How Can you Regain the Mobile App Users You are About to Lose?

Many focus entirely on user acquisition as the sole metric for determining the success of an app. But what is the value of high download rate if you don’t have regular active users? Brands invest heavily in acquiring users, but this is only the beginning. Once you have acquired them, the real value is in engaging and retaining them. Here are some ideas to help regain the interest of the mobile app users you are about to lose.

Consider user reviews

Though the app store listing is mainly known as a platform for user downloads, you can actually begin engaging your users at this stage. Users want to know more than what the app does – they need to know the benefit it will bring to their lives. User reviews are a powerful way of getting this message across because it isn’t just you trying to sell your product. It is the words of another regular person, who loved the app enough to tell everyone else what it can do for them.

Encourage users to leave positive reviews of your app once they have engaged with it for some time. This means you are communicating with mobile app users regularly, and inviting positive reviews that will help start the process of engagement before new users have even downloaded the app. Make them feel valued, and they will tell others how valuable your app is.

User-friendly design

Providing a seamless transition from onboarding to engagement and conversion can help increase customer retention. The more difficult it is to use the app – for example, too many steps in the signup process, complex features and functions, etc. – the greater the likelihood of users abandoning it. First impressions count for a lot, particularly with user experience. Make it easy for users to get the value out of your app, and teach through action to help users understand the gestures and processes they need in the app experience.

Multichannel platform

Using multiple platforms for onboarding campaigns has been found to boost 2-month customer retention rates compared to campaigns that use push alone. There’s more to customer communications than mobile app channels alone. Web push notifications, in-browser notifications and social media channels are powerful ways to engage both mobile and desktop customers. Use your web presence to take advantage of emerging channels, so that you can communicate with your audience better to retain existing users and gain new ones.

High performance

This final point is perhaps the most important for boosting mobile app retention rates. Make it a quality product that performs brilliantly. Be sure to test it comprehensively before launch to ensure there are no significant issues. By being diligent in the quality assurance phase, you can deliver a superb product to your audience. If, however, the app lacks proper functionality – for example, crashing, lagging or slow load times – users will quickly abandon it.

The goal today is not simply to get your app downloaded. You need to retain users to enhance your brand loyalty. App engagement and the retention of users are just as important as user acquisition and will help increase lifetime value and generate greater revenue from your app. The ideas listed above can help improve user engagement so that your mobile app has a greater impact in this highly competitive world.