizing on narrow windows of opportunity.
Storygrounds’ scrappy approach to growing its creator-driven platform showed how early momentum depends on removing barriers. With audiences arriving from web, app, and desktop, the team made sure creators could share freely and fans could land exactly where they needed to be.
For customers like Funstage and Platogo, serving millions of users every month shifted the focus to durability. Their careful attention to frictionless logins, rewards, and sharing highlighted how much growth depends on systems that stay reliable as usage grows.
We also saw teams learn fast when timing mattered most. PUMA had just weeks during the holiday season to make mobile web traffic count. By testing and adjusting in real time, the team turned interest into record app engagement.
These are just a few examples. We saw hundreds of teams — including many of our Mobile Growth Awards winners — use Branch in thoughtful, effective ways to deliver value to their customers.
Closing out the year
We all had to adapt to a more fluid environment this year.
What’s carried through is a steadier sense of what’s working: better visibility across journeys, fewer surprises when platforms change, and more confidence in everyday decisions.
We’ll carry that momentum into the year ahead. See you in 2026!
