Custom Store Listings

Definition

Custom Store Listings (CSL), also known as Custom Product Pages on Google Play, are platform-specific variants of your app's store listing optimized for different user segments. A single app can have up to 50 custom store listings on Google Play, each with automatically targeted conditions based on user country, language, pre-registration status (new vs returning users), or install state (since 2025 update). Each custom listing can have unique creative assets (app icon, feature graphic, screenshots, app preview video), title, description, and promotional messaging—enabling large-scale A/B testing, regional localization, and audience-specific positioning without creating separate app binaries. This feature fundamentally differs from Apple's Custom Product Pages, which are URL-based and designed for ad campaigns rather than automatic platform-level targeting.

How It Works

Apple App Store

Custom Product Pages (CPP) — Different but related concept:

• URL-based, not condition-based (manually created for specific links/campaigns)
• Each CPP has unique URL that must be shared explicitly (via ads, email, etc.)
• No automatic user targeting; users must follow specific link to reach CPP
• Limited to creative customization (icon, screenshots, video, up to 5 screenshots per CPP)
• Up to 35 CPP variants per app allowed
• Use case: A/B testing via ads, regional campaigns, seasonal promotions
• No automatic platform-level targeting; user must be directed to URL
• Cannot customize all assets (e.g., title, rating, reviews are app-level)

Apple's positioning:

• CPPs are designed for paid marketing (Apple Search Ads, social media ads)
• Not designed for organic discovery optimization
• More labor-intensive (must create and manage unique URLs)

Google Play Store

Custom Store Listings (CSL) — Automatic, condition-based:

• Condition targeting: Automatically shown to users matching specific criteria
• Targeting options (as of 2025 update):

- Country: Show custom listing only to users in France, Japan, Brazil, etc.

- Language: Show custom listing only to users with device language set to Spanish, Mandarin, etc.

- Pre-registration state: Show custom listing to users who pre-registered vs non-pre-registered

- Install state (NEW 2025): Show custom listing to new install users vs returning users (based on install recency: 0-7 days, 8-30 days, 30+ days)

• Up to 50 custom listings per app (vs 35 on Apple)
• Customizable elements per listing:

- App icon (512×512)

- Feature graphic (1024×500)

- Screenshots (up to 8 per listing)

- Promotional video (YouTube link)

- App title (customizable per listing)

- Short description (80 characters, customizable per listing)

- Full description (completely customizable per listing)

- "What's New" section (customizable per listing)

• Submission method: Upload via Google Play Console > Product Pages > Store Listing > "+ Create Custom Store Listing"
• Automatic display: Google Play automatically routes users to matching custom listing based on conditions

Workflow:

1. Create base store listing (default)
2. Create custom listing with targeting condition
3. Google Play Console validates conditions (no overlaps) and enables listing
4. Users are automatically routed to matching custom listing when criteria are met
5. A/B testing: Monitor performance of each listing variant in Google Play Console analytics

Key advantage over Apple's CPP:

• No manual URL sharing needed
• Users organically discover their tailored listing
• Analytics automatically separated by listing (performance comparison built-in)
• Scales to 50 variants vs 35 on Apple

Amazon Appstore

Limited support — Amazon does not offer equivalent feature to Google Play's Custom Store Listings or Apple's Custom Product Pages. Amazon allows only single store listing per app with limited A/B testing capabilities. Localization is possible through per-marketplace asset sets, but automated condition-based targeting is not available.

Design Principles That Drive Conversion

1. Segment-Specific Messaging

• New vs Returning users: New users need benefit summary + download CTA; returning users need update highlights + re-engagement messaging
• Geographic targeting: Tailor messaging for cultural context, local holidays, regional preferences
• Language targeting: Provides native-language experience (higher CVR than English in non-English markets)

2. Asset Customization Strategy

• Icon variants: Use region-appropriate imagery or characters
• Feature graphic variants: Create seasonal or region-specific banners (e.g., Lunar New Year imagery for Asia markets)
• Screenshot variants: Different use cases for different regions (fitness app: winter activities in cold climates, beach/outdoor in warm climates)

3. Creative Differentiation Without Cannibalization

• Each custom listing should target distinct audience segment
• Avoid overlapping conditions (Google Play enforces this)
• Test substantially different creative approaches (not minor tweaks)
• Different messaging strategies for different segments improve overall CVR

4. Regional Color Psychology

• Red = luck/prosperity in Asia, warning in West
• White = purity/cleanliness in West, mourning in Asia
• Green = growth/health in West, sickness in some regions
• Customize feature graphics and screenshots per region's color preferences

Formulas & Metrics

Custom Store Listing Performance Calculation:

Average CVR Across All Listings = (Installs_CSL1 + Installs_CSL2 + ... Installs_CSLn) /
                                   (Impressions_CSL1 + Impressions_CSL2 + ... Impressions_CSLn)

Segment-Specific Lift = CVR_Custom_Listing / CVR_Baseline - 1

A/B Testing Power Calculation for CSLs:

Note: Smaller regional markets may require 12-16 weeks for significance.

