Note: This was originally published in a useful App Developer Guide created by Vmax. Must download for all App Developers & Product Managers. Download Here: https://www.vmax.com/2016/11/17/introducing-developers-compass-app-galaxy-playbook-winning-indian-apponomy
Since the advent of App Stores, driving app installs has been the primary growth strategy for almost every developer. Most are still chasing Installs, but today, smart marketers are going several levels up and focusing on engagement & retention.
Today, uninstall rates, particularly on Google Play Store, are exceptionally high for most developers. Much of this can be attributed to poorly-developed apps, but a lot of seemingly good apps are also making grave mistakes leading to poor retention.
Before you go crazy about driving engagement, you need to ensure that the core product offering is what users want and not what you want to push. Early indicators such as positive feedback from users, word of mouth, app reviews, conversions, transactions etc. can help you answer this and validate the product.
Once you are confident that the core works, it’s time to get down to fixing the leaks and ensuring that all the right engagement hooks are taken care of. Retention is directly dependent on how much attention you’ve paid to every detail.
Here are 6 ways to help drive better engagement for your apps:
1. Onboarding — First experience matters. Here are a few quick pointers on getting it right:
a. Keep it short — Just get to the core product real fast. Be paranoid about every pixel/screen that may keep the user away from experiencing your product/offering
b. Permissions (iOS & Android (Marshmallow onwards)) — Delay as much as you can. Ask What You Must, not What You Should. Ask at the right
. Instructions or Coach marks — If your app needs too many coach marks, you are doing it wrong
d. Login Gate — Nothing puts users off more than a login. Is it possible to show them a sneak peek of your offering without login? Is it totally avoidable? Can you keep it real quick with just a mobile number and no passwords?
e. Sign Up — If you must have it, showcase the real benefits of signing up
2. Personalization — Can you customize the experience for each user without asking too many details upfront? For example: show frequent tasks upfront, auto save user preferences, auto-filter features not used at all, customize notification frequency based on the user’s interactions, use location & context (device data) to customize the results & so on.
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3. Communication Strategy — Find the right mix of how you want to communicate with the user. Use Push, In-app Notification, Email, SMS smartly. Create right segments (use the right tools to achieve that) and target better. Know when to use what channel. Don’t over or under-communicate. Learn this balance by studying the data closely and improve as you move along. It can be different for each app
4. Tech — Technology & how you code your App is often not “directly” linked to retention & UX. Good code can help you improve your retention multi-fold:
a. Bugs & Sluggish Performance — Keep an eye on every single crash or bug reported and fix instantly
b. Space on the Phone — make sure your app consumes less space after installing. Users don’t like apps taking too much space
c. 2G Compatible — Countries like India still have over 150mn users on slow connections. Make sure your app works in these conditions. Be very meticulous in cutting down slow services
d. Battery Consumption — User dislike apps that suck battery
e. Privacy — Never capture data that you don’t need. Respect users’ privacy
5. Attention to Detail & UX matters — Follow best practices suggested by Google & Apple. Optimize user flows, pay attention to user funnels, get your copy right and I8N & L8N best practices in place. Here’s a good starting point for understanding better UX design for apps: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/topics/create-better-mobile-user-experience.html
6. Compliment with Marketing — You have done all the good work with the product and now it is time to reap the benefits. To further cement your efforts, you can use Facebook & Google’s re-engagement campaigns to drive users back in case some forget to come through organic means. Make sure that you setup deep links for re-engagement campaign to work better and have better segmenting & targeting to ensure that they come back to the most appropriate/relevant screens
Once you have done all this, make sure to connect with your actual users often through user meets or focused forums. Direct feedback helps you overcome your blind spots. All the best with your efforts.
Do check out Mobile App’s Survival Funnel to understand why & when users uninstall your App:
Mobile App’s Survival Funnel: How to stop uninstalls [Infographic]
If you are not among the top 0.5% of the Apps which have defied the “Law of Attrition”, then you must be grappling with…
Reach out to me at dabbot@gmail.com or tag me on twitter.com/deepakabbot to share your views.
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