Maximizing Mobile App Retention

In 2016, it’s projected that 224 billion apps will be downloaded. But only a lucky few will become user favorites that get used on a regular basis.

In fact, 70 percent of all apps are launched only one time before being deleted.

How do you avoid being one of them? Take the steps that are proven to aid in user retention.

Three Key Mobile Engagement Steps

1) Show Users the Value

Illustrate how your app brings users value and improves their lives. Start with an effective mobile app onboarding experience — show users how your app’s features work with both initial and continued feature education.

2) Get to Know Your Users

Use what you know about their your users — their stage of life, interests, preferences, etc. — to serve them targeted, relevant content. By observing their resulting actions (read, clicked, swiped, etc.),  you can learn a lot about how to best serve them in the future.

3) Measure to Improve

RFM analysis (recency, frequency, lifetime value) is a great way to measure the impact of your efforts. With it you can identify users who have a high likelihood to act based on those three factors. Analysis can help you find out which customers may be at risk of defecting from your app, and gain user-level insight to reach them with exactly what they want, thereby retaining them as customers.

Best Practices in App Retention

Here are a handful of additional best practices and recommendations for retaining app users:

• Keep content interesting and varied across channels for your most loyal users
• Encourage users to authenticate with your app via their email or social profile to gain a cross-channel understanding of their behavior
• Include a preference center in your app where users can go at any time to tell you what they want
• Create a targeted mobile wallet pass to expand your brand’s mobile surface area and offer easy utility

Want to Learn More?

We’ve worked with thousands of companies — and some of the biggest brands in the world — to maximize the value of their app investments. For more mobile app user retention best practices, download the latest chapter in our “From Good Push to Great Engagement” series.