Multi-Variant Testing:

• When running A/B tests on 3+ CSL variants, apply Bonferroni correction (multiply p-value threshold by number of variants)
• Recommend at least 80% power per variant to detect statistical significance

Best Practices

1. Start with highest-traffic segments — test Japan, South Korea, Brazil first (usually 20-30% of Google Play traffic). Small-market testing is slower and noisier.

1. Create CSLs for major languages — if your app supports 5+ languages, create region-specific CSLs for top 3-4 markets. Localized screenshots improve CVR 20-40% in non-English markets.

1. Test install-state CSLs (2025 feature) — new users and returning users have different motivations. Returning users want "what's new"; new users want "what is this app". Separate CSLs for each install state typically show 5-15% CVR improvement.

1. Use SLE for rapid testing — SLE can test variations of a custom listing (e.g., two different screenshots for Brazil). Combine CSL targeting with SLE for powerful A/B testing.

1. Monitor overlap conditions carefully — Google Play prevents overlapping conditions, but ensure your CSL strategy is organized. Document your CSL matrix (which condition + which variant).

1. Separate analytics per listing — Google Play Console shows performance per custom listing. Compare metrics (CVR, downloads, revenue) to identify top-performing segments.

1. Update CSLs seasonally — feature graphics, titles, and descriptions should refresh for holidays or seasonal events. Apps that rotate CSLs seasonally see 10-15% engagement improvement.

1. Avoid generic "localization" — translating English copy to other languages is not enough. Recreate messaging for cultural context (e.g., fitness app: "New Year Resolution Challenge" for Western markets, "Lunar New Year Health Goals" for Asia markets).

1. Test regional imagery — user preferences for character types, clothing, age groups vary by region. Test images with local representation; diverse imagery typically outperforms generic global imagery.

1. Combine with Custom Product Pages (CPP) (if applicable) — on Apple, create CPPs for paid campaigns. On Google Play, create CSLs for organic discovery. Both can work together in cross-platform strategy.

Examples

High-performing Custom Store Listing strategies:

1. Fitness App (Region-Specific):

- CSL 1 (North America): "Winter Running Challenge" with snow/outdoor imagery

- CSL 2 (Southeast Asia): "Monsoon Season Workouts" with indoor gym/home fitness imagery

- CSL 3 (Europe): "Spring Marathon Training" with marathon event positioning

- Result: 25% average CVR improvement across segments vs single generic listing

1. Game (Install State):

- CSL 1 (New Users): "Discover Epic RPG Adventure" — emphasizes story, graphics, gameplay

- CSL 2 (Returning Users): "New Season: Dragon Raid Available" — emphasizes updates, events, progression

- Result: 18% CVR improvement for new users, 22% re-engagement improvement for returning users

1. Language-Specific CSL (E-commerce App):

- CSL 1 (French market): Localized feature graphic with French fashion/style imagery, French-language descriptions

- CSL 2 (German market): Localized screenshots showing Berlin locations, German-specific product categories

- Result: 30% CVR improvement over English-only listing in non-English markets

1. Seasonal Promotion (Holiday-Specific):

- CSL 1 (November-December): Black Friday/Holiday messaging, gift-themed feature graphic

- CSL 2 (January): New Year Resolution messaging

- Result: 20% CTR improvement during seasonal periods

Dependencies

Influences (this term affects)

• Conversion Rate — properly targeted CSLs improve CVR 5-30% depending on segment differentiation
• Store Listing Experiments — SLE works on top of CSLs for further optimization
• Store Listing Localization — CSLs enable localized creative at scale
• wiki:ab-testing — CSLs enable multi-variant testing without url fragmentation
• Organic Installs — better targeted listings improve organic discovery and conversion

Depends On (affected by)

• App Icon — customized icons available per listing
• Feature Graphic — customized feature graphics per listing
• Screenshot — customized screenshots per listing
• Promotional Video — customized videos per listing
• App Title — customizable per listing
• Full Description — customizable per listing
• Store Listing Localization — CSLs enable regional/language-based localization

Platform Comparison

Related Terms

• Custom Product Pages (CPP)
• Store Listing Experiments
• Store Listing Localization
• wiki:ab-testing
• Feature Graphic
• Screenshot
• Conversion Rate
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
• App Title
• Full Description

Sources & Further Reading

• Google Play Console: Custom Store Listings Guide
• Google Play Academy: Targeting Users with Custom Store Listings
• Google: Install State Targeting (2025 Feature Update)
• SplitMetrics: Custom Store Listings A/B Testing Strategy
• Sensor Tower: Multi-Listing Strategy for Global App Growth